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Setting Up a Wireless Network

C

CKDragon

Diamond Member
Hey guys,

I know this is probably one of the ultimate newbie questions that most of you look right past, but I have zero network/broadband experience and would appreciate any help you can provide.

I'm actually shopping the market right now for the best wireless network options for networking 2 desktop computers, one running Win98 and the other Win2K. One currently has an ethernet card while the other does not. The goal is to share a DSL connection between the two.

What additional hardware/wiring do I need? How much can I expect to spend? I know virtually nothing on the topic, so please don't leave out anything that you think might be minor.

Thank you for everything,

CK
 

You need 3 things:

1. Router
2. Access Point
3. NICs

Many vendors make a combination of 1 and 2. It'll run you anywhere from $250 onwards.

If you already have a broadband router, then you need to buy the standalone access point. Again, this will run about $200+.

The NICs will cost you 100+ for each system.

The inexpensive vendors are linksys, SMC, D-link, and netgear. Try to have all your components from the same vendor. The IEE 802.11b standard will allow you to mix and match (provided all items are 802.11b compliant) but some people say they get less than stellar results with a mixed setup.
 
I've seen varing reviews of Wireless NICS. Some Desktop NICS are actually a laptop nic that plugs into a PCI slot via an adapter. One review I saw recently, D-link setup I think, had a true PCI NIC that had an antenne lead that helped with reception.

Walls are a major problem for wireless lans....almost like a plaster wall equals 100ft.... I tried 3 different access points and NIC setups at my parents house....only could get 1mbps sharing at best...usually dropped connection. Reason? The two computers were on opposite sides of the house at about 100ft distance. I figured the signal had to go through about 8 walls...just too much.

My $.02

 
Thank you everyone, hopefully within a week or two I'll have the dinero to try this out. Will the OS difference come in to play at all with compatibility?

{UPDATE} I've been looking around the net and found this LinkSys equipment at buy.com.

So I would need:

2 of These

...and...

1 of These

Would this work? Would I need ethernet cards with these USB adapters considering they do connect through USB? I already have one, but if I don't need to buy one for the second computer - BONUS.

I learn more from you guys than I did all of last year in college... thanks for everything!

CK
 
CK dragon. Those 2 things are exactly what you need. If you have a computer that is near the DSL modem and the linksysm, then you might want to consider hooking up that computer via ethernet. It would be cheaper and it'd be faster.
If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me or e-mail me, hell contact me on ICQ or AIM
my AIM name is emumanmike) <<< dont ask, i am a random guy 🙂
Hope this helps,
Mike
 
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