Wireless Networking

[longarm]

Want to set up a wireless network in the house. I've got a desktop PC (running XP) with a broadband connection and a mac running (OSX) as well as an wireless enabled ipaq. Would a wireless router such as this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005ARK3/qid=1101580149/ref=pd_ka_2/026-3642789-7686827
be what I needed ?

Seems good value if it would work.

[ColdFiltered]

I'm using that router with two laptops on a broadband connection. The set-up was easy and I've had no problems at all.

[phreegreens]

I think the key point here is on the amazon page..

"All linksys broadband routers, unless otherwise stated, connect directly to an ETHERNET broadband connection. This is standard on all Telewest and NTL broadband services, but to use with ADSL you will need a modem with an ETHERNET port."

I use a Linksys Wireless-G Router (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008DOYO/qid=1101643710/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-0297450-0006001) at home connecting to a ntl cable modem which has an ethernet output, it works great connecting to 2 pc's, my work laptop and a Dell X30 pda, it really was plug and play.

If your ADSL modem has an ethernet port that connects to your PC then the Linksys kit will work fine, maybe consider going up a couple of quid to the unit I have linked to, it is .g compatible which whilst it will not affect browsing speed it will make file transfers between the PC's noticeably quicker. Sorry cannot help on the Mac side of things.

g'luck... :ok:

[longarm]

Just looked at my modem (USR sureconnect) which doesn't seem to have an ethernet port. Does this mean the Routers mentioned won't be what I need. If so what can anyone recommend.

Yours,

Confused of England.

[phreegreens]

so how does it connect to your PC.. USB..?

Can you post the exact model number of your modem so we can google up a look at the spec.

[longarm]

Sorry, Its a USR sureconnect. Its got a normal input from the phoneline and then a USB connection to the PC, no other ports or inputs/outputs. I have a 1mb broadband connection.

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

longarm,

Yesterday I switched to the:

D-Link DI-624 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000E5SF8/qid=1101649996/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/202-2469723-1780663)

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/33-127-028-03.JPG

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/33-127-028-04.JPG

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/33-127-028-06.JPG

It is one of the best Wireless Routers I have used. :ok:

Take Care,

Richard

[longarm]

Thanks for the replies so far. So I think what I need is a wireless router that has a built in modem, is that right?

[BEagle]

The BT Voyager 2100, perhaps?

http://www.voyager.bt.com/2100/prodinfo.htm

I use the earlier BT Voyager 2000 with 2 laptops using 802.11b and all works fine.

[BahrainLad]

Yes, to use ADSL the most 'elegant' solution is a wireless router with built in ADSL modem.

Like Richard, I've gone for D-Link, and essentially the same bit of kit but with the modem as an extra.......D-Link 54Mbps Wireless Router/ADSL Modem (DSL-G604T) (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00022V2EO/qid=1101683618/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_3_2/026-9582213-5108413)

Tip: The web-based setup pages on the router work best with Internet Explorer, if you use Safari/Mac you'll run into problems.

[Capn Notarious]

I have just done the opposite and hard wired the home six ethernet sockets.
My reason for this is because cumulatively if more households going wireless then more radiation in the ether.
Now as some may know, a new research laboratory is to be set up, and its interest is radiation from the masts for cell phones. Just a discussion point..........

[Engineer]

Look at KCorp KLG575 108g+ Wireless Firewall Gateway Router

It is an ADSL and cable router using 802.11g wireless standard. Complete with 128-bit WEP,WPA, Firewall and MAC address filtering.

Read review Here (http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/networking/0,39023965,39151490,00.htm) and visit Website (http://www.kcorplifestyle.com/products/silverSeries/KLS-575/KLS-575.htm)

[englishal]

You need a Wireless ADSL router, i.e. with built in ADSL modem. All of the "free" modems supplied by ISPs are USB and will not work with a Wireless Broadband Router. Doesn't look like the one Richard posted will work without an Ethernet ADSL modem attached (and I am guessing in the states this plugs into the ethernet port of a Cable modem )

Myself I like to install either the Linksys ADSL Wireless G or the Netgear DG834G as they are easy to setup and configure.

Networking a Mac to this setup shouldn't be too difficult. I managed to talk my sister through (over the telephone)networking her boyfriends Mac to her PC to share the internet connection over the telephone, and I know nothing about Macs, and they no nothing about computers;) The numbers (DNS / IP / gateway) are all the same whatever computer you use.

[AH64 APACHE]

I've got a Belkin ADSL router and modem which I set up with a proprietary (non-belkin) 80211b wireless card on my laptop. However, problem is that if I do not use the connection for about ten minutes the router disconnects my laptop. I then have to go back onto the router administration homepage and reconnect. This is blooming annoying as the point of broadband is that it is always on.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

[englishal]

Is there an option in the router setup which "Connect on Demand" or "Keep Alive"? If not then there might be a firmware upgrade you can install.....

[scroggs]

I have a Linksys WRT54G router with which, to be honest, I'm not that impressed. The setup options are far too complex, and it's very easy to screw the whole thing up - I don't have a degree in networking and neither am I an MCSE, so I don't really want a bit of kit that appears to need both qualifications to understand!

As you might have guessed, my wireless network, attempting to connect a desktop (connected to the internet directly via a Creative ADSL modem on a 1mb connection), a WinXP laptop, a Win98SE laptop and a Pocket PC, is not a resounding success!

I've tried connecting the modem (it is an ethernet type) directly to the WRT54G, but then none of the computers can detect it - even the desktop, which is wired to the Linksys router. Fortunately, my desktop has a Gigabit LAN port, so I can connect the modem to that and the router to the 10/100 port. At least the desktop can connect to the net (which seems extremely slow today!), but the other computers, on the rare occasion I can get any of them to connect to the network, can't see the internet connection - yes, I have activated Internet Connection Sharing.

Oh, for a box that you just plug in and go!

[englishal]

yes, I have activated Internet Connection Sharing
That may be your problem. You don't need ICS running if you are using a router, in fact running ICS and a router will cause no end of problems as both ICS and the router will be trying to provide the IP addresses via DHCP....

Plug the modem into the router,
Plug the desktop into the router via the ethernet port
PLug other computers into the router LAN ports (if available)
Disable ICS & dial up ADSL connection on the desktop
Make sure your router DHCP server is set to "enable",
Setup router with the ISP info which is probably:

Login name
Password
VPI:0
VCI:38
PPPoA for ADSL

Now on each client computer make sure that "obtain IP address automatically" is selected under the LAN connection (Control panel > Network COnnections > Local Area Network, click TCP/IP and select properties).

You could manually configure IP addresses for the client computers if you prefer (BUT remember to disable DHCP in the router). To do this go to the LAN connections, and click Properties for TCP/IP. Manually assign the following IP addresses:

IP: 192.168.1.2 (for 1st computer, 192.168.1.3 for the second and so on).

Subnet: 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 192.168.1.1 (the routers IP address)

DNS servers: These are supplied by your ISP. You may not need to enter anything here, I seem to remember a problem when I couldn't access the internet without entering them. What ISP are you with?

Good luck ;)

Edited because i forgot the wireless bit:

When you have just the router and desktop connected to the Internet, then use the Desktop to configure the wireless newtork.

Login to the router:

http://192.168.1.1
user: admin
pass: admin
(unless changed by you)

Under wireless settings (not familiar with your router, but they are pretty similar):

choose a name for your SSID, can be anything and just identifies your network (i.e. Virgin). Best to change it from the default.

Under WEP key settings:

Enter a password, again can be anything. It uses this phrase to calculate the WEP encryption keys. And then click generate. Write down the Key 1. If you are using Linksys PCMCIA wireless adaptors, you can recreate the key on the client computers by simply entering the passphrase.

On the client computers, under the wireless settings, make sure that encryption is set to WEP, the strength is the same as the routers (i.e. 64bit), and that Key1 is the same as the one you just generated. If your router is set to broadcast the SSID you will see your network, if not, you may have to manually enter the network name (i.e. Virgin)....

[scroggs]

Thanks, Englishal. What I should have said is 'I've tried ICS'. It's not on now. I'm with Pipex (1mb connection).

In fact, I think many of my problems are caused by the fact that the Creative modem is a single-port router in its own right, with the ability to DHCP serve. Even though I've tried disabling its DHCP server (not easy - both the router and the modem originally shared the same IP address!), it still won't play. I've also tried setting the router into 'bridge' mode to let the modem do all the DHCP serving, but no joy there either!

As I said, what I (and most of the rest of the world) need is a box you plug in and everything works, but it seems that networking - for the moment at least - remains the preserve of those with more techno-geekishness than I posess! Frankly, I don't care any more - networking was really only going to be a way of sharing a printer and being able to access the 'net from any of our computers. I'd just be happy with a fast internet connection on the desktop - but, today at least, I don't even have that!

[englishal]

Ah, I see....that does complicate things a bit. The first thing is to assign a new IP to the router (I think you can do this in the router setup pages), say 192.168.1.2, then disable all DHCP, then manually assign IPs to each computer (192.168.1.3,4,5,6 etc), and DNS servers. The Pipex DNS servers are: 158.43.240.4 and 158.43.240.3....but not sure what would then be the gateway, the router or the modem...?

As far as out of the box goes, the NETGEAR DG834G works pretty well, you can make it "auto configure" the connection as it has built in ADSL modem, and just type in your username / passwd....

Good luck;)

[BahrainLad]

It might be a problem if the functioning of the ADSL modem (even though it's ethernet) requires a piece of software or a driver on the desktop to function correctly.

I rememeber when I was on cable-modem-ethernet, it just plugged into the laptop and there was never any "detection" of the cable modem, it just worked as if I was on an office LAN.

[scroggs]

The first thing is to assign a new IP to the router (I think you can do this in the router setup pages), say 192.168.1.2, then disable all DHCP, then manually assign IPs to each computer (192.168.1.3,4,5,6 etc), and DNS servers. The Pipex DNS servers are: 158.43.240.4 and 158.43.240.3....but not sure what would then be the gateway, the router or the modem...?

Yeah, did that! In fact, I can still 'talk' (via a web page) to both the router and the modem individually - as long as they're on seperate LAN sockets and they are assigned different IPs. So far so good... I even managed to manually assign IPs to all the computers on the net but, as you say, determining the gateway was too difficult.

As far as I can recall, I now have the router and modem on different IPs, with the modem doing the DHCP stuff for the desktop, and the router doing it for the network. I can usually get the WinXP laptop to talk to the desktop, but without access to the internet. The Win98 laptop and the Pocket PC? Forget it...!

When I can justify another £100 or so on the Great Wireless Network Project, I'll probably go for the Netgear integrated modem/router. After Christmas, perhaps!

Anyone want 2 Creative ADSL modems, an Alcatel Speedtouch 330 modem and a WRT54G router? Better be quick - they'll be in the bin in 5 minutes or so...

(No, this is not an advert - I already have a sucker - sorry, mate - who'll take them off me. Poor, misguided fool!)

[Basil]

Using Netgear DG834G wired via Ethernet to Evesham desktop.
Netgear WG511 PC card in Dell laptop.
Mac G4 Powerbook with Airport.
All connect to internet OK and PC machines network OK.

Detached house so just use access control limited to specific MACs with no SSID broadcast and no encryption.
If I was in a flat or terraced I'd look into WPA; although I'd imagine that would slow the radio comms down a bit.