wifes lappy arrived today, so we need to hook it up to the net

i want to run a wireless connection for her downstairs, and il,, stay in the office with the current hard wired net access.

Question is, what do i need???

we want to share accesss to the net, but not sure how to go about it.

what exactly do i need for each machine?

and were talking basics!! what card? hard/ software do i need in the main fixed pc with current usb bb moadedm?

lappy with onboard wireless...


do i need any additional cables?? what do i connect to what???


any help would be apreciated


Mart

 

Things'll be easier if you get hold of a wireless ADSL modem/router that has 4 port switch built in. That way you can hook up your PC with cable and the lappy by wireless. The extra ports can be handy if you have a printer with an ethernet port and any other networkable device.

Your PC and lappy wouldn't need any extra software except antivirus and maybe a software firewall for extra protection (XP has one built in it ain't too hot). The latter would deffo be a good idea if the lappy goes mobile. The ADSL modem/router will have a hardware firewall.

If you use wireless make sure you enable encryption preferably WPA/WPA2 (the lappy should be able tohandle this). Avoid WEP encryption if possible though this is better than leaving your wireless open. There's other measures you can take to prevent unauthorised access to your network including disabling SSID broadcast, access control using MAC addresses but encryption is usually enough to deter most prying eyes.

As to what make/model of ADSL gizmo there's loads out there. It might be an idea to have a look at http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/ (RoadrunnerV2 on here)

HTH

 

I agree as above, also if you are on BTbroadband you can upgrade to a wireless router for free and they dropped the line rental by a couple of quid if you sign up for another 12 months. This is asuming you have been with bt over 12 months of course. All you will need to buy is a pcmcia card for the laptop, I would suggest one made my Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g, not the cheapest but the best and most realiable.

Tim

 

won't need a pcm card - lappy's got wireless

But echo all above though

Dan

 

still a bit confused??

what is the purpose of the 4 port switch??

i have just come back from my local emporium, and they have a wireless router (adsl) that has 4 ports on the back..

can i just clarify somthing so i know i,m no the right track..


if i get a wirless adls modem router, i connect it to the main pc via cable i assume? or do i need to get a wireless card for the main pc??

the lappy connects to this router via a wirless connection??

then they can both access the web at once?


i,m going into town shortly to buy the bits, but am still a bit confused

would this work??? http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...nov-54adsl&P=0

i guess then i would need a wireless card for my pc (desktop)



Mart

 

So that you can connect other devices that are close to the router via rj-45 network cables. Such as PC's, Printers, etc... You want to share Internet connectivity or connect to other devices to share data or printing.

No. You need to make sure that PC has a Network card/connection and connect that one up to one of the 4-port Network ports via a rj-45 network cable.

Yes. The lappy will connect via the internet with the wireless network card.

Yes.

I know it sounds confusing at first. But if you get a ADSL/Wireless/Router. Make sure it has the 4-port Network ports. Also worth having a look here to get an idea on a good make of wirless ADSL router:

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/

As provided by Mart360.





Mart[/quote]

 

[/QUOTE]



ok found a router....http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?NGR-871160

now just need to know what is the rj 45 network bit? is that a specific card / system , or will this do

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...html?DLI-530TX

or this one

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?NOV-320XR1

Mart

 

The router looks good. According to the specs has the 4-port RJ-45 ports.

The other 2 links just refer to network cards which have RJ-45 ports in them. RJ-45 is a networking port standard. I take it you're PC does not have a network card/ built in network card?

More on RJ-45 here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RJ-45

and here:

http://www.nullmodem.com/RJ-45.htm

 

Mart

RJ45 (Ethernet) just refers to the type of cable connection - it's a small squarish connector with 8 wires - chances are you have one connected from your PC to your existing broadband modem - all modern PCs will have an Ethernet connection.

In simple terms, you will have the following:

Your supplier will have given you an ADSL modem - this connects to your phone line. The wireless ADSL router you've bought will either plug into the modem, or in some cases, it can be a direct replacement for the device supplied by your ISP.

The wireless router does all the clever stuff with IP addresses etc. Set both your PC and laptop to request an IP address and the wireless router will do the rest.

Connect your PC directly into one of the switch ports on your wireless router. Once you've done this (and set up your PC to automatically request an IP address), you should be able to reach the setup screen of the router. Normally this is done by opening up your browser and typing an IP address into the address bar - it will normally be something like 192.168.1.1 - there should be instructions on how to set this up.

As regards security, the firewall in XP SP2 is surprisingly good, even though it looks a little basic - it will do the job for most home users (the wireless router you've bought will normally have a firewall too).

Encryption can be a little tricky. I would first setup everything in default mode - ie no encryption etc, just to make sure your laptop can connect correctly. Once you've done this have a go at setting up some basic encryption. It's true that 64bit WEP is pretty crap (I've seen it broken in 10 minutes), but 128bit WEP is fine for home use unless you really want to go for serious encryption. WPA is even better, but see how you go (WPA at its most complex is pretty processor intensive).

Post up if you need more help.

Chris

 

ok, update...

i have the wireless router/ modem... took a few attempts, but as you can see, ive got net acces via that... now the lappy detects the network (wireless) but wont connect, it says that i have to run the proggy i used to set up the network?? .. but that proggy was for the router etc..


i,m a bit stumped, any help would be appreciated.

also how do i restrict access to the proggys and data on the main pc, as the kids will be using the lappy, and we have all our accounts and stuff (**** )

thought id say that before someone else does.. on the office machine


Mart

 

Well you're getting there!

You should turn off all file and folder sharing on your PC - that should stop the kids looking at the PC.

Make sure that their account on the laptop isn't running as an administrator account. By just removing this, you stop a huge number of the problems relating to viruses etc, as almost all rely on admin access to install.

As long as your wireless card in the laptop is detecting the wireless network there shouldn't be any need to install anymore software. It should then be a case of sorting out the wireless security settings.

I would try a simple non-encrypted network, with the SSID broadcast, using the default channel (normally no.11). The laptop should pick this up automatically and attempt to connect to it.

 

duffer alert, and how do i do this exactly??? i,m still haveing probs with the lappy keeping a connection when i,m on the pc surfing as well


Mart

 

This may help:

http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101299.asp

 

Mart this should be the default setting - most wireless routers are setup to be in the most basic connection state when they leave the factory.

 

done that

still a bit iffy, but we think some of the probs may be memory related, (she aint got enough) so ordered some more...

re firewall on the lappy, which is better, use xp,s firewall, or use ZA as a firewall??

Mart

 

Or you can use both. XP firewall is okay, it's just not as flexible as other 3rd party Firewalls. For example in the XP exceptions list, you can set say e-mule to go through the firewall. Where as with ZA you just open up a port.

Besides I think the router also has a built in Hardware firewall as well.

 

Virtually all routers now have built-in SPI firewalls which are fine for the consumer market. Coupled with setting up wireless security (WPA-PSK) and a decent upto date anti-virus/spyware software should be fine for the majority of home users.

 

ZA is the better firewall out of the 2 if its configured correctly. I havent read the following guide the completely put it appears to give good easy to understand information

http://www.markusjansson.net/eza.html

When it comes to internet security, its best to understand it and do it right instead of regretting further on down the line