A few questions...

[JimiP]

OK, I am trying to set up a home network consisting of three or four PC's. One notebook and three desktops. I have a single AT&T DSL internet line running through my kitchen. I have that connection hooked up to the DSL modem and from there to a NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824. Now, I have two Linksys Wireless-G USB adapters, (one version 4 the other version 0 (no version title)) a Linksys Wireless-G PCI adapter and a Linksys Wireless-B notebook adapter.

I want to get all these things to share an internet connection. I have the driver discs for each item but I'm just having a little difficulty understanding how it all works. Some questions I have are; Do I want an Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure mode wireless internet network? Also, I take it that when installing the drivers or setting up the actual connection you want the SSID to be NETGEAR (or whatever the original title may be...) is that correct?

My mother and sister are waiting for their wireless connections to be set up and I don't have all the answers, or the funds to have a guy come out and set it all up. (besides... what would that do? I would learn nothing from that.)

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
-JimiP

 

[InlineFive]

First, you don't have to leave the SSID as NETGEAR. You can set it to whatever you want as long as it's broadcasted. Personally I think avoiding the use of personal or geographical information in the SSID is a good idea (although people may argue with me on this).

Second, it's a good idea to use strong authenticion and encryption protocols on your network to prevent intruders from accessing it. You can see a basic overview of the wireless security standards over at EZLAN.NET. As mentioned on the page WEP is very insecure and it can be cracked within 15 minutes with freely available tools.

Here's where you have to make a decision. Currently you'll have to stick with WEP and MAC filtering because of your Linksys Wireless-B adapter. To keep the basic user out of your network this is okay. But someone who knows about the tools mentioned above and is intent on accessing your network could potentially use your internet connection for illegal activities (leaving you liable) and/or gather personal information off of your computers.

If you have the budget I would suggest replacing the Linksys Wireless-B adapter with a Wireless-G adapter. This will likely allow you to use a more robust security standard and better protect your network. Plus you'll notice improved wireless speeds for all clients too since a Wireless-B device will slow an entire Wireless-G network down. (Disclaimer: Some older Wireless-G devices only support WEP, so you'll have to check the documentation for the devices and what they do support.)

After you have that figured out simply configure the wireless network to the lowest common denominator. If the best you can do is WEP make sure that you enable MAC filtering. Otherwise if you use WPA or WPA2 you don't need to use MAC filtering.

From there load the wireless key onto a floppy or jumpdrive or something and setup the wireless on each of your computers one by one.

Hope this helps.

 

[JimiP]

Thanks for your post InlineFive. I will definitely look into purchasing a Wireless-G notebook adapter.

On another note... I am trying to completely REDO my entire network. I unplugged my internet/modem, router and even pushed the RESET button on the router with a paper clip. Now, when I first set up this router, I do not remember setting up a username and password to access all of my information at routerlogin.net. Well, it would appear as though I did set up one because I'm trying to access the page by using admin and password as the username and pass. That is not working. I am completely lost. Please tell me there's a way around this. I thought that's what the reset button did... Like reset everything having anything to do with your router.

It's asking for a username and password. I don't know it. What in the hell am I supposed to do? I swear, I have no patience for anything internet connection/sharing wise which I know is a problem. I'm just completely clueless as to how to do these things.

 

[Continuity28]

To restore the factory default settings, you need to hold the "Default Reset" button on the real panel of that router for about 10 seconds until the power light blinks on.

 

[JimiP]

Thanks Continuity28. That solved that problem.

OK, now that I've reset my wireless router, I created a username and password to access it via http://routerlogin.net. There I can change settings on various ports, etc. After that was set up, I started to install the drivers for my various wireless devices.

I installed the driver for my Linksys Wireless-G PCI adapter. Then I installed the actual card. Well, after toying with the settings for awhile, I finally got it to communicate with the router. However, upon doing so... it would tell me that it could communicate with the Access Point but the Internet cannot be found. I found this strange because I knew for a fact that I was connected. I restarted my modem and then it would never load up the Internet after that... I have no idea what was going wrong.

It's a mess guys. lol I'll admit that I don't know a whole lot about networking and things like that but I do know that I followed all the necessary steps to set it all up. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. If anything... perhaps it's the wireless device? Although I don't see why it would be that as I purchased it brand new only a few months ago.

 

[InlineFive]

On the computer with the "internet cannot be found" problem.

Start Menu
[Windows XP only]
Run: Button
Type "cmd" and hit Enter
[Windows Vista only]
Type "cmd" in Start Menu search field
[And then]
Type "ipconfig" and tell us what the output is.

 

[JimiP]

Alright, that sounds like a good idea. At the moment, the PC is put away in a spare bedroom because I have some family coming over for the weekend and my house was a mess. lol

Once they leave I'll run that through the command line and see what it says.