Wireless Network Computer Advice please!

[igg]

My computer is connected to the internet via a BT supplied broadband modem.
My 3 sons want to have access to the internet and each of them has their own computer. So I figure I need to network all 4 machines.
I've read about wireless networking and this appeals as I don't want to run wires all over the house.
Anyone got any experience of wireless networks for home use? What do I need and any idea of what it might cost?
Thanks
Igg

[mel]

Don't let Roop know where you live or he'll be sitting in your garden with his coffee tin and writing on your walls.

[roop]

Yep, got them running at home. Easiest way it peer-to-peer (do not need an Access Point) using Internet sharing on the PC with the modem/broadband connection. Windows 2000 has it built in, as does XP. Despite running 2000, I use a product called Sygate Home Network, which does this and has a very good integrated firewall.

One word if you haven't already bought your kit is to stick to one vendor. I have cross vendor stuff at home using different chipsets (Lucent/Avaya Orinoco and Prism2) and they can be a bugger to get working together.

Any q's, feel free to mail me offline

[steve-p]

I use a SpeedTouch 570 which is a combined ADSL modem/router/firewall/wireless access point. It's quite expensive (£350 ish) but it's a neat one box solution, the firewall is a real one and the wireless range is excellent. You can just junk the original modem and plug this one in instead. I use Actiontec 802.11b PCI and PCMCIA cards to talk to it. They are £60-75 each, but perform very well and have stable drivers. It's all quite expensive but works really well in practice.

[pbrettle]

From a security point of view, you MUST read the manual that comes with the WiFi cards. Dont for gods sake just plug it in and use it. You need to change the network ID's, make sure you use WEP at the very least (if possible get the newer generation kit with WEP2) and if you can get some form of personal firewall for the PC's (there are plenty of commercial products around).

I kid you not on this - if someone picks up your network (it is a possibility not a probability) they will use some simple tools to get into it and use YOUR broadband connection to the internet. In general not an issue, but it is when they mis-use it and it will look like you...

Email me if you need more information.

Cheers,

Paul

[igg]

Thanks guys,
Understand about half of what you're saying, so that's pretty good!
One of my lads computers is running Windows '98 - will that cause any probs?
Igg

[q405mb]

I went the access point route. Netgear makes a router and wireless access point in one box specifically for connection to broadband, (it also has four 10/100 wired ethernet ports).

The advantage to this is that I can block specific inbound/outbound ports for better security. Also, the IP addresses on the PC's in my network never make it onto the internet as the router supports IP spoofing.

With NTL broadband, you have to register each PC's MAC address to allow it to access the internet. This entails a reset process on the PC as well as the NTL set-top box, a real pain. The wireless router takes the problem away completely as NTL only see the MAC adress on the router. This also allows me to use any or all my PC's at home without having to rely on one machine "always- on" to act as the Internet share/gateway.

Netgear make the wireless LAN cards too, so, as Roop recommends, a single vendor...

Harrigan

Edited to add links to the Netgear products I am using...

www.netgear.com/product_view.asp?xrp=11&yrp=30&zrp=115

www.netgear.com/product_view.asp?xrp=11&yrp=30&zrp=91

www.netgear.com/product_view.asp?xrp=11&yrp=30&zrp=90

>> Edited by q405mb on Friday 30th August 10:04

[steve-p]

That depends on the wireless access point. I do have WEP enabled, but it is probably unnecessary. I have mine set up so that no new devices can join the (W)LAN without specific confirmation anyway.

[steve-p]

The best resource I have found for general DSL advice, hardware reviews and helpful forums is

www.adslguide.org.uk

by the way.

[igg]

Many thanks for the advice.
I'll be 'shopping' this weekend and hope to
have the boys on-line gaming ('cos that's what they
will probably spend 90% of their time doing) by next weekend.
Thanks again.
Igg

[steve-p]

If you need on-line gaming it's worth visiting the forums at the link I posted to make sure there won't be any problems with NAT or NA(P)T. Some games don't work too well on multiple clients behind a router sharing a single IP address.

[GregE240]

Igg, wireless is a bit slow at present (but probably good enough for what you want) - new standard imminent with faster speeds (still not earth shattering, but better than what you can get now)

Could you peer to peer via some CAT5 cabling ?

>> Edited by GregE240 on Friday 30th August 11:30

[moretti308]

Greg,

I think 11mbps which is the 802.11b standard is fast enough but if you need more then you can always go to the 802.11a standard of 56mbps but not too much of this stuff out there yet and you really don't need it. You may be thinking of the 1mbps wlan that have been around for a long time now but are being phased out.

John

[GregE240]

No John, you are correct, I was thinking of 802.11b - 802.11a. Still new, but better throughput. Depends what you're dragging across really, doesn't it ? And what you're used to as well - if you start with 11Mbps you probably think it's the best since sliced bread.

[Marshy]

All the above tips are good. Speed will be just fine, even at 11Mbps - after all, the bottleneck is your broadband connection.

And once it's set up, get a laptop with a wireless card, and go tramping around your property with it running some software called Netstumbler, from www.netstumbler.com. That'll give you a good idea how far your network is visible.

Of course, someone with a big aerial can probably find it from further away, but hey.

[roop]

That's lovely and just what I want. Can't justify the cost though I think Actiontec, makers of low-cost WiFi stuff are due to release a similar product soon. I'll be first on the list. Get rid of that TP cable running up the stairs...!

quote:
I use a SpeedTouch 570 which is a combined ADSL modem/router/firewall/wireless access point.

[davidd]

quote:
That's lovely and just what I want. Can't justify the cost though I think Actiontec, makers of low-cost WiFi stuff are due to release a similar product soon. I'll be first on the list. Get rid of that TP cable running up the stairs...!

quote:
I use a SpeedTouch 570 which is a combined ADSL modem/router/firewall/wireless access point.

Save your money, go for..

www.smc-europe.com/english/products/wirel.html# about £110 plus vat from Dabs.

If anyone is looking for a cheap starter kit we bought one of these last week..

www.3complete.com/acatalog/3complete_Hot_Buys_34.html

Very good value.

D.

[davidd]

On another note...Steve-P, why the move from TVR? I always had you down as a lifer?

D.

[CarZee]

quote:Save your money, go for..

www.smc-europe.com/english/products/wirel.html# about £110 plus vat from Dabs.

Before you think about buying from Dabs, see here!

I'd recommend www.komplett.co.uk or www.novatech.co.uk

[davidd]

quote:
Before you think about buying from Dabs, see here!

I'd recommend www.komplett.co.uk or www.novatech.co.uk

Interesting I've never had a problem with Dabs but I would say that unless I knew exactly what I wanted I would not go there.

Neither of the sites you recommend sell the SMC part, I could not be bothered to trawl to see if they sold something offering the same functionality (linksys do one).

Still I'd never used komplett before so I'll bookmark that, thanks.

D.