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Starting A Wireless Network
I am going to start a wireless network in my home and i am not sure of what all i need. I have the high speed internet, and i know that i will need a wireless router to connect to the dsl modem. I have a laptop (Inspiron 6000) with the intel b/g 2200 wireless card in it, but
i have a desktop (Dimension 2350) that does NOT have any source of getting the wireless signal. So i know that i need to buy a desktop adapter OR a usb adapter. is that correct? i am probably going to buy the usb adapter simply b/c it plugs in and you set it up and you will have your ability to connect wirelessly. i hope that is correct, and that i am making since. Basically i want to know if that is what a USB adapter does is gives you the wireless availability.
My next question is:
On the Inspiron 6000, it can get the B or G connection. I want to get a Super G wireless router and adapter for the desktop. I want to know if i will be able to get the possible 108mbps on my laptop since it is not a super G or will it not go higher than 54mbps. if i can't does that mean i should buy a laptop card to get the higher speed.
My last question is
which brand is the best when it comes to the wireless routers and the adapters?. i had a friend tell me that NETGEAR was the best choice, but i have loooked and am really lost on what might be the best brand.
thanks for reading and hope you can help!
cwallen19803
306 Posts
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Posted April 2nd, 2008 13:00
see http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=netwkint&thread.id=28442 for link to description of security protocalls.
It is my understanding that the speed of your connection from your computer to the router exceeds the speed of the connection of the your router to your ISP, at least at the G specification. Unless you are planning on playing games between two or more computers within your local network, I don't see any reason to spend the extra money to connect at 108 when you're already faster than your ISP at 54.
As fast as it may already be, your ISP is the bottleneck. the G specification is plenty fast.
For security, as you will note in the article, WPA beats simple WEP.
I agree with what Wallen told you.
I'd like to also add that the intel card will not work with any of the "super" G extensions that broadcom and atheros based routers may use. Those extensions require that all hardware be of similar type (all atheros, or all broadcom). You should be able to enable more generic enhancements though (such as packet bursting) on both the router and clients if you desire. As Wallen stated, this will likely be unnecessary if your primary use of wireless is just to share internet access, as 54mbps is much faster than your internet uplink.
Regarding security, buy a router and client hardware that supports WPA2. WEP is broken. WPA was a temporary fix and is subject to denial of service attacks (though it is still much better than WEP).
If your desktop is near your DSL modem (and future router) then there is no need to buy a wireless card for it. All home wireless routers have 4ethernet ports which can be used for a wired connection. If you have the option, a wired connection is always preferred over wireless.
Lastly, make sure your DSL modem supports ethernet -- some are USB only, which will preclude you from connecting it to a wireless router.
colt493
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72 Posts
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Posted April 1st, 2008 16:00