Considering going wireless, lots of questions

[Jimmy Macintosh]

Currently I have a desktop PC attached to a regular hardline cable modem. The cable comes into the house and is a single socket.

I'm considering making it possible to connect lot's of different items to this connection, standard computer, webcam (watching new pet at home for a little while until it settles in), HD DVD player and allowing guests to use their laptops.

Now what do I need to do?
-Can I just buy something that connects to my cable modem?
-Do I need to replace the cable modem with a wireless modem?
-What pieces of equipment do I need, I hear of routers and hubs?
-Is a wireless connection as fast as my hard connection?
-Are they reliable, or will I have to keep resetting it (saw a couple of threads about this)?
-Are they easy to secure effectively?
-If it's not secure does this provide a route into my home computer if someone is sitting outside or at worst can they only use it to get an internet connection?
-Can you tell if someone is using it beside yourself?

I've no real experience of wireless things and any help at all is appreciated, I do expect to talk to someone in the know, but I need to know things before I can trust that I'm not be led astray.

Thanks in advance.

[isi3000]

Well if you have sky go with them as you only add like £6 to your monthly bill to get wireless. If not...you can buy a wireless router for like £80 or a USB thingy that connects to the network and enables wireless internet. Really easy to secure although occasionally unreliable but quick when it is working :)

[Keef]

-Can I just buy something that connects to my cable modem?
-Do I need to replace the cable modem with a wireless modem?
-What pieces of equipment do I need, I hear of routers and hubs?
If the cable modem connects to your PC via USB, you'd probably have to buy a modem/router, so would buy a wireless modem/router.
A router is effectively the same thing as a hub in a domestic setup.

-Is a wireless connection as fast as my hard connection?
In theory, yes. In practice, it's usually slightly slower but you won't notice the difference if you're using up-to-date wireless kit.
-Are they reliable, or will I have to keep resetting it (saw a couple of threads about this)?
Good ones are totally reliable.

-Are they easy to secure effectively?
To a reasonable level of security, yes. If you have "WPA", it will only be a very determined spy who will hack it.
-If it's not secure does this provide a route into my home computer if someone is sitting outside or at worst can they only use it to get an internet connection?
It depends if you have another computer on the network and have allowed file sharing. However, if you have WPA security, the risk is low.
-Can you tell if someone is using it beside yourself?
On most wireless modem/routers, yes you can.

[Lost_luggage34]

Since there are a limited number of cable providers I am guessing that you have an Ethernet connected cable modem ?

Perhaps a Webstar or Motorola product from Mr. Branson's outfit ?

If so, you simply need to purchase a wireless router that is not meant for ADSL or in other words telephone line Internet access - no need for that part.

I.e. it does not have a modem built in.

The router products generally available are also hubs - I.e. have network ports in order for you to connect other devices.

They are extremely reliable.

Some of the Netgear wireless routers seem favoured by some ISPs - I use one on my cable connection. A simple matter of moving the Ethernet cable from the cable modem to the router instead of having it connected directly to the PC. Then use the previous PC-modem cable to connect to the router to configure. After that you go wireless.

I like the Netgear routers, I do not like their range of internal wireless cards or their Technical Support.

Most important points to be aware of ;

Your ISP will probably not support anything beyond your cable modem. Therefore, if you have connection problems you may need to reconnect your PC directly to their cable modem for diagnosis in the event of problems.

If you buy a wireless router off the shelf don't assume it will have the latest firmware installed. Sometimes a quick firmware upgrade will solve a problem - both on the wireless product and the PC. If you have a fairly modern PC/motherboard the PC shouldn't be an issue.

Secure your wireless network as soon as possible;

- change the default login to the router
- don't broadcast the SSID
- set up a list of 'known' MAC addresses in the router
- use encryption on the wireless connection, WEP or preferably WPA/WPA2,
use as long an encryption key as your equipment will support
- keep an eye on the log in the router to see if anything is getting in that
you are not aware of

As Keef has said - good speed can be achieved on a wireless setup. Positioning of the router and structure of the building are the main criteria.

High up and central are generally the idea. Routers don't like glass too much but then how many of us have glass walls !!

At the end of the day your connection to the Internet is unlikely to be more than 8M so if you acheive a 11M wireless connection between your PC and the router the limiting factor is your cable connection.

Yes, there is some latency over a wireless connection and a router but it is minimal and you will probably not notice it.

Hope that helps.

Do come back and ask more questions - there's a wealth of info on here and we are always happy to assist.

[hellsbrink]

To add to the security bit, if you use the MAC filtering feature in the router to allow only the MAC addresses used by yourself (every LAN/WLAN adaptor has a unique address) as well as WPA then that will stop anyone else from accessing your network as unless they on the list, they don't get to connect to the router.

[Mac the Knife]

".........if you use the MAC filtering feature in the router....blahblah"

Yes, it helps, but it isn't fireproof.

It isn't difficult to spoof the MAC

SMAC - http://www.klcconsulting.net/Change_MAC_w2k.htm#Why - is just one of the tools available.

:ok:

[Gertrude the Wombat]

-Can I just buy something that connects to my cable modem?
Probably. Provided the cable modem has an ethernet output, not just USB.
-Do I need to replace the cable modem with a wireless modem?
Probably not.
-What pieces of equipment do I need, I hear of routers and hubs?
To connect more than one piece of equipment to most cable modems from most ISPs you will need a router which does NAT. These days routers come with several sockets, you'll only need an additional hub or switch if you want to connect more wires than that.

If you're going wireless you can get a router that contains the wireless gubbins, so no wires at all (apart from the one from the modem to the router) and no hubs or switches.
-Is a wireless connection as fast as my hard connection?
No.
-Are they reliable, or will I have to keep resetting it (saw a couple of threads about this)?
The internet is full of complaints about unreliable wireless connections. It is not full of complaints about unreliable wired connections. (Well, there is a little gotcha when making your own cables, but you only have to learn it once!)
-Are they easy to secure effectively?
It's supposed to be possible, if you want to get into that sort of thing, or hire a geek. I'm not sure I'd use "easy" as a description.
-If it's not secure does this provide a route into my home computer if someone is sitting outside or at worst can they only use it to get an internet connection?
It means they can walk all over all the computers and equipment in your home, unless you have taken further steps to protect them. All of which is possible, but you may not find it easy ... and if you get it wrong, you'll only find out when it's too late.

Basically your main protection from nasties from outside is the NAT function in the router. If you let a passer-by connect to your wireless network they've bypassed that and got you from the inside.
-Can you tell if someone is using it beside yourself?
Possibly. If you know what you're doing. And provided that they aren't trying very hard to hide themselves.

From the above you will probably be able to guess that I have wires all over my house, and the wireless function on my laptop switched off at the hardware level.

[Jimmy Macintosh]

Wow, I'll have to re-read this again, but I'm on a different continent to the UK at the moment.
The cable modem connects via USB into the computer, but as far as I recall it also has an ethernet connection on the back.

It seems the first port of call is a router.

In simple terms, I basically need something that can broadcast my internet connection or at least understand when something wants to use it (router?). For everything that I want to connect to it needs the capability to broadcast it's intent to my router, which will then allow access.

Am I missing any key steps?

[hellsbrink]

Mac

Nothing is 100% secure. But would you spend ages trying to hack through various layers of security or pick the neighbour who doesn't even put a password on his network? Let's just say nobody has gotten into my network...

[Saab Dastard]

Jimmy Macintosh,

Given that you have an RJ45 ethernet port on the existing cable modem, you will need an RJ45 cable to connect it to the next device in your home network.

This next device, at its simplest, is a hub (old technology) or switch, whose function is to allow all the devices on it to physically connect to each other (a star topology). So all connected PCs can be made to communicate with each other, and to anything else connected - in particular, the internet connection.

In general, this device is a multi-function appliance - it will contain several of the following functions: Switch, Router (to join the home network to the outside world - at a logical TCP/IP level), Firewall (a router with enhanced security functionality), Wireless access point (WAP), print server, USB disk connection and possibly others.

What you need is a combination of Switch - to connect your PCs together using Rj45 cables, Firewall (and router) - to link to and protect the PCs on your home network from the internet, and WAP - this functions similarly to the switch, connecting PCs using wifi to the home network.

This unit will have an RJ45 uplink port to connect to the cable modem, at least 4 switch ports to connect to your PCs, plus the WAP antenna. The WAP is in fact a hub, internally connected to the switch - in essence the WAP has an "uplink" connection to a built-in downlink port in the switch.

There is no security between the wired and wireless parts of the home network - access to one gives full access to the other. So implementing WPA or WPA2 is essential.

Do bear in mind that having access to the network is NOT the same as having access to the PCs on the network. But it is a necessary first step!

Note again that securing the wireless network is not the same as securing your PC from internet attack - that is the function of the firewall. You presumably have only got a software firewall (if any) protecting the PC from internet hacking - the addition of a hardware firewall will significantly increase your network defences!

I'm considering making it possible to connect lot's of different items to this connection, standard computer, webcam (watching new pet at home for a little while until it settles in), HD DVD player and allowing guests to use their laptops.

Connecting your computer, and guest computers (that you allow), to each other and the internet is primarily what the home network is about. Connecting other devices is possible, providing that they already have the means (physically and functionally) to be network-connected. a WAP or switch will not provide the means to connect non-network-aware devices. Of course, if they can be connected to a PC, which can in turn be connected to your home network, then that's a solution.

For what its worth, I recently replaced a Netgear WAP/switch/firewall that was locking up daily with a Linksys device, and it has been performing perfectly for over 2 months, without a hiccup.

I think the problem was that the Netgear device was originally WEP only, with a firmware upgrade to WPA, and the firmware upgrade was errr... cr@p.

HTH,

SD

[Mac the Knife]

"Let's just say nobody has gotten into my network..."

Are you sure? How do you know?

["I rooted your girlfriend's box"]

:}

[Keef]

SD has it, in a nutshell.

I used to have three boxes in this cottage: an ADSL modem with one RJ45 out port, a router - one "in" port and 4 out, and a WiFi access box. All were "good brand", all worked - sort of. Up time was 99.9% but once the WiFi dropped, I had to reset the laptop. I never did find which box was hiccuping.

I replaced the lot with one box doing all that stuff, and it's never even sneezed in the year or so since then. £50 well spent.

Check the reviews and "customer complaints", and pick a good one, You won't regret it.