What to go wireless but need some advice

[Guest]

I am a college student and Rigth now we live in a house where I have cables ran all over the place some as long a 50ft. next year we are moving to a biger house and I would like to go wireless so as to not have to run cables all over the place but I would like to know what ap has the best distance as the house it kind of big and if anybody could point in in the direction of some good reviews..

 

[jihiggs]

wireless is pretty hit and miss, no one can tell you if it will work in your house.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Oilybohunk]

Wags,

Check out <A HREF="http://www.practicallynetworked.com/pg/wireless_guide_index.asp" target="_new"> PracticallyNetworked</A> and <A HREF="http://www.dslreports.com/forum/wlan" target="_new"> DSLReport's Forums</A> -- both provided great info.

You have basically two choices (a third 802.11g should be available by the end of 2002 or early 2003):

802.11b - Cheap and readily available. It provides a transfer rate up to 11Mbps (practical rate of 2-4 Mbps) and operates in the 2.4 Ghz range (relatively crowded - shared with cordless phones and microwave ovens) and should provide wireless network coverage of 150-300 feet (indoor).

802.11a - More expensive and less availability. Faster network connection up to 54Mbps operating in the 5 Ghz frequency, but shorter range 50-150 feet (most reviews I've read indicate about 80 feet for a reliable average).

802.11g will be a backward compatitible extension of 802.11b. It will operate in 2.4 Ghz frequency and provide connectivity rate up to 54 Mbps.

For more info check out <A HREF="http://www.80211-planet.com/tutorials" target="_new"> 802.11 Planet Tutorials</A>

One additional bit of advice (a misunderstanding I had), don't be mislead by Bluetooth. Bluetooth has amazing potential for peripherals (e.g., wireless connection to printer, PDA, keyboard, etc), but it is a low power, relatively slow connection with limited range - about 30 ft. You will see some Bluetooth network kits, but they are used to establish a Personal Area Network (PAN) and have limited application (e.g., synching laptops). It isn't a realistic option for a wireless network (WLAN), but there will be value integrating it as an optional component of 802.11 networks.

Good Luck,

JCC

<font color=purple> I doubt, therefore I might be </font color=purple><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by oilybohunk on 05/08/02 11:13 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[andrewbadlose]

Filanet a company that my brother works at and provides a wireless box that comes with wlan and you can hook up antenas with up to a 3-5 mile range on it if you wanted to im sure the box with the default setup would work in you house.
It has
-firewall
-vpn
-email
-file print sharing
-DHCP
-Other features
It's about $500 but it is a nice box and can provide all of you networking server needs. You can get it at cdw.com

http://www.filanet.com/index.php3?side=home&home=products_802lan

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