You've taken the plunge and signed up to ADSL broadband, and a world of faster, always-on internet access awaits. The only problem is you've got a box with a router in it, a letter with some strange numbers, and no idea what to do with either. It's common to feel a bit nonplussed when your broadband kit arrives, but don't worry, setting everything up really isn't hard, as we're about to explain.

No matter who you buy your broadband from, the first place you should start is by looking for an introductory letter that contains instructions, or a 'quick start' or 'setup' guide. Although the basics of broadband are the same no matter who you chose, the specific settings that you'll need will depend on your provider - you should make sure you have the necessary information before you start. If the guide provided by your internet service provider (ISP) doesn't agree with our instructions below, follow the guide, which is more specific to your ISP. Lastly, make sure you print this page before making any changes to your existing setup.

Next, look inside the cardboard box that your router arrived in. You should find one or two small microfilters, which look like they'd plug into a phone socket, and which normally have two sockets themselves. You'll need one of these for every phone extension in your house - you can buy additional ones for just a few pounds each. Unplug each phone, plug in the microfilter, and plug the phone back into the microfilter's phone socket (it should only fit in one of the filter's two sockets).

You'll need to pick a sensible location for your wireless router. Ideally, find a spot in the centre of your home, far away from your microwave or cordless phone base station (both of which could cause interference). In practice, you'll be limited by the length of the router's data and power cables. Plug the router's data cable into the data socket of the nearest microfilter, and connect its power supply to the mains.

The science bit

So far so good, but this is where it can get tricky. Unless your ISP has already entered the settings you need, you'll have to connect a computer to your router and tell it how to talk to your ISP's equipment. Look inside its cardboard box again, where you'll probably find a short network cable. Plug one end of this into one of the ports on the back of your router (these will probably be labelled 1-4, and it shouldn't matter which you use). Plug the other end into your computer and turn it on. Check that the router is switched on - you should see some LEDs light up.

When your computer has started up, open your web browser. If you can see pages on the internet at this point (and you haven't got an old dial-up modem plugged in), you can make yourself a nice cup of tea - you've finished.

In most cases, though, you'll need to enter settings into your router. Check in the router's setup guide for the 'router IP address', 'web configuration address' or similar and, when you've found it, type it into your browser's address bar - it should read something like http://192.168.0.1 . When you press enter, you may be asked for a user name and password, which you should find written in the same document where you found the router's address.

Once you've managed to log into your router, you should see a status page of some sort, which will probably contain a 'setup' or 'ADSL configuration' link. Clicking on this will either display a setup wizard, or a web page with some boxes into which you can add information such as the user name and password provided by your ISP. In either case, use the details on the letter from your ISP to complete all of the boxes that you can.

If you're asked a question you don't know the answer to, accept the router's default suggestion or leave it blank if there isn't one. When you're done make sure you save your changes, and allow the router to restart if it wants to.

If all has gone well, you should find that you can now access web pages from your computer. Plug any other computers you have into your router using additional network cables, which should only cost a few pounds each, or read our guide to setting up a wireless network .

If you've hit problems, check that you worked through all of the steps above or all the instructions provided by your ISP. If it's still no go, you'll need to contact your ISP's helpline for more detailed advice.

Buying BT Broadband but don't fancy setting up your own router? With BT Home IT Install, our engineers will visit your home, set up your router and give you a quick demonstration. The BT Home Install costs £50-65, and is available weekdays and Saturdays.

Sign up for BT Total Broadband