Wireless Help For Desktop

[Natoma]

We're switching to a DSL connection in a couple of days since our RR cable connection has gone to hell. Unfortunately we only have one phone jack in our apartment and it's in the bedroom, and we don't feel like snaking a wire from the bedroom out to the living room, especially with the cats around. We have absolutely no idea regarding wireless hardware since we've never had to use it before, and we need to get something in the next few days as that's when our dsl will be up and running.

We have one computer, and no need for a built in firewall since we use Zone Alarm Pro. We just need to be able to bridge the dsl router and the computer. Any suggestions on a cheap but good solution? We're not looking to break the bank on this one since this is really a last resort solution before snaking a phone wire through the entire apartment.

We have an oboard gigabit ethernet connector so we'd really like to avoid having to purchase a pci wireless card outright. Are there any antenna-only adapters that will take the onboard connection and translate it to a wireless signal? I've seen Wireless->USB keys, but I haven't been able to find any Wireless->Ethernet adapters. I'd rather go with something I can just plug into the ethernet jack, since I'm a little wary of USB networking solutions. Thanks for any suggestions.

Here's an example of the USB key. http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=173&view=

 

[Tim Murray]

The Wireless->Ethernet idea you have doesn't really exist except in the form of a Wireless->Ethernet bridge. But you don't need that. You need a wireless card and a router.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...4708?v=glance&s=electronics&n=3343981

802.11g router. Linksys, tasty stuff.

If you play games, get a PCI wireless card. I've been using a Linksys WMP11 (802.11b), and it's worked very well.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...4708?v=glance&s=electronics&n=3343981

That's the Linksys 802.11g card--$62. Is it worth $62 when you could get a generic 802.11b card for $40 or thereabouts? ... probably

If you don't play games, you just need USB. But when I say "don't play games," I mean "you will never play an online game as long as you have the card."

This is probably more money than you want to spend, but believe me, nothing is more frustrating than downloading 450 megs of a 600 meg file only to find that your router has managed to disconnect you from the network for whatever bizarre reason. Linksys has yet to steer me wrong.

 

[Natoma]

Hmmm no we definitely play games online. So the G is good you say? What are the benefits of G over B beside the bandwidth? We don't have a laptop or another desktop, with no plans to purchase either anytime soon, so I can't say we'd really need 54mb vs 11mb for file xfer purposes. Are there improved latency issues using G over B, or should we purchase for future proofing, i.e. B is going to be phased out soon while G is the standard, et al. I want to avoid the problem with the A variant I just read about. Super fast, no one supports it.

Sigh on the Ethernet Antenna non existance bit. hehe. Thanks for the links Tim.

 

[Sxotty]

There is also some dlink stuff that looks reasonable to me. However I have yet to get it. My current dlink router (dl704) seems to be dying on me, and unfortunately I can no longer acess it thru its web based configuration to adjust anything.

I am contemplating the move (to wireless) myself though.

I am slightly biased towards dlink b/c I bought a network kit from linksys right before switching to win2k, and they never bothered to make drivers for my kit and win2k... although that is a childish reason to dislike them.

 

[Tim Murray]

G's just The Wave Of The Future. It would be quite lame to buy an 802.11b setup now only to find that you have to buy G a year from now and have to run that in 802.11b mode.

D-Link cards seems pretty good, although I still stand by my "Linksys has never done me wrong" comment. D-Link routers, on the other hand, seem to have some reliability problems (depends on the version--I would read the Broadband Reports forums, see what people are currently complaining about. just don't buy a Belkin router--the Belkin router I have is a total piece of shit.).

 

[Mariner]

We've got a (very) small network running at work using the Linksys router mentioned by The Baron together with a Linksys G card. Very easy to set up and we've had no problems with it.

We also use ZoneAlarm Pro which we still run in conjunction with the router even though the router has a built-in firewall. We expect to expand the network to one or two other PCs dotted about our offices during the next year and this will be very easy - just a matter of adding another wireless G card. Linksys also do USB wireless adaptors as well.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Just to throw my hat in the ring....

I currently use a Belkin G router and PCI network card (and also a lap-top network card.)

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatSect...n=Load&Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201522

(Acutal street prices are much cheaper).

Easy to set-up, and works just fine. (In contrast to The Baron's experience). I did actually purchase a Netgear router and card first....but I never did get that working reliably.

Whatever router you get, even if you enable encryption, I would make sure that the router allows you to turn off the broadcasting of the ID. (Particularly in an aprartment / condo type situation, where you're likely to be "in reach" of others.)

One last tip: b and g wireless runs on a pretty oft used 2.4 ghz bandwidth, shared commonly with many cordless phones. If you have a 2.4 Ghz cordless phone, or if your aprartment neighbors do, you might have difficulty. I had to replace my own 2.4 Ghx phones with newer and of course more expensive 5.8 Ghz models.

 

[Natoma]

Hmm. My co-worker suggested that I get a plain old wireless access point antenna since I have a DSL router and will not have any other computers hooked up. Apparently he set one up at work that plugs into the switches off our T1.

I believe this is the product. http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?sec=Products&pg=Product-Details&prod=298&site=c

[EDIT]
Is this what you're referring to Joe?

http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?sec=Products&pg=Product-Details&prod=322&site=c

To ensure secure transmissions across your wireless network, users can enable 64/128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), disable SSID broadcast, and MAC address filtering. The SMC2870W is the Industry’s First Wireless-to-Ethernet Bridge to support WPA. In addition, the EZ Connect™ g 2.4GHz 54Mbps Wireless Ethernet Bridge offers an auto-fallback feature that provides scalable connectivity under noisy environments and enables a larger wireless operating range.

 

[Natoma]

You know I just realized something. Theoretically I should be able to purchase two of those access points, hook one up to the computer and hook the other one up to the dsl router and they should be able to communicate. I mean, all access points do is transfer data right? And these can be daisy chained to provide more coverage. So theoretically it should be acting as a blind link and nothing more.

Thoughts on this? This would be our best solution since the "B" version of this, the first one I linked to, costs only $40.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Hmm. My co-worker suggested that I get a plain old wireless access point antenna since I have a DSL router and will not have any other computers hooked up. Apparently he set one up at work that plugs into the switches off our T1.

That's fine...though personlly I would spring for the couple extra bucks for a router myself..."just in case" you get another computer, or a lap-top, etc. (Or one of your friends comes over with his own lap-top and wants to connect to the internet...etc.)

But if you really want to save the couple of bucks, yes, the WAP should do fine, and limit you to the single connection. However, make sure that the DSL "modem" you are supplied with has ethernet/LAN connection. I know that some cable "modems" are USB only....not sure about DSL.

Is this what you're referring to Joe?

Yes. When you set up the wireless router / access point, it will by default broadcast the "name" of the access point for everyone to see. Being able to turn it off is a front-line security measure. (This is in addition to whatever encryption protocols supported.)

 

[Joe DeFuria]

You know I just realized something. Theoretically I should be able to purchase two of those access points, hook one up to the computer and hook the other one up to the dsl router and they should be able to communicate.

Yes, (assuming you already have a network card / integrated ethernet) in the PC. You would have the device connected to the DSL box configured as an access point, and the device connected to your PC configured as a bridge.

And these can be daisy chained to provide more coverage.

If by that you mean "extend the range", then yes. You could have one of these set in "repeater" mode (not plugged into anything but the wall power outlet) sitting in between the access point and the PC, to extend the range of your wireless connection.

 

[Tim Murray]

I had just typed up a big long post, and then I realized that you were referring to that particular kind of Ether to wireless adapter rather than an actual access point.

Here's the problem with that--your signal strength will suck. You'll have to run in ad-hoc mode, which shouldn't be too big of a deal, but the signal strength when you use ad-hoc compared to infrastructure (read: when you have a central connection point like a router) is really crappy. Is it a big deal? Might be for you, might not. I can't really say. Your best option, honestly, is to go with a router and a card. (An interesting aside: USB adapters have worse antennas than PCI cards, so if you're worried about signal at all, don't go with USB.)

Another thing: I have a 2.4Ghz phone sitting two feet from my computer, and I've had no problems with interference from either. Dunno.

And Joe, that's a good point. You really need to be careful with wireless setups in apartment/condo situations because anyone within a few rooms/floors can access your network if it's unprotected. So, to take care of this, turn on MAC filtering, turn on 128-bit WEP, and while I've never heard of what Joe mentioned with disabling ID broadcasting, I assume it relates to the SSID, so yes, it would be a good idea to turn that off. Also, set your SSID to something insane. Like b3disleet or something like that. Not LAN or WAN or WLAN or something easy to guess.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Another thing: I have a 2.4Ghz phone sitting two feet from my computer, and I've had no problems with interference from either. Dunno.

Yeah, it's sort of a crap shoot. At least with the net-gear hardware, if I picked up a phone receiver (so that the base was broadcasting to the handset), my network connection would drop. I don't know if the Belkin is any better, because I replaced my phones before I replaced the wireless hardware. With Natoma in an apartment setting (and the chance of several wireless telephones around), this might become an issue.

...I assume it relates to the SSID, so yes, it would be a good idea to turn that off.

Yes, that's what I'm referring to.

Also, set your SSID to something insane. Like b3disleet or something like that. Not LAN or WAN or WLAN or something easy to guess.

Yes, and certainly change it from the default ID that the access point is configured with. (As well as change the password to enter into the device's configuration options.)

 

[Saem]

If you plan on running anything besides windows stay the hell away from d-link. I suggest you be very careful if you intend to have BSD, Linux or any other OS. A little while back a number of manufacturers switched to some ass logic provided by TI.

Personally, I'd wait until Intel releases NICs, they'd be the only thing I'd trust. Additionally, signal strength and security are an issue -- I personally would never go wireless if I could go wired. Unless of course I made big use of a mobile computer. Just a note, I have linksys router with wireless, unfortunately, for you, I haven't had an oppurtunity to muck about with it.

 

[jandar]

here's my setup @ home:

Cable Modem->ClarkConnect Linux Firewall/router->Wireless AccessPoint/4port switch->Computers.

Mine and my wife's laptops are wireless 802.11b (had it a while now, plan to upgrade to G soon). I have MAC filtering and WEP turned on as well as a crazy SSID name.

My server is on a wired connection.

Very nice to plop down in front of the TV and surf the net, or watch a Football game (american style) and get updated stats from the computer.

 

[Natoma]

This paper says disabling SSID is a bad thing. Hmmm.....

http://www.icsalabs.com/html/communities/WLAN/wp_ssid_hiding.pdf

With all of the hassles I've been reading about wireless, I don't know if I'm ready to make the leap yet. It seems so insecure and immature still.

 

[Bubba]

Hi All. Just registered after visiting frequently for a few years. Fantastic site and very good forums.

Natoma- some advice for you. I also had some careful concerns about setting up a wireless home network before I created mine last year. Before I set mine up, I was pretty much a network noob who pawned off anything to my net engineer and admin buddies. I can tell you, however, that once I took the dive, I found it very easy to create and maintain. Don't deter yourself. Go buy what you need and set it up. It's really gotten a lot easier to do recently. When you do, I would:

1. Buy 'G' standard equipment from Linksys. Not too bad in price, highly reliable, flexible and easy to setup. Also- beause of what Baron said earlier, forget about cheaper 'b' stuff from now on.
2. Use WPA security instead of WEP. Even most 'B' standard equipment can be upgraded to support WPA now, and I understand it's much harder to break.
3. Disable SSID- It shouldn't be an issue; I'm sure you could find many references going either way.....
4. Change most default settings (SSID name, user name, etc) and use alphanumeric passwords.
5. Keep that software firewall runnnig....

best of luck.

-bubba

 

[Natoma]

Finally took the plunge and purchased an SMC Wireless Access Point and a SMC Wireless Card. I was going to get Linksys but my co-worker has been complaining of dropped connections with his Linksys and his friend's Linksys all the time with the WRT54G.

G Wireless Access Point

G Wireless NIC

$170 in total. Sigh didn't realize wireless was so goddamn expensive. Sad thing is, having the phone company come in and install a new jack near the computer costs the same. So we decided to buy a wireless setup since we can at least take it with us when we move in a couple of years and keep our investment.

Hope this works. Thanks for your help everyone.