Wireless help

[SpeedyG]

I now have 3 systems hooked up together and sharing my DSL through a Netgear RP114 wired DSL router. I would like to add 2 more systems, 1 for backup and 1 laptop but I would like to make those wireless.
I see that it looks like 802.11a will give me the best range / encription / speed. If I go this way, what do I need?
Can I just add to my wired network?
Can I add an "access point" (is that right?) and then add a wireless NIC and PCMCIA card?

Any help would be appreciated. Of course, there is the overall cost of the setup to be considered.

Thanks,

Ralph

 

[JackMDS]

Wireless LAN consists on two main components.

1. Access Point (A/P).

Access Point is the Main Transmitter/Receiver that mediate between your LAN, and the Wireless computers, to the rest of the Network. It is connected to a regular RJ-45 port on LAN's Hub/Switch, or Router. It usually supports an excess of 100 clients.

2 . Wireless Client Card.

Wireless Client Card is the LAN card that you should install on each one your network computers, that you want to be Wireless.

Most Client cards are PCMCIA, which work very well with Laptops.
For Desktop, it is usually better to use USB Wireless Card. Most PCI Wireless Cards with fixed antenna (stuck behind the PC) yield inferior results versus the Flexible Antenna on a USB card.


802.11b (Max. 11Mb/sec.)

Conventional Wisdom* claims that the Orinoco Gold (About $90) is the best Wireless Client Card.

This link:
ORiNOCO PC Card - Gold.


Access Points Compared


New 802.11a, it is your call, there is not enough out there to judge what is good.

The BIG Question: 802.11a or 802.11b?

 

[ktwebb]

<< I see that it looks like 802.11a will give me the best range >>




You didn't see that though the outermost cell will be much faster than the 802.11b outermost cell. If you did read that somewhere post the link because that is simply not true. The opposite is true actually. Ultimately the overall range, line of sight and ability to penetrate obstacles, is not quite as keen as 2.4 Ghz wireless LAN devices, 802.11b. Depends on the environment whether or not you'll really have a problem.