wireless connection for laptop

Doc · Dec 17, 2006

I've had CAT5 installed for years and saw no need to go wireless.
Now I see a need. My laptop keeps loosing it's connection to the network. I have to wiggle the cable to make it work again & once an hour I have to restart vnc server on the server.
I think a wireless setup would solve some of this frustration. But I do not know much about wireless. I was on new egg and saw a linksys hub that looked good for 69 dollars, but do I then need a PCMIA card? The linksys said it does Wi-Fi. What does that do for me?
TIA!!!!!

OhioTC18 · Dec 17, 2006

Doc,
My laptop has the wireless thingies built in. Once you set up the hub or router the laptop will find the signal. If your laptop is not wireless ready a simple wireless card is needed.

Doc · Dec 17, 2006

The laptop is not wireless ready.
That is part of my confusion.
What hub or router and do I need a PCMIA card or USB wireless WiFi card?
any combo recomendations?

Hutchman · Dec 17, 2006

Yup, you'll need the router and the PCMCIA card. I have the Linksys WRT54G router and a Linksys card. It has worked well for me. Hutch

thcri · Dec 17, 2006

I have the Linksys wireless router WRT54G and a Netgear PCMCIA card and it works great. Anyplace that has wireless such as hotels, coffee shops I can connect to the internet. Love it for traveling etc. I sometimes even pull into the parking lot of hotels and coffee shops to pick up email etc. And I do love it at home as I can be anyplace in the house and connect.

murph

OhioTC18 · Dec 17, 2006

thcri said:
And I do love it at home as I can be anyplace in the house and connect.

murph

Me too, except when the phone rings.........the buggers are 2.4GHz also :pat:

mtntopper · Dec 17, 2006

OhioTC18 said:
Me too, except when the phone rings.........the buggers are 2.4GHz also

With the problems of the phones knocking the computer off the wireless connection, we finally changed the telephones to a 5.8GHZ system. This solved the computer wireless internet problems. It only took a year to make the change as we were not able to associate the telephone with the computer problem for quite awhile. :confused2:

California · Dec 18, 2006

If your laptop isn't wireless ready then it needs the equivalent of a NIC. A PCMCIA card is fine for use within a reasonable distance from your wireless hub.

My own choice was a USB wireless adapter (NIC) about the size of a flash drive that could be used directly in the USB port, or at the end of a 1.5 meter (?) extender cable that came with it. The extender allowed me to hang the adapter in the window where I could get a good signal reflected off the water tower, from the hub and DSL connection down in another building about 100 ft distant.

I later supplemented this with a wireless bridge using high-gain antennas between the two buildings and then tried a PCMCIA adapter. I found the best signal was still provided by hanging the USB adapter off the edge of the dinner table where it had a line-of-site view to my end of the bridge out on the sunporch.

I like Netgear stuff but I suppose they are all good.

thcri · Dec 18, 2006

OhioTC18 said:
Me too, except when the phone rings.........the buggers are 2.4GHz also

Go into your wireless router and change the channel to 13. If that don't work you may have to try some other channels.

murph

Doc · Dec 18, 2006

Thanks guys. I like the USB option CA.
So wireless is what you'd call the 802.2, right?
What is WiFi and how does it fit in.
I've seen hubs listed as 802.2 complient and some list WiFi and others don't. What's the difference?

Doc · Dec 18, 2006

The standard is 802.11 / 802.11 and WiFi mean the same thing.

802.11 A is the old one.

I ordered a Linksys router 802.11 B/G Both B and G are new.

I added a linksys USB network adaptor which works on 802.11 B or G.

I should be good to go in 3 days. With Christmas shipping I'll be surprised if it makes it by Thursday. Coming from Newegg in CA.

California · Dec 18, 2006

You might want to study security before it arrives. With a wireless network, an unexpected guest is inside your LAN in default configuration.

I have my router set up to respond to only a specific list of MACs (NIC serial numbers) and ignore anyone else. This would be impractical for an office but it was the simplest mode for home.

Doc · Dec 18, 2006

Good idea CA. I've already been warned about leaving it in default mode.
I do not feel real vunerable since the road and the closest neighbor are both 400ft away. To get connectivity they would have to be on my property. But still, I will lock er down one way or another.

thcri · Dec 18, 2006

California said:
I have my router set up to respond to only a specific list of MACs (NIC serial numbers) and ignore anyone else. This would be impractical for an office but it was the simplest mode for home.

Mine is password protected. Different password to edit and program and a different password for access. I will look deeper into mine tonight for the MAC addresses.

murph

California · Dec 18, 2006

Originally Posted by Doc
I do not feel real vunerable since the road and the closest neighbor are both 400ft away.

Uh - You might be reached from several miles with a directional antenna.

This region is known as 'Telecom Valley' (ever hear of O'Reilly's networking books?) and the early experimenters
(see http://nocat.net/)
set up 802.11 relays that reached across the valley in this picture, some ten miles.
http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/atta...0&d=1155886451

I expect some of my more immediate neighbors are among those experimenters or are industry specialists, and there are quite a few of them within line-of-sight. The antenna I use to bridge between buildings here usually shows signal from several active networks. It seems prudent to be well buttoned down. I don't want someone using my dsl access, to upload God knows what.

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/attachment.php?attachmentid=9165&stc=1&d=1166477768

OhioTC18 · Dec 18, 2006

thcri said:
Go into your wireless router and change the channel to 13. If that don't work you may have to try some other channels.

murph

The phone switches to a new channel each time it's used. "Rolling Channel Technology" it said. I can change channels on the phone while in use, but it might take 5 or 6 changes to make both work at the same time.

thcri · Dec 18, 2006

OhioTC18 said:
The phone switches to a new channel each time it's used. "Rolling Channel Technology" it said. I can change channels on the phone while in use, but it might take 5 or 6 changes to make both work at the same time.

Wow, our phone stays on the same channel unless we change it during use.

murph

wireless connection for laptop

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