My dad says he's going to get us hooked up to some wireless stuff, so he can work from home for a bit, and he's going to get me a card too. What are some good brands for these, and how much is an average router/card going to cost?

Wireless is way cool, but we need more information.

In my world wireless means: A dish outside pointing to the SE receiving wireless waves from the ISP. It is then captured from radio and converted to digital within the dish. It can then be ported into the home via an outside rated CAT 5/6/7 cable. Plugs into a provided gateway, then can be ported into either a router/hub/ or single PC.

Then there is what is known as a wireless home network. This is nothing more than transmitting your highspeed ISP, either cable, DSL, or wireless inside of the home.

There are some comerical grade wireless options, but I don't think that is what we are concerned with here.

Let us know which one and we can provide more info.

The wireless home network is what he's going to get. Just so we can have a couple computors (mac, a pc and a laptop) hooked up to the internet.

oh, if you look hard enough, probably only a couple of hundred dollars for the whole setup...depending on many factors, mind you!

ask Memnoch. he just installed his wireless network recently. I also have a wireless network which is called netgear brand. Its pretty good since the installation is for "idiots". just plug it in and install the drivers and its working. my security system is still off though. not that im worried in my neighborhood. ;)

Yea, I think we'll need pretty much an 'idiots installation' thing. [img]tongue.gif[/img] We'll only need the networking card for the PC, though (I think), will that cut the price down a bit?

You will need...

1 wireless router (802.11B or 802.11G... probably G these days)

1 wireless network card (NIC) for each computer (matching the same version, B or G)

I run 802.11B here at the home office. My Linksys router came with one wireless NIC for a laptop -- you'll need a different one for a desktop.

The router can set you back as little as $40-50, if you watch for a rebate sale. The NICs will range from $20 to $70, depending whether you get them on sale or rebated.

You don't need the same brand of router and NIC, but they will play nicer together. For example, the built-in wireless on my laptop doesn't recognize security phrases, only security keys. That just makes it a little harder to set up.

And Harks, even though I also live in a good neighborhood, I still set up wireless security on the three basic levels (hiding SSID, WEP, and MAC address limitation). I started the last level when I went downstairs one Saturday, noticed the wireless connection was blazing away, and none of my NICs were responsible....

Better safe than sorry, I say.

As "B" pointed out about security, you really need to pay heed. Most consumer editions of 802.11G currently on the market can produce ranges beyond 300 feet. So, don't even think about not having your security up. Friendly neighbors become better, especially when you are providing the Free high speed internet.

There are many brands out there. The cheaper brands can mean cheaper quality, and difficult compatability. If you want ease of use, and no interface issues, buy all matched equipment(same brand and speed).

I'm a U.S. Robitics fan, so all of my gear is of that label. Router @ $100, but has the network printer port built in. Wireless cards for 802.11G average @ $70. Check the laptop, some of them are now shipping with a wireless built in. But mainly for the laptop @ $50.

On a side note; If you mix a 802.11B with a 802.11G system, then the entire service slows to the 802.11B speed. A drastic cut, but in reality, only noticeable if you are MPEG video sharing on the network.

FYI 802.11B runs @ 11Mbs and the G runs 54Mbs, to compare a single DSL connection runs 760Kbs. However, the G provides a better baseline security package.

Is that US$, Bungleau?

I recently purchased a Linksys setup, cost a tad over $300 and included:

WRT54GS - Wireless-G Broadband Router with Speedbooster
WMP54GS - Wireless-G PCI Adapter with Speedbooster
WPC54GS - Wireless-G PCMCIA Adapter with Speedbooster

This allowed me to get my entire network up and running in the new house without running cables. I've got the Router in the kitchen with the DSL box and a PC wired to the router (100baseT, that system runs mail, ftp and web servers and the wife can check her mail easily). Then I've got the PCI Adapter in the Rec Room in a system with a second adapter, it's set up as a bridge system to a Linksys Gigabit Switch. The rest of the systems are connected through that switch... except for the laptop which uses the PCMCIA adapter.

Works nicely now that I've got a new cordless phone (the old cordless operated at 2.4 GHz. and interfered).

[ 07-16-2004, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: Thoran ]