Network Newbie

Kappar

Hi,

I want to setup a network like follows:-

1 system to act as a firewall and have the broadband connected to it (2000)
1 desktop (XP Home)
1 wireless connection for laptop (XP Pro).

What is the best way of setting this up?

Should I do it all wirelessly? What kind of speeds and range can I expect from wireless? Also would there be conflicts with my ripwave connection?

Morgoth

Personally I'd sell the PC that you're planning on using as the firewall/gateway and buy a wireless broadband router. Depending on the PC's age you'll probably make money out of it.

I have both wired and wireless connections to my router, I find both equally as solid. Doing it all wirelessly should work fine, even if you're a gamer I found that so long as you have a good signal to the wireless access point/wireless router, your ping will be fairly steady. You'll definitely notice a difference in speeds compared to a wired network if you're transferring large files across the network, but so long as you maintain a decent signal the wireless will happily out-do anything your broadband can throw at it.

Mind you, if your PC is close to the firewall-PC/router, there's not much point in not using a bit of ethernet cable. Wireless is cheap but if you're not running much cable around, wired is cheaper. :E If you go the way of getting a wireless router, make sure you look for recommendations that mention good range (personally I'd recommend linksys kit) or else you'll find yourself needing a seperate repeater access point if you consistently move the laptop far enough away from the router.