Want to go wireless with my laptop

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Bob D." <bobmgtd@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:tfDNc.200114$XM6.67131@attbi_s53...
|I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop PCs
| connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router. The router also
| runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop to the router
wirelessly.
| The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron. What hardware would it take to
do
| this? I would prefer to keep my old router. Is there a device that can
| simply plug into one of the free Ethernet ports on the old router? (Please
| be specific, I don't know WiFi from Bluetooth.)
|
| Bob D.
|

Any wireless access point should work for you to keep your old router and
add wireless connectivity. You don't want to use bluetooth unless you will
be staying in very close range. You want either 802.11b (11Mbps) or 802.11g
(54Mbps). If internet access is your only concern and you won'tbe doing many
large file transfers between your own computers, you will be fine using
802.11b (cheaper) since it is faster than your internet connection anyway.
If you will be doing large file transfers between your computers
(specifically the wireless to the wired), you may want to spend the little
extra and get the 802.11g for the faster speed capability.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Bob D. wrote:
> I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop PCs
> connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router. The router
> also runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop to the router
> wirelessly. The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron. What hardware
> would it take to do this? I would prefer to keep my old router. Is
> there a device that can simply plug into one of the free Ethernet
> ports on the old router? (Please be specific, I don't know WiFi from
> Bluetooth.)

Though there are standalone WiFi access points available, they are a
horrible waste of money. Most people buy routers with the WiFi access point
built-in, and that's reflected in what the manufacturers prefer to sell too.
I've seen in some cases where the standalone access points are more
expensive than a router/access point combo.

One solution (though a non-ideal solution) is to buy a WiFi card both for
your notebook and one of your desktop PCs. That way you can connect up your
notebook through your desktop.

Yousuf Khan

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

> Bob D. wrote:
> > I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop
> > PCs connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router.
> > The router also runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop
> > to the router wirelessly. The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron.
> > What hardware would it take to do this? I would prefer to keep
> > my old router. Is there a device that can simply plug into one of
> > the free Ethernet ports on the old router? (Please be specific, I
> > don't know WiFi from Bluetooth.)

Yousuf Khan wrote:
> Though there are standalone WiFi access points available, they are
> a horrible waste of money. Most people buy routers with the WiFi
> access point built-in, and that's reflected in what the manufacturers
> prefer to sell too. I've seen in some cases where the standalone access
> points are more expensive than a router/access point combo.

That doesn't matter. On any WiFi router worth the name, you can disable the
router function and run it as a straight access point. Check the specifics
on a particular model before buying.

> One solution (though a non-ideal solution) is to buy a WiFi card
> both for your notebook and one of your desktop PCs. That way
> you can connect up your notebook through your desktop.

As you say, not ideal. Better to get a WiFi router/access point, use it as
an access point, and plug it into the existing router. Or replace the old
router with the new WiFi router.

-Mike

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

IMO you should replace your current router with one that is wireless, has 4
wired ports, and includes a print server. I recently had a setup almost
exactly like yours, and the replacement router made for a very simple
change. My new router is a D-Link DI-714P+, but there are other brands that
have the same capability. Cost for my replacement router was about $50.

Of course your laptop will need wireless capability, such as with a wireless
card. Set up your WEP security code to be exactly the same for the router
AND the wireless card.

Hope this helps.

"Bob D." <bobmgtd@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:tfDNc.200114$XM6.67131@attbi_s53...
> I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop PCs
> connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router. The router also
> runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop to the router
wirelessly.
> The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron. What hardware would it take to
do
> this? I would prefer to keep my old router. Is there a device that can
> simply plug into one of the free Ethernet ports on the old router? (Please
> be specific, I don't know WiFi from Bluetooth.)
>
> Bob D.
>
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

This is an excellent suggestion. Another, but more cumbersome
suggestion is to put a wireless router at the end of the system and
let it run like a hub. You will need to change the address on it.
The D-Link, for example has a default address as 192.168.0.1 so you
would set it to 192.168.0.2 I've done it this way to temporarily put
some laptops on a wireless network.

BTW, I like the D-Link stuff better than the Linksys, although, they
are good too.

Bob


"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:<G3ONc.1078$9Y6.915@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
> IMO you should replace your current router with one that is wireless, has 4
> wired ports, and includes a print server. I recently had a setup almost
> exactly like yours, and the replacement router made for a very simple
> change. My new router is a D-Link DI-714P+, but there are other brands that
> have the same capability. Cost for my replacement router was about $50.
>
> Of course your laptop will need wireless capability, such as with a wireless
> card. Set up your WEP security code to be exactly the same for the router
> AND the wireless card.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> "Bob D." <bobmgtd@insightbb.com> wrote in message
> news:tfDNc.200114$XM6.67131@attbi_s53...
> > I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop PCs
> > connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router. The router also
> > runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop to the router
> wirelessly.
> > The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron. What hardware would it take to
> do
> > this? I would prefer to keep my old router. Is there a device that can
> > simply plug into one of the free Ethernet ports on the old router? (Please
> > be specific, I don't know WiFi from Bluetooth.)
> >
> > Bob D.
> >
> >

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I would add that, as Bob says, you would use the wireless router as a hub,
not a router.

To do this, plug into the uplink port of the switcher, and ignore the WAN
connector that would normally connect to your dsl or cable modem.
--

Mike Russell
www.geigy.2y.net


BobH wrote:
> This is an excellent suggestion. Another, but more cumbersome
> suggestion is to put a wireless router at the end of the system and
> let it run like a hub. You will need to change the address on it.
> The D-Link, for example has a default address as 192.168.0.1 so you
> would set it to 192.168.0.2 I've done it this way to temporarily put
> some laptops on a wireless network.
>
> BTW, I like the D-Link stuff better than the Linksys, although, they
> are good too.
>
> Bob
>
>
> "Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message
> news:<G3ONc.1078$9Y6.915@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
>> IMO you should replace your current router with one that is
>> wireless, has 4
>> wired ports, and includes a print server. I recently had a setup
>> almost
>> exactly like yours, and the replacement router made for a very simple
>> change. My new router is a D-Link DI-714P+, but there are other
>> brands that
>> have the same capability. Cost for my replacement router was about
>> $50.
>>
>> Of course your laptop will need wireless capability, such as with a
>> wireless
>> card. Set up your WEP security code to be exactly the same for the
>> router
>> AND the wireless card.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> "Bob D." <bobmgtd@insightbb.com> wrote in message
>> news:tfDNc.200114$XM6.67131@attbi_s53...
>>> I currently have a non-wireless system comprised of two desktop PCs
>>> connected to a cable modem through a SpeedStream router. The router
>>> also
>>> runs my printer. I would like to connect my laptop to the router
>> wirelessly.
>>> The laptop is a not-too-old Dell Inspiron. What hardware would it
>>> take to
>> do
>>> this? I would prefer to keep my old router. Is there a device that
>>> can
>>> simply plug into one of the free Ethernet ports on the old router?
>>> (Please
>>> be specific, I don't know WiFi from Bluetooth.)
>>>
>>> Bob D.