Product advice sought for wireless LAN at home

Mark McG

Here's what I have at home right now.

1. Cisco ISDN router hardwired and coded to dial work. I connect to it with a work provided laptop by ethernet.

2. Dial up eircom free from kids bedroom upstairs.

I am waiting for the day when Eircom can provide i-stream in Cork and will ditch both, replacing access to work with VPN and internet upstairs via the ADSL service.

I want to prepare for this by getting a wireless access point to sit next to router and wireless PCMCIA card for laptop. If and when i-stream becomes available, I will get internal wireless network card for PC upstairs.

I was in town today and the only wireless access point was €750 in the local "have you seen my shiny suit" computer super store! I don't even remember the brand, coz when I saw the price I was so stunned...

So, what products would people recomend for me to buy. The ABSOLUTE maximum number of devices I would ever require is 3 or 4. I don't want or need any routing capabilty as this is currently provided by the cisco and would be replaced by whatever Eircom have as standard for ADSL. The best one my limited web surfing has found is the Trust AP115W Wireless Network Kit, which has both items I need in the kit and is about £250 sterling squids.

Any better advice before I shell out?

Thanks,
Mark.

Magic Monkey

Is your Cisco 760 series router able to take an Access-Point? These AP's might work. Also this.

Can anyone tell me, how, when you plug an AP into a Router, it just works? I don't get it at all...

irishguy

well u could build an me 1000 and all u would need is 2 wirless cards try ebid.com,an old computer around 100mhz p1,2 network cards and a few other bits and bobs ill put up a link for the me1000 when i get home also if u need help try irc.irishwan.org and join irishwan the lads will help u.u could also try irishwan and mabe go to same cork wan meetings here is the link for the me1000

yankinlk

^^^ is that fellow speaking english?

anyway, why not just use a peer to peer setup? then use ICS internet connection sharing to allow laptop to use your net connection.

if you had that now, you wouldnt need the dial up upstairs in the kids bedroom.

what OS are you using, if its win98 and above you can use ICS. just means the pc that is plugged into the isdn/dsl router has to be always on. thast my setup and it works perfect.

irishguy

Well the reason I suggested the me1000 is because otherwise u will have to have the pc with the net connection on 24/7 which will use allot of power if it is a newish system, also say if you are running windows 98 and using it for other things it can become unstable/slow down [I suppose network reliability isn’t a huge factor because you only have your kids connecting to you] if you were using an me1000 it would be allot more reliable as its running Linux and it is a dedicated machine. Now is that English ok for you?

Magic Monkey

I think what Mark McG is saying, is that he has a integrated Cisco ISDN/Router that attaches to the Laptop on his ground floor, and a Desktop on the first floor, with a modem for dial-up.

Two main options I see are:

1) Plug an Access Point into the Router, configure it with the Laptop, and get a wireless PCMCIA card for the Laptop, and a wireless PCI card for the desktop upstairs (a D-Link DWL 520 would do), so both laptop and desktop can use the 'net connection via the wireless card(s) -> AP -> router.

2) Put the router beside the Desktop upstairs, put a D-Link DWL 520 PCI card into the desktop, and a wireless PCMCIA card into the Laptop. Set the cards into "Ad-Hoc" or "Peer to Peer" mode and you're set. This option is cheaper, as you don't need an AP.

Mark McG

One problem with some of these suggestions is that the downstairs connection to work is "strictly work only". My company is a great company, but don't provide free ISP services..

I guess another connected problem (or thing to consider) is that because the router is work owned and configured, I can't touch it.

Once ADSL is available, that will connect straight to the ISP and we can share the connection throughout the house. My work service will straddle the ISP service using a VPN.

I think that Magic Monkey's summary option #1 is what I want to go for. That way I can use the laptop in wireless mode right now, continuing eircom free for personal and kid access upstairs. I would integrate the PC upstairs into the wireless LAN once ADSL is available.

MM, you mentioned a D-Link product as a potential option for the desktop. Is this from personal experience or just common sense? Also, any product recomendations for the AP and the PCMCIA card?

I like option 2 by the way; however current restrictions and the awful mess it would create to move the wiring would prevent me from moving any of the equipment. The router is currently sitting out of sight 3 feet from the point where cables arrive in the house from the street. Too convenient by far!

Thanks,
Mark.

Mark McG

Magic Monkey - I looked at the cisco wireless equipment. I assumed that they will be mega expensive; this will be a personal expenditure so cost is a factor.

Mark

Magic Monkey

Hi Mark,

The D-Link DWL 520 is a good wireless PCI card, I'm using one ATM and would recommend it (~€70, but see if anyone on IrishWAN might know of a local supplier). For the wireless PCMCIA card, the Orinoco Silver would be a good choice. Again, ask on IrishWAN for more info, as well as about good AP's, as I don't have much experience with them.

You *could* get an AP for your Router now, and a wireless PCMCIA card for your laptop, whilst using your upstairs desktop for dial-up. Then, when you get ADSL, all you'll need to do is plug the AP into the router that Eircom provide, and get the D-Link for the upstairs laptop. No problem.

But... the Eircom router (plus a "site survey") is around €900. You could probably provide the router yourself, but this is unnecessary, when all you need is an ADSL modem. You just plug the ADSL modem and AP into the upstairs desktop, and with a wireless PCMCIA card for your laptop, you're sorted.
However, you don't need an AP for this when the D-Link DWL 520 would do, operating in "Peer to Peer" mode, so you could bring back/sell the AP and get the D-Link instead.

Overall, just get an AP (for the router) and the Orinoco Silver wireless card (for the laptop) for the time being, and when you get ADSL in, use the AP you have, or exhange it for the D-Link DWL 520, to use in the upstairs desktop. Good Luck!

yankinlk

i do not understand why anyone would get an AP for home use. The desktop is a fixed device, it aint ever gonna enjoy "wireless" its gonna sit in the same spot forever.

all you are using the ap for is so that you can turn off your pc, thast a lot of money just so you can turn it off and still use the internet on the laptop.

if cost is a factor then just share the internet connection on the pc with ICS and a pci wireless card.

ah well, boys and their toys...

Magic Monkey

Hi Yankinlk,

I agree that an AP + wireless card is overkill, a PCI + PCMCIA wireless card would be better. But Mark McG would need an AP to plug into his ISDN/Router to access it wirelessely from his Laptop. And as I said, he should replace it when he gets the ADSL (modem) for a PCI wireless card.

He can't plug the AP into the ADSL modem (only one RJ45 port at the back), so he'd need two Ethernet NIC's and to leave his desktop running. Cheaper than an Eircom router!