I"m about to go wireless.

[Semidevil]

Thinking of going wireless, but just have a few questions.

Since I go to school, I already have a netgear wireless card(801B) for my laptop. So now, I am gonig wanting to go wireless at home. All I need is the base right?

also, I"ve heard people saying that there are Version 1 and Version 2. What is the difference? what is a good router to get? all my internet will be done in the house, so I don't need a super duper far range one.

 

[FlippyBoy]

basically, yes - all you need is an access point. one important thing to make sure you keep in mind, however, is security. make sure you have WEP enabled, have static ip's (as opposed to dynamic) and only allow access for your mac addresses. those are all configurable in the access point's configuration interface. if you are really paranoid, make all of those changes through regular ethernet, but thats not necessary. you will take a performance hit, but it will be very small, especially when compared to peace of mind when entering passwords, etc.

 

[bocamojo]

Yes, a simple 802.11b WAP/Router should do the trick. I have a Linksys 802.11b WAP/Router, and I like it just fine. I think they are making Version 3 or 4 now. Usually, you want a later version, since it most likely has fixed some problems in previous versions, such as range, power, bandwidth, etc.

 

[Hanzou]

How are the speed and reliability of these wireles networks if one is downstairs and the other on the upstairs? Since it has to travel through walls and floors does the signal still go strong?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Hanzou
How are the speed and reliability of these wireles networks if one is downstairs and the other on the upstairs? Since it has to travel through walls and floors does the signal still go strong?

It will be strong enough for most things except hosting a pr0n server.

Seriously, it'll be enough unless all you do is walk around all the time trying to download as much as you can. When you download form the internet, your cable modem will be the bottleneck, so no lost speed. Also, ping time will be higher but not that much.

The only time you really notice it getting slow is when you transfer large 100mb+ files from o ne computer to another. For that, just use a wired connection.

 

[Lyfer]

Linksys makes the best and simplest wireless 802.11 products to setup. If you need some budget wireless cards for you're desktop PC, newegg has some generic ones (802.11b) from $30. Perfect for just surfing the web from DSL or Cable. BTW if you need more bandwidth get a 802.11g router and cards, from some reviews they can maintain over 20mbps from 100ft.

 

[Hanzou]

The only time you really notice it getting slow is when you transfer large 100mb+ files from o ne computer to another. For that, just use a wired connection.

Why is it that it slows down on large transfers through the Network? Just wondering, thanks

 

[ViRGE]

It doesn't slow down per say, it just isn't fast to begin with. <400KB/sec still takes some time to move 100MB.

 

[bocamojo]

Originally posted by: Hanzou
How are the speed and reliability of these wireles networks if one is downstairs and the other on the upstairs? Since it has to travel through walls and floors does the signal still go strong?

As the signal passes through walls/ceilings, it will lose signal strength. A general rule of thumb for wireless is the "3 wall rule"... Don't expect it to work if it has to go through more than 3 walls. Of course, it might, but if you plan your layout based on this rule, you should have good connectivity throughout your house. As for a ceiling, it should be considered as 1 wall.