What do I need to go wireless??

Thanks...any suggestions has to what brand is best??

You have said nothing about your internet service.  You need broadband internet service with a modem that can connect by ethernet (if it can only connect by USB, you will need a new modem).   Note that wireless routers have 4 ethernet ports that will allow you to connect a computer that is close to the modem and router by ethernet, thus eliminating the need for a wireless network adapter on any 4 computers that are located close enough that an ethernet connection can be made.   Do you really need both computers to be wireless? 

 

Brand doesn't matter.  Linksys, Netgear, & D-Link all make good products.   You really have no need to any of the models that advertise high speed, as the 802.11g models (54 Mbps) are much faster than any broadband internet connection.  Also stay away from Pre-N or Draft-N as these are not yet standards and will cause problems.

 

Steve

Steve,

 

What do you mean by the below statement. Please explain yourself. I've been using Linksys WRT150N for about 2 months now, and have not experienced any problems.

 

 

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volcano11 wrote:

 Also stay away from Pre-N or Draft-N as these are not yet standards and will cause problems.

 

Steve

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Thanks Steve. I have AT&T broadband DSL. Right now I have the 4700 connected to the modem thru ethernet. I have to go wireless cause the two computers are in seperate parts of the house and I really can't run an ethernet cable from one computer to the other.

First you need a broadband internet connection (cable or dsl) with a cable or dsl modem that has the capability of connecting by ethernet (cable or dsl modems that can only connect by USB will not work).

Next you will need a wireless router. Wireless routers have 4 ports that will connection of up to 4 computers by wired ethernet. It would be preferable that you connect any computers in the same room as the cable/dsl modem and router by wired ethernet. In that case any computer that is located within easy reach of the router and modem will only need an ethernet network card.

Then, any computer you want to connect by wireless will need a wireless network card. If you are not sure whether or not your computers have wireless network cards, check Device Manger under Network Adapters.

There is really no need to get a wireless router that advertises high speed, unless you are frequently transferring large files between computers on the local network. The standard 802.11g speed routers are much faster than a cable or dsl internet connection, so the higher speed would be wasted with the higher speed routers.

Once your network is setup, you can share any printer connected to any computer on the network, so long as the computer to which it is attached and the printer are powered on.

Thank you all sooooo much. This has helped more than any of the phone conversations I have had with my ISP. Keep the info coming.

http://willsit.com/resources.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/troubleshoot.mspx
http://www.theeldergeek.com/quick_guide_to_simple_file_sharing.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/default.mspx

Ok ya'll...Thanks for all your help. My wireless network is up and running, but now I have a few other problems and questions. First, my phone line now as alot of static, I thought that it maybe the router interfering so I went out and bought some new phones that are 5.8 Ghz. But there's still alot of static. The other problem is that the computer with the wireless card in it doesn't get a very good signal. It's only about 20 ft away from the router so???? Any advice or suggestions or opinions??

 

1st computer-- Dell XPS210, Windows Vista Home Premium...this one has the router connected to it thru ethernet..DSL.

2nd computer-- Dell Dimension 4700, Windows XP

 

Linksys router WRT54GS- 802.11(2.4 GHz)

You need to put a filter on the phone line.  Contact your dsl provider for more information.

 

Steve

I already have filters on all the phone lines, but thanks anyway.

5.8 Ghz cordless phones don't use the same frequency as your wireless network, so there should be no interference whatsover.  Does the static also occur on wired phone lines?  

 

Steve

Filters and still noise?  You have bad wiring.  Make sure there is no filter on the modem.

Yeah, but when I shutdown for the evening and disconnect the router there is no static even in the wired phone...which is really strange, right? The static isn't as bad with the 5.8 GHz phones but it is still there.

 

                                                                                                              Kelli

 

 

No filter on the phone line that goes to the modem? What if that same line is shared by a phone?

 

                                                                                              Kelli