Which wireless router is right for me?

Question

I want to 'network' my Dell Inspiration 8100 and OptiPlex GX280 so I can share internet access over a cable modem.  This will be my first attemp at setting all this up, so I need any and all help I can get.  How do I check for network cards in both systems?  Which is the best wireless router for my needs?  Are there any 'REAL' disadvantages to using the wireless router?   Thanks in advance for all who reply with instructions and/or suggestions. :o) ô¿ô

volcano11 · Answer

First of all, is your cable modem capable of connecting to a computer or router through an ethernet connection.   If it is a USB-only cable modem (i.e. it can only connect to a computer with a USB connection) then you are in trouble to start with, as it is very difficult to find a router that will connect to the modem through a USB connection.   If your cable modem is an ethernet modem, you will probably want to connect the router to the GX280 through an ethernet port and thus have a wired connection for that computer.   The Inspiron will then need a wireless network card.   To see what kind of network adapters are currently present on each computer, go into Device Manager and expand the listing for network adapters by clicking on the + sign next to network adapters.  Again, you will need an ehternet network adapter on teh GX280 and a wireless network adapter on the Inspiron.   You next need to decide whether you need the higher speed 802.11g wireless network or the slower 802.11b network.  For sharing an internet connection, either will suffice.  If you plan on transferring lots of large files between the computer on a regular basis, you would want the slightly more expensive 802.11g wireless network.  If you need a wireless network card for the Inspiron, which card you get and which router you get will depend on whether you want or need the faster 802.11g network.   Report back what you have, whether or not your cable modem is capable of an ethernet connection, and whether or not you need the speed of the 802.11g network, and we can go from there.   Steve

ken5305 · Answer

I know the cable modem is currently setup with a USB cable.  The tech that installed it said they could install either the USB or ethernet, but he used the USB because the computer this was previously setup on had no ethernet card.

volcano11 · Answer

So, which network devices show up in Device Manager on each computer?  Steve

ken5305 · Answer

I will have to check the computers when I get home so I can answer your questions - I'm at work right now.  Is there anything else you can think of that I need to check?  I will try and log on from home this evening to check if you are still available.  If not, I will check again tomorrow from the office.  I am very interested in learning more about the technical aspects of my computers but often times cannot find the answers I need, so I really appreciate you sharing your time and knowledge!  Thanks!!

ken5305 · Answer

I've checked and the network adapters on my computers are as follows:

Inspiron 8100

1394 Net Adapter

Intel 8255x-based PCI Ethernet Adapter

OptiPlex GX280

Broadcom Netxtreme 57xx Gigabit Controller

Motorola Surfboard 4100 USB Cable Modem

The next question was about wireless network speed. I most likely will not be transferring any files between these two computers. The Optiplex, I just got for my step kids and the laptop is mine. I really only want the "networking" so I can also access the Internet with my laptop. At present, the cable modem is connected to the Optiplex.

Thanks!

volcano11 · Answer

Your optiplex has an ethernet adapter (the Broadcom Netxtreme controller), so you can hook this up to one of the LAN ports on the router.   If you are not planning on transferring large files, any 802.11b router from Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, or Belkin should work just fine.  To connect the laptop through a wireless connection to the router you will need a PCMCIA wireless 802.11b network card (also called a PC card).   I recommend getting the same brand PC card and wireless router to avoid problems (mainly from technical support personal who will always blame the other manufacturer if there is a problem).   The routers and PC card should come with good instructions for setting this up, but if you have problems, post back here.   Steve

ken5305 · Answer

Thanks very much for all the help.  I will be purchasing what you have suggested on Friday and will attempt to get everything set up then.  I will definitely be back if I have additional questions.  Thanks again and have a great evening.

ken5305 · Answer

Hi Steve:

Well I purchased everything I need (I believe) and have followed all the step up steps that came with the router. I got a Netgear Wireless router and Pc Card Kit. When I have everything hooked up I cannot connect to the internet. I feel sure I'm not doing something right with the connection settings, but not sure where I'm going wrong. Any suggestions?

volcano11 · Answer

More details please! Can you connect with a wired connection? Are you getting an IP address from the router from any of the computers? Does the computer with the wireless network see the network at all? Have you tried to set this up first without enabling any of the security features of the router? Did you shut down the cable modem completely before plugging it in to the router? It's hard to know where to start without knowing what you have done and what is happening. The more details you can provide, the easier it would be to help.

Steve

ken5305 · Answer

I'll try and give you a step by step of what I've done. I followed all instructions for setting up the router. Did everything in the order listed. Got as far as powering everything up and then put in the http:// that was provided to connect the router. I followed the steps there which include a wizard to check for settings, etc. and then did the apply and test. If the test works, you connect to their website. I never made it to the website. I have not tried installing the wireless card in the laptop yet. I have an ethernet cable going from the router to the cable modem and then another going from the router to the computer. I did not plug the USB cable back in to the modem and computer - that's the first thing I wonder if I've done wrong. The other question is if I have my settings put in correctly. If I disconnect everything and hook back up just through the modem I can get on the internet (as I am now). Hope this helps explain my problem a little better.

volcano11 · Answer

You should not use the USB cable or the USB port on the modem at all. See if you can connect the ethernet port on the computer directly to the cable modem. Whenever you change what is connected to the cable modem, you should do a hard reset, which involves shutting down the cable modem, truning it back on, then waiting about 5 minutes before turning anything else back on. TCP/IP properties for your ethernet adapter should be set to Obtain an IP address automatically. This setting should work for both the cable modem and the router. If you can get the internet working when connected directly to the cable modem through ethernet, it should also work when you connect through the router, but again you have to do a hard reset - turn everything off. Make sure there is cable connecting the ethernet port on the cable modem to the WAN or Internet port on the router and a cable connecting one of the LAN ports on the router to the ethernet port on the computer. Power up the cable modem first, wait five minutes, power up the router, then power up the computer.

Steve

ken5305 · Answer

I did as you suggested.  Unhooked the USB cable and tried connecting via ethernet cable, (connected from cable modem to computer) after waiting at least five minutes after making changes .  I was unable to connect to the internet.  The browser opens but says 'cannot find this page'.  I tried going to other sites with the same result.  I'm not sure what the other settings should be, but the TCP/IP was set to Obtain an IP address automatically.  Thanks again for the help - sorry I just can't seem to get this working.

volcano11 · Answer

When everything is connected, either to the modem directly or to the router, go to Start > Run and type cmd then click OK.   Then type ipconfig /all (note the space between the g and the /) followed by Enter.  Copy the results into a message so we can look at it and see what is going on.

ken5305 · Answer

Hope I got this right:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : *********

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit Controller

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0F-1F-E0-F0-DD

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : comcast.net

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Motorola SurfBoard 4100 USB Cable Modem

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-08-0E-2F-4D-79

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 24.0.92.xxx

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.248.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 24.0.88.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 12.242.18.34

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 63.240.76.198

204.127.199.8

ken5305 · Answer

Sorry I guess I misunderstood.  I canonly connect to the internet using the UBS cable.  I did not know I need to run the isconfig /all with th erouter connected - sorry.  I'll get off here and follow your earlier steps, hook up the router and rerun this. Ken

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Which wireless router is right for me?

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