Wiresless Network Q's (total noob!)

MattyB801 · 05-10-2005, 15:56

Hi all....thought i'd join the forums as i'm about to have NTL broadband installed in my house. We have gone for the 2mb option and will be having 4 people share the connection, and to avoid running cables/drilling etc i thought wireless would be a good idea.

Now, NTL are coming next wednesday to install the Modem etc so ideally i'd like to get the equipment together before then.

Now, am i right in thinking all i need is a Wireless Router? (All 4 of us have wireless equipment installed on our laptops already).

I have a D-Link card on my laptop, and i've heard they are pretty good in general. Do they do a suitable router for NTL usage? If not, who do you guys suggest and where should i buy? Any other help/tips with regards to settin up the network etc would be fantastic!

Thanks alot in advance!

Matt

Dave Stones · 05-10-2005, 16:03

if you want to be wireless with d-link specific stuff, i can recommend the DI-624, i used this in my last house which was a telewest install. full signal all over the house

currently we have a linksys wrt54g though, which is what a lot of people here will recommend. there is a thread knocking around somewhere telling you about the best routers, but i'm too lazy to look

SMHarman · 05-10-2005, 16:05

I've got the Linksys WRT54G so obviously recommend that, but this article should help...
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/article.php?a=74
This will help secure your router
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/article.php?a=12
This will help you install it without using the NTL CD that is unnecessary if you are putting a router / ethernet connection network.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/article.php?a=13

MattyB801 · 05-10-2005, 16:16

Excellent! Thanks for the quick replies!! The Linksys jobbies look like great value and that would only be ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 each!! Which is nothing really.

One of the lads has informed me he may have "lost" his wireless pcmia card over the summer. Any recommendations for an 11g item that will do the job? Do linksys do these?

Thanks!!

Matt
__________________

Also - will the Linksys unit work fine in a terraced house with brick walls over 2 floors, do you think?

If yes, i'd trust your knowledge and buy one in a moment!! lol.

Thanks

Matt

SMHarman · 05-10-2005, 23:45

Mine is on the 1st floor, I am currently on the ground floor with three solid brick walls and about 13 M (as the crow flies) between (and some doors) 24Mb Very Good connection at the moment.
Put it (or any other wireless router) on a high shelf away from metal objects and you should be fine.

MattyB801 · 06-10-2005, 10:08

excellent, thanks.

If i buy the router now, will we be able to use it to view each others files etc until the net is installed?

Thanks!

handyman · 06-10-2005, 10:14

Yes you will :-)

For a wireless card try here

MattyB801 · 06-10-2005, 10:45

Sorry to ask again, but i thought i better be sure.

Our uni runs DLink stuff, and so do both me and one other house mate. The other 2 run internal lap top stuff (Emachines and Toshiba)....all of which are 11g jobbies.

Am i making a wise move going for the DLink router which is ever so slightly more expensive? Or will the linksys item be fine?

Thanks again for your time guys!

Matt

SMHarman · 06-10-2005, 16:04

It really should not matter unless you have some G+ speedboost technology, which generally is not interoperable.
My linksys talks to an apple airport & intel mini pci wireless g never been connected to other linksys kit.

MattyB801 · 07-10-2005, 12:40

Fair enough!! I'm off to amazon to order the Linksys unit then!

Thanks

Matt

handyman · 07-10-2005, 12:43

If you search about you'll find a link to amazon from this site, that way this site gets a few pennies when you order.

found ot

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...711849-8442805

MattyB801 · 07-10-2005, 12:44

OK will do

if anyone finds the link in the mean time, let me know

Flubflow · 07-10-2005, 13:43

For wireless network newbies please read this important advice....

Here's some tips:-
The location of the router can make a massive difference to the signal strength. If required, get it off the floor and higher up and check the signal strength on the wirelessed PC and se which is best for you. Obviously the optimum place for a wirelss router, coverage wise if you like to roam around with your laptop, is smack in the middle of the house (but I think you'd need to have a big house for that to make much of a difference). It is is advisable to change the default channel number (they all usually come with it set to channel 11). Other 2.4Ghz broadcast devices (such as cordless phones, wireless CCTV and TV/Video Senders) can interfere so if you are having trouble, move the cordless phone etc and/or change the network broadcast channel number.

Some vitally important things to do:-
Change the default wireless SSID name from "linksys" etc to something unique and enable WPA encryption (e.g. WPA-PSK /TKIP).
If you don't enable encyption then anyone can join your network and use your broadband connection (and possibly access your computers). Obviously you have to put the same passkey into the other computer(s) that are wirelessed.

Other useful things do improve security is to disable the "SSID Broadcast" so other people don't even know you are there. Go into your Linksys router setup:- in IE http://192.168.1.1/ to make any config changes. Also make sure you set a password for the router setup because it can be accessed from any PC on the network simply via a browser and that 192.168.1.1 ip address.

MAC address filtering is very, very useful too. It only allows computers that YOU choose to access the network because all network adaptors come out the factory with unique MAC numbers. You will find the mac address of the computer's network card either on a sticker on the card itself or, more easily, do this.....
1. Click the Start menu button on the Windows taskbar.

2. Click Run... on this menu.

3. Type cmd in the text box that appears. A command prompt window launches on the desktop.

4. In this command window, type ipconfig /all . Details are shown for each of the computer's network adapters. (Computers installed with VPN software or emulation software will possess one or more virtual adapters).

5. The IP Address field states the current IP address for that network adapter.

6. The Physical Address field states the MAC address for that adapter.

Take care to read the IP address from the correct adapter. Virtual adapters generally show a private address rather than an actual Internet address. Virtual adapters possess software-emulated MAC addresses and not the actual physical address of the network interface card.

So, with SSID broadcast off, WPA-PSK encryption on, and MAC address filtering all set up on the router config then your network will be as secure as it can be.

All the other stuff you can do over a network, such as file and printer sharing is optional but with a little reading of the windows help, it should be easy enough for you to set up. Many people have a "Shared files" folder and have only that set up to be shared (you copy into it anything that you want to allow to be shared by anyone else). Always have a share password.

TigaSefi · 07-10-2005, 14:14

That SSID switched off causes me more problems than ppl hacking my network. My card frequently won't be able to find it on booting up

Flubflow · 07-10-2005, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigaSefi

That SSID switched off causes me more problems than ppl hacking my network. My card frequently won't be able to find it on booting up

Dunno why that might be.
In theory it shouldn't matter if you are using as per normal i.e. Infrastructure mode and the passkeys are set correctly. It is only "Ad Hoc" mode on an open network where you'd have a real reason to broadcast the SSID.