Wireless Internet at Home

[Shakey]

I could use some free advice fellas.  I just got a new laptop for home and we would like to have wireless internet service in our house.

What do I need to buy and what do I need to do?

Please keep it simple as although I know my way around computers, I'm still kinda green when it comes to setting this kind of stuff up.

The Dell laptop does have a wireless card and we use Sympatico (ISP here in ON) if that makes a difference.

I could use some guidance please.

Thanks in advance.

[my69]

Shakey!  I don't know If I'm any help but if I understand correctly your dell came with a wireless lan card?

I just purchased my 6400 dell and I ordered it for "built in wireless"with windows XP of course   and the town/city I'm living at has wireless communication (spots) were I can go pretty much were my computer has signal for "other" computer(s) supporting wireless, When I opened up the box of where my computer was in I followed the directions when I powered it up the VERY first time. So I was "lucky enough" to get hooked in through "wireless" 

Kinda cool if anyone out there know what I mean?! Heck I'm "wireless" right now


Winston

[HDCharger]

Shakey, Its not as hard as it seems.  Once you get a wireless router it will plug into your high Speed modem.  Instructions come with the router.  Once you get ready to set it up drop me a line with your specific questions and we'll get you up and running.  You will probably also want to secure your wireless if you live in a neighborhood or apartment complex or everyone will be "leeching" off your wireless.  Dave

[2Gunz]

First you need to check out what you currently have as a connection.

If you have DSL or cable that has a modem (box that connects to the computer via ethernet cable).

Then all you will need is a wireless router.

Check to see what kind of wireless card you laptop has.

B G or N

Older stuff is B, the now is G, and the emerging technology is N


MOST stuff is B or G

Here is a B/G router

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124010



If your computer (home destop) has an internal modem (Telephone or coax plugs directly into the computer)
then you will need something else.

Im not going to go into it now because its not real common.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

I steal it from my neighbors in the condo building.

[Forza]

It really is amazing how many people with wireless internet dont take the extra 2 minutes and secure their signal. If you live in an apartment or if the houses in your neighborhood are scrunched together someone could easily get your signal and get free internet. Be sure when you get your network setup to make sure its not open to the public. If they start downloadin music, movies, illegal porn it gets traced back to you 

One time a few years back I noticed some wierdo parked outside my house with his laptop and would sit there for hours. I didnt think too much of it because theres a college a few blocks away untill I started getting nasty letters from my ISP. So 1 day I went out to see what he's doing and turns out he's downloading kiddie porn. Bad news for him my father is a cop and happily arrested the creeper.

[Shakey]

Thanks for the replies folks.

We purchased a Dell Inspiron 9400 with Windows XP.

Attached are the specifications.

I am aware of the wireless networks in my neighbourhood (private residences) as when I have my laptop from work at home, it always offers me to connect to the wireless networks in the area.  I do intend to have ours secured with passwords so that we don't have folks logging on on our dime.  I don't really mind sharing but I don't know what my neighbour Larry is looking at while his wife is away, and I don't want to know.

My Wife spoke with the folks at Sympatico (our ISP) and currently we have DSL with them.  They are going to send us something (she told me last night but I forget what it was called - I'm thinking it's an updated modem or something like that) and what it will enable us to do is to keep the existing PC we have for the kids hooked up to the internet (Kristina is 3 and likes to play some Elmo & Dora games online) and have the wireless capabilities for the new laptop.  I think she told me it replaces the existing DSL thing we have on the desk with one that looks the same and has a couple of antennas on it.  We will plug the PC into it with an ethernet cable and the that will supply the high speed for that system and the high speed for the laptop will come through the antennas (signal).

Question:

Will the laptop work in the basement, back deck, front porch etc.?

Thanks again for your help fellas.

[Forza]

Ya when your network is all setup you can usually go anywhere in the house or yard and still be connected. Is your main PC going to be near the modem and router or in a different part of the house? I set my parents network up and the way we had it is the main pc was in the basement, modem & router on the main floor, and my moms laptop was in her room on the 2nd floor. We ran a Cat5 cable from the basement pc to the modem/router on the 2nd floor, worked pretty well.

It's best to have the router/modem in a central area of the house to maximize the distance you can go with your laptop. As you probably know the farther you go from the router the signal strength will weaken. From the spec sheet you posted you got a pretty good pc for the kids to use, shouldnt have any problems with the network.

When your all up and running the only problems you will have is if you take the laptop into a room with lead walls  . You can pretty much take it anywhere with ease. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[Shakey]

Thanks Forza.

Those specs are for the laptop.  The children get the 7 year old PC that sits on a desk in the upper foyer of the house, right beside the internet connection.  The PC will be hooked up to the www via an ethernet cable that will, at the most, be about 3 feet long.  The wireless deal will be pretty centrally located so the signal strength should be pretty good.

[71charger_fan]

"or everyone will be "leeching" off your wireless" I had so many neighbors hi-jacking my wireless ADSL, my download speed slowed to a crawl. The sad part was that I didn't even know I had a wireless LAN until the ADSL company told me there were five computers on my connection.

[CharlieCharger]

Be careful  of using 2.4 GHz cordless landline phones as well if that helps..

[Shakey]

Be careful  of using 2.4 GHz cordless landline phones as well if that helps..

Why?

[Vainglory, Esq.]

Be careful  of using 2.4 GHz cordless landline phones as well if that helps..

Why?

Some wireless phones use the same frequency and can interfere with the internet signal.

[73dodge]

Be careful  of using 2.4 GHz cordless landline phones as well if that helps..

Why?

Some wireless phones use the same frequency and can interfere with the internet signal.

My microwave used to kill my wireless connection when I had one.

Shakey I am surprised you actually got a new computer with Windows XP installed? WOW I thought that Mickeysoft was pretty much ramming Vista down our throats now.

But when it comes to wireless the safest way to secure it is to allow access to only your MAC address of your laptop through your wireless and disable DHCP from the router use static IP's and filter to allow access for only your MAC address. It is fairly easy to set up and it will only allow specific computers on your wireless router namely your laptop. If you want to know how to do this let me know I can look up your router and tell you how to do it. Also make sure you also use WEP although it is pretty easy to hack.

[2Gunz]

Be Wary of the DSL company.

They like to sell Multi computer deals for a fee per month.

The people that dont know better get to pay $ 5 - 20 a month for this "service", and sometimes also pay for their router.

Or you can buy a router once for $50.

If its free I would say go for it. Or if its a one time thing go for it.

But if its month to month just buy a router and do it yourself.


A few years back getting a router could be a hassle.

Now days the software is VERY smart, it almost plugs in the damn thing itself and if it could.... it would.

[CharlieCharger]

Some 5.8 GHz phones have been known to interfere as well..check the UL stats on the phone..this is assuming you use a cordless landline phone..I had a huge problem with this for a while so just passing notes to ya.