Wireless Home Networking

WexCan

Hi all.

Newbie alert - don't kill me.

I plan to buy a laptop computer at the end of August. I am considering a Dell Inspiron 5150 with the following specs:

3.06 GHz Mobile Pentium 4 Processor
40 GB HDD
768 MB DDR SDRAM
Dell TrueMobile™ 1300 WLAN (802.11b/g) Mini-PCi Card
Windows XP Professional
etc...

I also have a desktop, bought in 1999, with the following specs:

(Maxdata "Artist" Range)
550 MHz Celeron Processor
17 GB HDD
64 MB SDRAM
Windows 98SE
etc...

I was hoping to set up some form of wireless link between the two so that my dial-up internet connection on the desktop can be used in different locations throughout the house on the laptop.

I was wondering:

1) What hardware do I need to buy? (The Desktop doesn't have a wireless card.)
2) Is it easily set up?

Any comments/advice welcome.

Regards,

Chris D
"WexCan"

jesus_thats_gre

Just purchase a Wirless NIC for the desktop and configure a wireless network in Ad Hoc mode.

red_ice

you could also try something a lil less annoying which is just use the internal modem that usually comes with a machine of that spec.

You could also make a cat5 connection which is what i use in my house - it works fine

I also have a wireless connection and i have a 22mb card and a 11mb usb penstick which i spent 180 on and now i dont want them becasue a wireless network imo is useless and not very good.

Tom Dunne

If you don't mind opening the case of a PC to fit a card, there are plenty of internal Wireless cards available. Belkin, D-Link and LanReady are a few of the names. It can be a little tricky, but some perseverance will pay off. As jesus_thats_gre mentioned, it will be set up in Ad-hoc mode, a simple peer type network (that's what I use at the moment, laptop and PC).

If you are afraid of opening up the case of a PC, there are also plenty of USB wireless adapters available, same names as above.

Some links:

http://www.irishwan.org
http://www.vbnets.com (based in Kerry, supply all the gear you need).

http://www.expansys.com/ (loads of gear here - in England)

jesus_thats_gre

The D-Link stuff is fairly good, so is Linksys's!

eggshapedfred

The Siemens I-Gate stuff is pretty good too (for both USB (for the desktop) and PCMCIA for the laptop (but I guess you don't need that with the integrated WLAN)). Its dead easy to set up an Ad-Hoc network too. Not sure about prices though (college provides the gear).

Linux seems to have a problem with USB WLAN NICs. But then who mentioned Linux? oh yeah, that was me!

andy

WexCan

Are the internal cards less expensive? I have no qualms about opening the case. Would range be affected by the card being inside the PC?

Chris D
"WexCan"

jesus_thats_gre

The internal cards seem to be cheaper. The arial is mounted on the outside of the case on the back panel of the PCI card.

WexCan

The internal cards seem to be cheaper. The arial is mounted on the outside of the case on the back panel of the PCI card.

So range isn't affected? Do you have any idea regarding how much these cost?

Chris D
"WexCan"

WexCan

Forgot to ask - are they sold in normal computer retailers?

Chris D
"WexCan"

wolfman

Hi Chris

I was in the exact same situation as you a few months ago and all the guys on boards here helped me out with a special thanks to Cal67.

I too have a destop a few years old with 98SE and bought a Dell Inspiron with wireless card.

Basically, I bought a PCI card for the desktop, the type described above with the aerial on the outside of the card. I bought a US Robotics card and from memory I think it cost me €149! I have seen them cheaper than that since, so shop around.

To say it was easy is not so true, but I perseverd with it and eventually got it working. I now use the laptop anywhere in the house (AND outside) to access the internet through my desktop.

I very rarely use the network for anything other than sharing the internet connection, but I can use it to print to my main printer connected to the desktop and swapping files between both PC's.

To be honest, the range is quite good, but I'd imagine that using a USB adapter which could perhaps sit on your desk, would give greater coverage. The aerial down behind your tower among all the wires isn't the greatest, but it does work and unless you have a huge house, it should be adequate.

One place I have seen some cheap wireless cards and adapters etc is Maplin Electronics in Blanchardstown or Jervis Street. You can try their website, but they have cheaper stuff again in store.

Maplins site

That's just one item and the prices are in sterling on the website, but they are well worth trying especially if you want to go in to the shop and see the different bits.

If you are happy to buy over the internet, then Komplett are probably the best and cheapest you will find. Click here just to see the amount of stuff on offer.

Hope this helps.

Bu the way, wireless when working properly is excellent and is well worth giving a shot.

WexCan

Wolfman - thanks for your advice. (Indeed - thanks to all who have posted.)

I now use the laptop anywhere in the house (AND outside) to access the internet through my desktop.

Is this easily set up? Do special arrangements have to be made with your ISP? (UTV Internet in my case).

To be honest, the range is quite good, but I'd imagine that using a USB adapter which could perhaps sit on your desk, would give greater coverage. The aerial down behind your tower among all the wires isn't the greatest, but it does work and unless you have a huge house, it should be adequate.

Well, it's a three bedroom house - I'm right above the kitchen and the living room is diagonally below me. From what I've heard from our neighbours next door - the walls are made of cardboard. Hopefully an internal card will suffice.

Thanks again!

Chris D
"WexCan"

wolfman

Originally posted by WexCan
Wolfman - thanks for your advice. (Indeed - thanks to all who have posted.)

No problem at all. That's what boards is all about.

Is this easily set up? Do special arrangements have to be made with your ISP? (UTV Internet in my case).

Very easy. You just install Internet connection sharing on the desktop PC if it isn't already installed. No need to contact your ISP at all.


Well, it's a three bedroom house - I'm right above the kitchen and the living room is diagonally below me. From what I've heard from our neighbours next door - the walls are made of cardboard. Hopefully an internal card will suffice.

An internal PCI card will more than suffice for that.

Any more questions? Keep them coming. If I can't answer them somebody will!!

WexCan

Thanks.

I don't really have many more questions. Any comments on the laptop I've chosen?

I've heard a lot about public hotspots - are there many, are they expensive to use and are they accessible using the card I will have in my laptop?

Is there some sort of security system that would prevent others in my immediate area from accessing my network?

Chris D
WexCan

jesus_thats_gre

WEP is "sort of" security for Wireless. Its not the securest thing ever, but ya gotta wonder do you really need it.

Security is also managed somewhat by the basic Wireless config process by which you select a radio frequency to operate on and an SSID (Service Set ID). An SSID can be sort of described as being something similar to a workgroup in Windows.

wolfman

First of all, forgot to tell you.....

Internet Connection Sharing is part of the windows setup, so if it's not installed go to add remove programs and the windows setup part and its under internet tools.

Laptop:

The laptop seems excellent. My own is an Inspiron 8200. Got it about November last year. Have to be honest, it was done through the company on finance with Dell and had a LOT of problems with them. Very bad experience and would think very long and hard about dealing with them again.

Public Hotspots:

Not many in Ireland yet, but the whole scene is so young, I can only assume this will grow rapidly. I have tried 2 of them in Dublin. They are both O2 hotspots, one in Bewleys @ Newlands Cross and the other in the Westbury hotel. Both worked no problem. From memory, it cost me €10 for 1 hours access, but O2 have other packages available if you intend to use it frequently. You can even be billed so much per month for so many hours access.

Here are the details on the O2 hotspots.

Also, try http://www.wifinder.com and you might find more.

I also used a few in London when I was over there a few weeks ago. Yet agin, had no problems and it was great for me, because I got to use my laptop at broadband speeds which I cannot get here at home only dual ISDN.

Oh yeah, they are all accessible using your own wireless card that comes with the laptop.

Security:

Yes. Don't use it myself, but you can set up encrypted passwords between the 2 pc's.

Phew!!!!

How's that?

wolfman

Sorry

Found a bit more info here

WexCan

Wow - thanks to all for your advice and comments. I don't really have any more questions, but will probably come running back when I actually get the equipment.

Thanks Again,

Chris D
"WexCan"

wolfman

Originally posted by WexCan
Wow - thanks to all for your advice and comments. I don't really have any more questions, but will probably come running back when I actually get the equipment.

As I did myself!

Capt'n Midnight

"security is also managed somewhat by the basic Wireless config process by which you select a radio frequency to operate on and an SSID (Service Set ID). An SSID can be sort of described as being something similar to a workgroup in Windows."

complete bollocks ...

SSID is a publically visible BEACON to ADVERTISE networks to ALL WiFi compatible cards.. All WiFi cards come with utilities to detect BEACON packets ( netstumbler just means you don't have to click refresh. )

On the other hand disabling SSID provides some "security through obscurity" by making you less visible to windows users.

It all depends on how paranoid you are - you could also setup VPN (PPTP) in windows on top of WEP - neither are perfect... Anyway if you connect to a secure web site the encryption takes place in the browser before it ever gets to the RF cards.

jesus_thats_gre

By security, I meant in a very limited sense, in that the general lay persons who is not a hacker will not be able to accidently access your network unless they have there wireless network configured in the same way, to a certain extend anyway.

Even with WEP enabled, Wireless networks are still very exposed to someone with the know how.

Capt'n Midnight

I bought an AP to try at home - XP naturally found it and I added it to my list of SSID's to connect to automatically.

One of the neighbouring companies also uses that default SSID - the internal wireless card in my laptop was just handed an IP address / gateway etc !

In other words I would have to change the way windows XP associates with AP's to NOT connect automatically.... - changing the SSID would mean that XP would not Auto-Connect (It would still inform you when it saw new AP's and you could click on one to connect - unless of course you had already told it to connect to another one)

WEP and MAC filtering should keep out most windows users.

jesus_thats_gre

He knows more than me, ask him

Michael Collins

From my experience I've found the internal Wireless PCI cards are way better than the USB ones in general. Even the range is better. I got a Linksys WP11 for my PC (a crappy 300Mhz machine), cost me €58 via ebay. My brother got a Belkin USB one (the really **** one from argus) for his PC (fast 2.5Ghz Machine). My intenal one can always see the network and the signal strength is always "excellent". My borthers one is really crap, nearly always "low" signal strength or sometimes disconnects altogether.

He has it haning outside his door now :rolleyes: