Absolute best way to go about wireless?

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[Cable Internet LAN/WAN]

Hi, I have never, ever used my computer in a network, so excuse my noobness on this one. i've searched around a bit and it seems to be hard finding answers for my specific setup, or if my setup isn't correct to begin with.




I will be moving into a double house soon, "our" internet is currently on the one side of the house (I'll call it source, since I don't know the terminology for these things as I've never worked with a non-single wired connection), wired over to the other side. I will be a floor above the current computer that is wired to the source. From what I know, wireless is too far too reach from Source to Comp 1, so currently that is just wired and in place/working as intended. Since I am only a short distance up and away from comp 1, I will be using wireless instead of routing another cable up yet another floor (would force us to route it in odd ways, or we would have everything wired).

So...

. = irrelevance/space
| = building "split"
- = wire
^ = wire[less] direction
~ = wireless
Comp2 = me

..........................................|.............Comp2~~~~~~~

..........................................|......--------------Comp1---^
Source-------------------------|----^.................................



Now, questions:
1. Is this the right way to be going about this? Is there something easier that I'm missing to make the network much more simple?
2. Can you buy "any" wireless router or do I need to be specific depending on my ISP/Situation? Would like to get the best quality router that I need.
3. Am I missing other parts besides a wireless adapter(?) for my current comp when I move in? I've heard using the antenna ones are the best? How does all of that work/what would be the best options.
4. I do not need a wireless router on the source computer, correct? I can just hook up the wireless router to Comp1 for it to spread the remainder of the connection to Comp2(?).
5. Would one of those Killer NICs be put to good use in a situation like this? Or are they considered a waste of money unless you're in large networks? Yes I will pay ~$100 for 15-20ms

 
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steimy

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Lets see if i can get this ball rolling and get some other people involved:

Now, questions:
1. Is this the right way to be going about this? Is there something easier that I'm missing to make the network much more simple?

Well, you have so much above that it would be simpler to just start at step one and go from there. Which i hope would answer the rest of the questions.

Ok, hopefully i understood everything you wrote. If the PC on the very bottom floor (source) is the PC with the internet then that is where you start. That computer would need a wireless router in order to broadcast the signal through the house. They kind of router you buy is up to you, my person preference is Linksys because i find them easy to work with.

Next, each of the other computers would need something that could pick up the wireless signal. You can do this several ways. One being to put a wireless router on each to pick up the signal, or you could install an NIC card (and no they are not expensive, you can get a good intell card places like Newegg.com for about $30-$35). Or lastly they sell things for p3eople who play games online called gaming adapters. Their only purpose is to pick up the wireless signal so you can use the internet on something else (like a laptop, gaming console, or anything else with an ethernet port)
I think either the NIC card or gaming adapter would be the easiest way.

Then comes the fun stuff. Most good routers will come with security, now it is totally your choice as to using it or not but i strongly suggest it. If you leave it open then anyone in the area close enough to pick up your wireless signal (with a laptop, Ipad, Iphone or anything wireless) can just freely use it. If you use the router security that just means that anything you want to pick up the wireless signal will need to be configured (usually just using a few simple things you will find in the router settings page online). Usually you need the SSID name (whatever name you chose for your home network, a lot of people just call it home, LOL). Then you will have a type of encryption like WEP, WPA, and so on. Then there will be a security key and password. Those can either be chosen, or you can let the router just generate something random.

So if you used a gaming adapter you would plug that into your main router and it would have some software disk you put in that computer. You would enter the above things into the settings of the gaming adapter where it asks for them and save it, then take it to the computer you want to pick up the wireless signal and hook it up there and it should be fine. With the NIC card all of those settings should be configured by setting up a new wireless network on that PC.
I know it sounds complicated but it really isn't all that hard.

Now whether a signal will go up through two floors of a house will be the question, and the only way to tell is to try it. When you are talking floors you are talking about like up a set of stairs all in one house and not like one apartment on top of another right? Because that may take someone with a higher level of experience than me. I would just say in a regular house if you could not get a good signal on floor 1 or floor 2 you would just need to put in a signal extender between the source computer and each floor to extend the wireless signal so you can pick it up. But a lot of them have a pretty decent range that the wireless signal can go. I am often at other peoples houses who have wireless and i go to get on my Iphone and it will show me several different choices of wireless i can use, which means i am picking up the signals from the surrounding houses as well as theirs.

Hopefully all that makes sense and if there is an easier way someone will chime in.

 
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Ok. That makes sense for the most part. The only thing is, I would absolutely have to have a wireless router on the source comp in order to broadcast wireless to mine? Right now my source and comp1 are wired together, that is already in place. isn't there a way to just put a wireless router on comp1 to get me signal to comp2 (me), instead of getting rid of the current wired connection that is already in place? and any input on a killer NIC for mine (comp2) for this network setup?
 
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steimy

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As long as the computer is hard wired then yes, you should be able to put the router on either one. I thought only the source computer was wired and you needed to get the signal wireless to the other two systems.
 
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steimy

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Yes, that wireless USB looks just fine. It is either that or installing an internal card.

And of those two routers, i would say the Netgear for only one reason. It has Wireless N where the Linksys doesn't.

But truth be told i prefer Linksys routers, i have a WRT54G in my closet that i used for years without any issues. And from a lot of articles i read, although wireless N is the newest standard you won't notice much if any difference over the Linksys router without it. The wireless N just has a higher data transfer rate (100MB VS G'sMB), and they say it can get better range due to a stronger signal.

here is an interesting article on the different wireless standards out now:
http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/a/aa80211standard.htm

 
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Is there much of a difference between an internal card vs a USB adapter? Again, I'll take 10-20ms anywhere I can get it.
 
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steimy

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To be honest i don't know. I have never used a USB wireless device. I have only used internal PCI cards. The only external thing i have used to pick up a signal is a wireless gaming adapter (like the Linksys WGA54G) but those are a bit more expensive then the USB or internal card.

I would say for the $20 just try the USB first. It would not be a big loss if it didn't work well.
 
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steimy

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If you want my personal opinion it would be Linksys all day long.

Look at the reviews and the Linksys gets pretty much all rave reviews, where as both Roswill cards have reviews that say it work but some had issues with version of Windows 7, some said the software wasn't that good and so on.
Linksys is simply a top name brand in wireless devices, so yeah they cost more.
Oh, and if you did have problems with range for some reason the antenna's are detachable, which means you could buy and replace them with high gain antenna. But i doubt you'll have to.

 
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124115
vs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124342

Any real difference between the two other than one has wireless N capability and the other doesn't? (and of course slot difference).

Also, what exactly is a gaming adapter then? Would it be able to replace either the card/router? Not really sure what role it's supposed to play.

If not, then it looks like I'm getting the linksys router I linked above and one of these cards!
 
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steimy

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Those two cards would be extremely similar as far as what they do, so i would say this. If you want the best signal and plan to buy a router that can do wireless N, then i would get the card that can do wireless N (802.11N) as well. It has more range and a stronger signal. Plus the difference in price is so minimal why not get the better card.

A gaming adapter acts the same as those PCI cards and are normally used to get a wireless signal to something like your Xbox 360. The Linksys model i have (WGA54G i think) works great and picks up my wireless signal no problem. But they are also twice the price of the PCI cards. The big difference would be that the gaming adapter is versatile. You can use it with any device that has an ethernet port that you need to get a wireless signal to.
Game systems, laptops (if it didn't have a cards), TV's, whatever.

I still have mine around because i use to use it with my old Xbox, and my 360 before i hard wired my game systems. Then I got an unreal deal on a laptop ($1500 HP for $100) because a rich kids school sells off their old stuff every 2 years or so. Come to find out the wireless card in it is awful (HP just used a cheap card). I can sit next to a router and only get 2 out of 4 signal bars. So i plugged it up to the gaming adapter and now from about 60 feet away my speed tests on the laptop almost match that of the desktop the router is hooked to.
 
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