Wireless Home Networking - Index of

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Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
AP manufacturers periodically post software on their Web sites that you can
use to update the AP’s firmware, which is stored in the circuitry inside the
device. Many new APs have the ability to automatically update the firmware
directly from the manufacturer’s site. We don’t recommend that you set this
up because most of the time you are not going to need it, and upgrading
firmware is serious business. If you decide to install a firmware upgrade,
follow the provided instructions very carefully. Note: Do not turn off the AP
or your computer while the update is taking place.
The best practice is to modify AP settings only from a computer that’s directly
connected to the network or the AP by a network cable. If you must make
changes over a wireless connection, think through the order that you will
make changes; otherwise, you could orphan the client computer. For example,
if you want to change the wireless network’s WPA2 key, change the key on the
AP first and make sure that you write it down. As soon as you save the change
to the AP, the wireless connection is effectively lost. No data passes between
the client and the AP, so you can no longer access the AP over the wireless
connection. To reestablish a useful connection, you must change the key on
the client computer to the same key you entered on the AP.