The Need to go Wireless

[bsodmike]

A device (router etc) that connects directly into the broadband line from the wall socket and sets up a wireless network in the area without actualy needing to be physically connected to a computer / laptop etc. Ive always been led to beleive that a router etc needs to be configured through one computer to be wireless connected to others.

'Physically connected?' no. You can have a purely wireless network in that case, and all you will have is your router/modem plugged into your ADSL line and a power cord - that's it.

All (afaik) non-Apple units have a web interface, some offer telnet access and some like the speedtouch units, allow configuration scripts to be uploaded. The whole purpose is that they are independent of any one PC.

Some manufacturers supply quick setup discs which simply take input from you and pass all the settings to the router - this maybe fine to start, but you might find that important stuff might have been left out, leaving you quite naked on the net... While we all do enjoy the occasional flasher, it would be wise not to tempt anyone

Your cost would be,

1x wireless ADSL router with in-built switch (for future proofing)
3x PCMCIA WiFi cards, supported by whatever OS, supporting 802.11b/g and WEP/WPA/WPA2 etc. - double check they are the same 'type' as what the laptops take. Usually Type II isn't a problem, but that's usually.

Hope this helps.

[colinloves]

Can I just abuse this thread and ask a WiFi related question?

MY downstair PC has a P5b WiFi board connected to the net with a USB modem.
Now If I want my upstairs PC to connect to the internet, can I just buy a PCI WiFI adaptor?

[Lee H]

Yeah you should be able to do that Colin using ICS within windows

Back on Track, Wireless is the way to go really.

I never really thought about going wireless at home due to a few issues - mainly myself being a bit security minded and wearing a tin-foil hat.

However, my old D-link gave up the ghost and I aquired a lovely Asus router which had wireless in it so I thought stuff it, set it up and use it.

So off I went with a list of MAC ID's to put in the allowed list, a nice long WPA-PSK key and a few advanced settings and since then I've never looked back. I've got the squeezebox wireless connected downstairs to the hi-fi and also the xbox360 as a wireless bridge which all jumps on the wired network upstairs and gets all the music and video's from my media centre PC and my housemates system running slimserver.

So now, rather than saying "ooooh I dunno" to wireless, I'm loving it and would recommend it to most people