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Topic: Wireless network questions???

Doggy
Member

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

Wireless network questions???

I have a laptop and desktop at home. The desktop is tied in to the internet via a cable modem. I would like to network these two computers wirelessly.

1) Any suggestions on what technology or brands I should be looking for?

2) Does the cable modem go into the wireless hub and then to the two computers or does the cable modem go into the desktop (from which the laptop can access)?

3) What should I expect to pay for this setup and where can I get a good deal?

4) How reliable are the systems?

Thanks, VC posters are great and always informative!!! I rely on you folks for all my computer questions and problems!

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05-21-2002 09:45 PM

Felipe
Member

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

1. I use linksys wap 11 to connect to my linksys sr41. Since you don't already have a router, you will need a combo device like BEFW11S4 or

BEFW11P1 that has a print server. I have set up an 11p1 for a friend, was really easy but I was familiar with the whole routing concept.

2. Cable modem to router and router to pcs. It is best during set-up to connect at least one pc directly to the router to set up the router to do the connection to your isp. Then you can disconnect if you want. For my friend we left the main pc connected and had a laptop and another pc connected wirelessly.

3. I'm not a hagler, I just go to 2-3 trusted sites and buy which ever has it cheaper on that day. Amazon, Buy, tiger are sites that I check most often. Depending on the router you buy $150-$200. don't forget that you will also need the cards for the pc and laptop. $60 for the laptop $80 for the PCs if you stick with Linksys which may not be the right choice. Some people don't like linksys wireless cards and choose other manufactures. For my friend we did use the linksys and they worked like a charm.

4. once you get it set up it shouldn't be a problem. You may pull out some hair getting it all to work. Tip: if you get an IP (using dhcp) put can't surf the net try picking a connection rate lower than 100Mpbs. It is somewhere in the nic settings. I never used a BEFW11S4 but the good thing about it is that you can move the attenas to get better coverage.

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Felipe Garcia
Happy Treo 600 user, so far. Thanx Cingular for having an unlocked phone.

My Treo 600 is my phone, my PDA, my watch, and my MP3 player. Oh yeah, I take a picture once in a while with it. Convergence is such a great thing.

05-21-2002 11:03 PM

JHromadka
VisorCentral Staff

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

I recently bought an SMC Barricade, and it works great with both my Mac and PC. It sits upstairs while I'm down here typing this.

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

05-23-2002 03:01 AM

Doggy
Member

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

Thanks Felipe and James,

I have decided to go with the Linksys system BEFW11SF. I decided to buy locally just in case I run into any probems with the hardware or setup. I probably paid more than I had to but a security blanket comes with a price

Now I remember why I prefer to buy from Micro Center and not CompUSA. The guy who worked with me was a Novell Netware Pro, wore a suit (very professional), and handed me his business card before I left and said if I had any problems with the install to call him and he would try to walk me through it. Now that is service!!

Now all I have to do is come up with a block of time when neither my wife nor I feel we need the internet so I can reconfigure our setup.

BTW, if I can do this, just about anyone can so wish me luck and I am sure you will be hearing from me again!

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05-23-2002 01:51 PM

Doggy
Member

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

Changed my mind again. The total price at MicroCenter was $290 and at Amazon it was $199 with free shipping! That's too many Washingtons to throw away for nothing!

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05-27-2002 08:34 PM

Doggy
Member

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

OK, I received the router and pcmcia card from Amazon and I had no problem with the hardware installation. In fact both my desktop (which is hardwired using RJ45) and my laptop both access the internet. I can even go to my neighbor's house and get access to the internet woohoo!

Here is the problem though : The computers are networked usnig a workgroup and they do not see eachother! The workgroup name is the same and they have different computer names.

What should I do next?

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06-04-2002 10:57 PM

Q
Member

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 49

quote:
Originally posted by maddog
The computers are networked usnig a workgroup and they do not see eachother! The workgroup name is the same and they have different computer names.

What OS(es) are they running?

06-05-2002 12:28 AM

Felipe
Member

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

Yes, what os are you running on both PCs?
Do you have file sharing on?
Are you actually sharing a drive on both machines?

06-05-2002 04:16 AM

Doggy
Member

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

They are running Windows 98 and I don't know what happened but they are working now. I am pretty familiar with Workgroups but for some reason they were not originally seeing eachother's drives.

Now it is working...thanks anyway.

And I am LOVIN' my wireless internet...OH YEAH!!!!! On the back porch sittin' in my airchair!!! Worth every penny!!!

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06-06-2002 06:49 PM

Felipe
Member

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

quote:
Originally posted by maddog
They are running Windows 98 and I don't know what happened but they are working now. I am pretty familiar with Workgroups but for some reason they were not originally seeing eachother's drives.

Now it is working...thanks anyway.

And I am LOVIN' my wireless internet...OH YEAH!!!!! On the back porch sittin' in my airchair!!! Worth every penny!!!

you have encryption on?

06-06-2002 10:44 PM

akrus
Member

Registered: May 2002
Location:
Posts: 3

quote:
Originally posted by Felipe

you have encryption on?

Very good question, Felipe.

Maddog: make sure that the following steps are taken care of, especially since you're running Win98:

1) enable encryption as I believe Felipe would recommend, the overhead is very minimal and worth it for the added 'protection';
2) change any default values (SSID; IP range - if it's 192.168.2.1, change it to something like 192.168.123.8 > whatever, just make the defaults different from what they were);
3) disable DHCP if at all possible;
4) ensure that you deny access to any MAC addresses other than the ones you want on the wireless portion of the network to associate with the router;

There's more that can be done, but the above should be a minimum level for anyone considering a wireless network at home.

Happy surfing, Maddog.

Albert
(ps, for some interesting reading now that you have a wireless nic in your notebook, goto www.netstumbler.com)
(pps - forgive me if you are already familiar with the lack of security that is default on most WAP units sold now a days)

06-10-2002 12:57 AM

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