I just moved into a new house. We used to have DSL, and now we have cable. I have two computers in the house, and I would like to get both of them hooked up to the internet. I was told I need a router and could get a wireless one (which is what I'd do) and that I need to have ethernet cards. I know one of my computers has an ethernet card, but I guess ya need a special one for a wireless router? I'm not good with computers, I just am going by what a friend said at work in conjuction with the cable installer. I'm not sure if my 2nd computer has the ethernet card. The two computers are on separate floors and would be difficult to get wires in to connect them so I was going to get the wireless router. Am I on the right track?

 

I have five or six computers running off and on at my house. I used to have ethernet cable all over the place. The one across my roof is an open invitation to lightning but so far so good. Anyhow, I have also had a wireless setup for a couple of years and am converting all the PCs (one lonely iMac) to wireless. Just go to a CompUSA or some competitor and ask for a 802.11b setup. They will sell you a wireless router for $100 (might be more now that I think about it) and the appropriate number of wireless network interface cards (NIC). You connect the router to your cable modem and you install one wireless NIC in each of your PCs. You just jam it into an open slot.

If you are running Win 2000 or XP, the configuration is pretty painless. If you are running an older operating system, you might have some trouble. Good luck and welcome to the wireless world. It is really great not to have to consider cables every time you wanna move some furniture!
jor

 

Router or Hub, either one of them works just as well.. I don't know much about the wireless routers, but i've had great luck with a hub and some ethernet cable w/ 3 10/100 Ethernet cards, it's fairly inexpencive and easy to setup.

 

I use Network Everywhere Ethernet cards in 5 of my computers, and the network works flawlessly. Each computer is hooked up to the router, and the router is hooked up to the modem. The router is a Linksys.

Theo

 

We use a cable modem and a Netgear router. We had a Linksys router and it is easier to set up but a couple of advanced functions did not work on it so we ended up with the Netgear which worked.

The wireless systems have some security problems and you may open your network to anyone in the neighborhood that wants to use your connection. Without proper security measures anyone driving by with a laptop or in the neighborhood could mess with your computers. Wireless has some transmission problems because of objects like HVAC ducts etc that can cause erratic connections or loss of signal.

I use ethernet cable in my home. A router also has the added advantage of making your local network invisible to the outside network. The cable system is a just a big network.

I am very surprised that your "Mansion" was not pre wired for a network. Any new house around here is pre wired during construction.

 

We have all 3 at our house hooked up together on our home LAN and share the DSL connection with Mrs *****'s computor. I used a hub to tie it all together.

*****

 

Does Mrs. *****'s computer have to be on in order to get access from the other computers?

A router usually has a built-in hub.

 

***** - What is the point of sharing the connection through another computer when you can have all computers access your DSL through your hub?

I don't use routers, it's a personal preferance.. Although a router provides more security, you have more options with a hub.

 

I use a Motorola router, modem, and ethernet/LAN/10/100 cards. It all works flawlessly.

 

Haven't figured out how to do that yet. The DSL modem uses a USB port and the hub doesn't have one.

*****

 

So whats an ethernet card....and do I need a special one for a wireless router? One of my computers (new) uses XP and has an ethernet card, but I don't know if it's the right one. The other computer uses windows 98 and I'm not sure if it has an ethernet card or not.

 

Justin - There is really only one type of ethernet card so you really can't go wrong, it just looks like an oversized phone jack if you look at the back of your computer. For wireless, you may need a different card that would come with it, or it might be through your USB port. I'm not really sure.

***** - Wow, I've never heard of a modem with USB only. Thats new to me!

 

An ethernet card is simply the device that connects your computer into a network. It can be a wireless card, or it can be wired. Many new computers both portable and desktop have "wired" ethernet cards built in. Wireless ethernet cards are almost always something you buy separate.

If you wish to use a wireless network... as you know you will need a wireless router and you will need two wireless ethernet cards for your computers. Linksys makes a great product that is a combination router and an access point. A router is what allows you share your connection with other PC's. It can provide IP addresses to all your local machines so that they can utilize the internet. The access point portion of the product is what "talks" to the wireless ethernet cards. What is nice about wireless ethernet cards is that they come in many forms. You can get them for laptops, PC's, in USB, for small handheld devices (palm pilots), and more.

This router also includes 4 wired ports, so that you can connect any computers that may be sitting nearby (instead of buying a wireless ethernet card - saves money). You just have to make sure that you get the right product, Linksys makes access points or routers only in addition to the combo. The Linksys part number of the router that you would want is the BEFW11S4. That is the most common of wireless networks at the moment, and also the least expensive. They do make faster wireless routers, but you would never notice a speed difference in internet due to the limitation of the internet connection.

So that would be my reccomendation. Keep in mind if this router is going to sit near one of your PC's, you can save some money by just buying an ethernet cable and connecting it directly if you have an ethernet jack built in. If you don't have one, you can certainly buy a card. One other thing to keep in mind, these routers can be a little tricky to set up. If you know someone experienced at it, you might want to ask them for your help, otherwise... here is also a good place. The hardest part is getting the router to work with your ISP. Every ISP is different, so it takes a little knowledge of some very basic networking principals to get it working.. something we can help out with since we have done it. Good luck and let us know how you make out!

Regards,

 

The reason you need a router rather than a hub on most systems is that there must be a small amount of "intelligence" on the network that assigns those network addresses. A computer that stays on 24/7 or is on whenever anyone wants access to the internet can be used to provide that intelligence. The router has a tiny computer in it that provides the intelligence.

Cable or ADSL modems that have USB ports are quite common.

 

The cable modem I have is plugged in the USB port on the computer. So if I get a wireless router, I can plug it into the ethernet card on my computer upstairs if I leave the router near the computer? That mean's I'd only have to get an ethernet card for the windows 98 computer. Am I correct? I have a co-worker that knows computers but I'm not very confident in his abilities.