What do you need to set up a wifi router at home?

To set up wifi router at home, you need four things: a broadband connection from an ISP, a modem or ONT provided by that ISP, a wifi router, and an Ethernet cable connecting the modem to the router.

For fibre connections like Jio Fibre, Airtel Xstream, or ACT, the ISP installs an ONT that converts the fibre signal into an Ethernet connection. You then plug an Ethernet cable from the ONT into your router's WAN port. The router takes it from there, creating your wifi network and letting devices connect wirelessly.

Most ISPs in India provide the modem or ONT as part of the connection, but the router is often either rented separately or left for the customer to buy. Buying your own router at this stage, rather than accepting the ISP's bundled one, is worth considering given the cost and hardware differences.

Once physically connected, setup usually takes place through a mobile app, TP-Link's Tether app or ASUS's Router app being common examples, where you name your network, set a password, and the router handles the rest. Most modern routers finish this process in under ten minutes.