Wireless broadband, what exactly do I need?

[Stevo]

I have yet to get broadband in my house which is really annoying and is why I havnt played games online in ages.
The thing thatwas holding it back to begin with was that i couldnt get my parents convinced that it was vitally important that I get broadband to keep me alive... or something like that.

Anyway ive got them convinced and the problem now is the fact that there are two main computers in the house used for internet access. One of them is my rig in my room, which just happens to be in the attic.
Yes i do have to climb a ladder to go to bed and its a nightmare when u need a wee late at night and its too windy to use the window.... not that I would.

The other computer is in a mobile office outside.

So to get "wired" broadband it would involve a lot of cables and drilling holes in walls etc. something I would have a go at myself but my parents wouldn't want anyone doing.

So I have decided that going wireless is probably the best option apart from the fact that it is expensive. £79 for a wireless kit with wanadoo.
I don't want to get a wireless kit from a provider because they don't really supply you with much and I would prefer to buy my own bits.

So what that pile of guff up there really means is that I would like to know what hardware I will need to set up wireless broadband in my house, to be shared over at least 4 computers, and for it not to break the bank.

I have looked up wireless routers/modems etc but there are so many types im not quite sure what I need.

So advice on routers, modems, microfilters etc would be very welcome.

Thanks

[noveltylamp]

Firstly, will you be getting ADSL broadband through the phone line, or are you considering getting it from Blueyonder or NTL?

Anyway, if you get ADSL you will need a Wireless Router with integrated ADSL modem.

If you get cable, you'll need a basic wireless router.

54mbps is usually fast enough for everyone at home. you'll also need a wireless card for all of the computers. Expect to pay £50 - 70 for the router, and around £20 for each wireless card.

Be wary though that wireless speeds and quality go down dramatically when going through brick walls.

[Olly1234]

You say outside..As in outside the walls of your house? If so, and it's lower than your attic as it sounds to be, then you may have problem with signal strenth as they broadcast in a radial manner i.e not in one direction which may cause a problem, wireless generally travels really well in straight lines, but add some height and a few walls and it's nigtmare, I've got these little directional transmitters and recievers in doors that do the trick but this is direct from the PC card not a router

[-mb-]

Well, Linksys and DLink are good quality standard brands, trouble is, they don't offer much stuff for your situation.

HOWEVER, BUffalo (also good) do:

Big aerials wil help, such as these:
http://www.buffalotech.co.uk/webcont...mID=wle-hg-ndr

Get one of these for modem/router:
http://www.buffalotech.co.uk/webcont...itemID=wmr-g54

And a couple of these adapters:
http://www.buffalotech.co.uk/webcont...D=wli2-pci-g54

[Stevo]

It will be ADSL through the phone line, The office sits about 1m from the side of the house. Would it be a good idea to place the router somewhere in between, say just at the top of the stair case to the first floor?

Also my neighbour says he is getting wireless in and he says that if it would work I could piggy back into his connection. until I get up and running. His house is approx 20m opposite mine.
I have heard of this done b4.
Anyone else tired it?

[EvilMunky]

People - there is an alternative ti wireless - i think its called Divolo. It basically uses your homes electricity infrastructure to pass data along.

You get a plug thing that fits into a normal power wall socket - you plug a network cable into that. Then anywhere in yhour house, you plug another one in. Its basically like having cat5 throughout your house and easily moveable as you just take the plug thing to a different place.

The advantages are : easily moveable
easy to install
secure
quick
efficient and reliable.

Look it up!

[ariel]

Stevo you can try the neighbour's wireless connection but ypou'll need a good router at his end I think. It is against the ISP's terms and conditions of course! The likeliest solution is the Netgear rangemax with bundled usb adapter but no guarantees....

[pak000]

if your computers are a good distance then as previously stated, you may have trouble through the walls.

the n standard was supposed to have been agreed a few weeks ago, much better range from what i understand. IF you are willing to wait then you may want to try that, there will be a price premium though.

You may want to borrow a friends kit before you buy, too see what sort of range you can get with a standard set up, that will give you an idea of what will work and what won't otherwise, it may be best to go down the route that evilmunky suggested

[ultim8um]

If you were going to piggy back off a neighbour (like I am doing with a mate) then I would suggest using the Dlink wireless bridges... I have the DWL-820 with a larger antenna screwed on to the rear. I have placed a Dlink DWL-2000+ access point in his outside shed with a booster antenna attached to a short cable. This is hooked up to his ADSL router and the whole setup is perfect. He can wander anywhere around his house and get a wireless signal (and his garden of course!) and even has a wireless print server in his front porch that can see the AP in the shed...!

The only problem with this is that the wireless bridge wouldn't be much use to you when you get your own ADSL.

You could of course get a wired ADSL ethernet router and attach a wireless AP to it. You would only have to route one cable around but you would be able to position the AP more easily (and as long as it supports external antennas via RP-SMA connectors for example) and possible attach a ceiling antenna...

[RavenNight]

I am in an identical system to you, gaming rig upstairs, office tat PC downstairs, both need net. What i'm currently doing is using an 'Ad-Hoc' wireless network, all you need for that is two wireless cards so its a heck of a lot cheaper than a router. The connection goes into my rig first (so I get uber speeds) and then broadcast elsewhere. There are two downsides, one my PC has to be on for the one downstairs to get the net, two you can only get 11mbps on the current standard. But its incredibly easy to use/setup and very cheap. I set mine up for under £30.

[peterb]

Have a look at broadbandbuyer.co.uk or datacomms direct or transparent communications. They do a range of wireless routers at not bad prices. They also do external antennae that would help with the connection to the outside office. It isn't going to be cheap though. You might be better running an extension telephone cable up the outside of the house to the attic (using weatherproof cable!) and locating the wireless router there with a cable connection to your computer, and an external ae on the outside wll for the office. BUT you will have to ensure the connection is secure to stop others glomming onto it. Make sure the router uses WPA encryption.