Adding a Wireless Laptop to a Wired Network?

[Dooms]

Righty My flatmate is buying a laptop over the next couple of days and its going to be impossible to wire his room downstairs to the wired network upstairs which is...

[8meg BB]
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[Asus Router]
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[6 port Switch]
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[My PC] [Spare PC] [Other Flatmates Laptop]

Now i know i could go for the wireless router option and replace everything but we cant afford that yet so i was just thinking for just a temp solution could i buy a wireless access point and plug it into the switch? If so what costs am i looking at? (The laptop hes getting will have wifi) or anyone got any other suggestions?

Thanks
Leon / Dooms

[Angus]

Quick look at ebuyer suggests that it'll be cheaper to go for a modem/wireless router than a standalone access point. Most will have ethernet ports anyway; so you won't need to upgrade your other systems yet.

[Firelord]

could you get a PCI Wireless NIC and stick it in the spare PC and set it up as an access point?

Alternatively look for a 11b access point on eBay as they go cheap and if its just for surfing then the speeds won't really matter

[Dooms]

Hmmm never thought about the PCI Wireless Nic idea... Anyone got any recommendations for a cheap card? Also how would one go about making it secure? is the anyway to only allow his IP to connect to it?

Cheers
Leon / Dooms