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Setup WiFi on the Arris DG860A

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

The Arris DG860A router is considered a wireless router because it offers WiFi connectivity. WiFi, or simply wireless, allows you to connect various devices to your router, such as wireless printers, smart televisions, and WiFi enabled smartphones.

Use a VPN

Have you considered using a VPN when you connect to the internet? A VPN is a great way to increase your security and anonymity while surfing.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes securely sharing your home network super simple. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

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Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

Other Arris DG860A Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Arris DG860A. We also have the following guides for the same router:

WiFi Terms

Before we get started there is a little bit of background info that you should be familiar with.

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Wireless Name

Your wireless network needs to have a name to uniquely identify it from other wireless networks. If you are not sure what this means we have a guide explaining what a wireless name is that you can read for more information.

Wireless Password

An important part of securing your wireless network is choosing a strong password.

Wireless Channel

Picking a WiFi channel is not always a simple task. Be sure to read about WiFi channels before making the choice.

Encryption

You should almost definitely pick WPA2 for your networks encryption. If you are unsure, be sure to read our WEP vs WPA guide first.

Login To The Arris DG860A

To get started configuring the Arris DG860A WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Arris DG860A, follow our Arris DG860A Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Arris DG860A

If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your Arris DG860A router.

This guide begins on the System Settings page of the Arris DG860A router. To configure your wireless settings, click the tab at the top of the page labeled Wireless. Then, choose Wireless Setup, and on the left side of the page choose Basic.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Arris DG860A

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Arris DG860A router.

You should now be on a page like the one you see above. The first thing you need to change is the Wireless Network Name (SSID). This is referring to the name you use to identify your network from those around you. Create an original name here, but don't use any personal information. Wireless name is a great guide on the subject if you want more information.

Below that is the Broadcast Network Name (SSID). This is asking you if you want your network name to be visible or not. If you leave this box checked, then you are visible to the neighboring networks. If you uncheck this box, you are hidden from your neighbors but not necessarily to the hacker with the proper tools to scan for networks.

Now, skip down to the drop down box labeled Channel. You can change your network channel just like you can change your radio channel. In the United States there are 11 channels you can choose from, of these channels there is only room in the spectrum for three channels that do not overlap each other, channels 1,6, and 11. Everyone should be using one of these three channels. For more information on why you should only be using these three channels, check out our guide titled WiFi channels.

Going a little farther down the page, find the Security Mode. There are several different options here. The strongest security mode available today is WPA2-PSK. We strongly recommend that you use this. WEP vs. WPA is a good guide discussing the differences in the security modes.

Under the heading of Security Settings (WPA/WPA2 PSK) you need to choose your Encryption Algorithm. The two choices are TKIP and AES. We recommend AES because it has not yet been cracked. Flaws have been found in TKIP.

The last thing on this page is the Pre-Shared Key. This is simply referring to the password. Create a strong and seemingly random password here. Don't use any personal information here. Don't use any words that can be found in a dictionary. Do use symbols, capital letters, and numbers. Creating a strong password can be a lot of fun. For help in creating a strong and memorable password, check out our guide titled How to choose a strong password.

Click the Apply button and you are done, congratulations.

Possible Problems when Changing your WiFi Settings

After making these changes to your router you will almost definitely have to reconnect any previously connected devices. This is usually done at the device itself and not at your computer.

Other Arris DG860A Info

Don't forget about our other Arris DG860A info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Arris DG860A. We also have the following guides for the same router: