Wireless Router/NIC

[Guest Blink_182_fan]

i no this has been posted ges ago but if i was to buy a wireless router like the one above would i also need to buy a wireless pci adapter card( i think thats what they are called) to put along with my network card?

[Agent Smith]

Hello Blink.

Only if you wanted to connect using a wireless link. The above Netgear product combines a Router, 4 port 10/100 Switch Wireless access point and a DSL Modem all in one (as well as built in firewall and other things).

This means that you can connect your current Network card to it using cable and, for example, connect a laptop using a wireless connection, creating a home network with the benefit of both (or more if you wish) being able to connect to the internet without the need for anything other than the Router being turned on.

Regards. Mr. M.

[Guest Blink_182_fan]

ok i want a wireless so i will need one of those pci adapter cards and i take it i will only need one if i am linking up my bband modem on one computer to another

[Agent Smith]

Blink, I'm not 100% sure what you are trying to do.

The Netgear shown above would be used to replace your existing ADSL modem. The router then makes a permanant connection on your ADSL line, so any computer connected to it (and correctly configured) will have internet access.

You can then connect computers to the router using either a standard network card and cable, or with a wireless network card. Bear in mind that wireless connections can drop in speed, or even drop out totally, depending on the distance of the computer from the access point (in this case the router) and anything that may interfere with the signal (walls and furniture for example).

So if your ADSL connection is close to your main computer, and you do not want to move the computer elsewhere, it would be better to connect that to the router using your existing network card and a cable. You could then install a wireless card into another computer and use that in a different room in the house.

There would be nothing to stop you from adding a wireless card to your main computer as well, but if you do not intend to move it, it would seem like a waste of money.

If you are still unsure as to what you need, please post back with a description of what you would like to do (how many pc's, location of them, location of your broadband (and type) etc.) and I will try to help further.

Regards. Mr. M.

[Guest Blink_182_fan]

ok Mr m its not with this wireless router only its with any wireless broadband router with a built in adsl modem. What i want to do is to link my old computer to a new one which is in a room upstairs roughly about 24 metre paces away from my broadband modem. I cant get a cable because i don't want to see a cable running up walls and stuff and my only option is a wireless bband router

[Agent Smith]

OK Blink,

The way I see it, is that you have several options. You could simply install a wireless NIC (Network Interface Card) into both computers and create a simple peer to peer connection between them. If you wanted to give both computers internet access, then you would need to set up ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) on the computer with the modem attached. In order for the second computer to access the internet, the first one would have to be turned on.

However, connecting two wireless NIC's directly may result in a shorter connection range, which means that you may need to add a wireless transceiver (commonly known as a WAP (wireless access point) or bridge) as well to give you extra range.

The above solution though, is probably the least cost effective for what you will end up with.

The better option would be to do as you have been hinting at, and fit a wireless router. Now depending on your existing modem, you can fit either a unit with or without a built in modem. If your modem has an ethernet output, then you do not need a built in modem (thus saving you some money). You can simply buy a router with combined ethernet switch and wireless access combined Linksys Example , and then all you need to do is connect your existing modem to the WAN (Wide Area Network, in your case the internet) port on the router, connect your main pc using it's current network card to one of the LAN (Local Area Network) ethernet ports on the router and fit a wireless NIC to the second computer. Your two computers would then be able to talk to each other as a network via the switch on the router, plus they would both have internet access without the need for the original computer to be switched on.

If your current modem is a USB type, then you will either need to get a router with a built in modem, or buy a separate modem with an ethernet output. The router option also allows for far greater expansion in the future. You would be able to fit upto 32 wireless devices and/or 254 ethernet devices, all of which would have independent internet access.

In this example, you only need to fit a wireless NIC into any computer for which you do not want to run cables, ie your upstairs one.

You also gain the added benefit of greater network security, as the routers used for examples here all come with built in firewalls, and will use NAT (Network Address Translation) to disguise your computers own IP addresses. As an example I fitted a router (linksys one) to my home network last year, and since then I have not had one single incoming firewall alert on any of my computers. I believe that also, some of the newer routers have the option of buying and installing Anti Virus scanners.

Hope this is useful. Regards. Mr. M.

PS Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, there are also other technologies now available which could be used instead of wireless. An example being to use your homes existing power lines Linksys Power Lead Networking or your phone lines Linksys Home Telephone Networking However, I have had no experience with these, so cannot offer any input as to their reliability.

[Guest Blink_182_fan]

ok mr m that helped me alot

thanks

:D