Help, what do I need to be wireless?!

I am about to buy my first laptop and really want to be wireless.


I know that I need a router and that the laptop is wireless enabled, but what else do I need? I am worried that I will spend loads of money on the kit and then it won't work because of the walls in my house or something.

Can anyone advise? This probably sounds very vague but having never had it before not sure what I need! Also, can two people run off the same wireless?

(I live in quite a large 3 bed house)

Thanks!

PS. And if two people use it does that make it a network? I don't want the other person to have access to my files etc

 

Hi,
Looks like you have lots of reading to do. Store salespeople don't always give the best advice. Go to PC Magazine's website, research wireless routers. THey say Linksys is the best brand. But..DLink and Netgear are good brands also. You'll be connecting the wireless router to the high speed Internet connection at your home. Won't work on dial-up Internet.
You can have a few computers connecting wirelessly to the router. Each computer will have its privacy and you can set up so no computer can access the other ones...unless you want to.
Roger

 

Ok first pressa, please use the search funtion, i just answered this question less than 3 hours ago.
The most you can spend on a simple home network would be $150 - $200 at the most. You would just need a router, and a wireless internal or external card.



You really need to have security first. WPA is the most reccomended but then WEP 128 - Bit is also good. The home netork part setting up is that each computers ip address needs to sync and the easiest way to set it up is doing it through the windows network setup. There is a little more but that is a brief explantion.

If you live in a crowded area, then stealign you stuff is a worry but when the computer is totally off, no one else can access this, and if you have WPA enabled, this shouldnt be a problem.

Try reading my guide some time to answer a lot of your questions.

 

Hi

Thanks for your help...

I did do a search on the forum and I read the post but I still feel that I need to go back a step hence my post. When it comes to wireless and notebooks I am computer illiterate!

This is the first time I will have had my own computer (and it has yet to arrive!) and just want to make sure that I get everything right, especially as it seems easy to make a mistake judging by some of the posts on here...

My main concern is that I will buy all the equipment and it won't work because of the size of my house.

One other question, are there some ISP's that are better for wireless than others?

Thanks!

 

Cable ISP's are always nice and have very nice speeds but there really is no better isp for wireless. Trust me, when you get the eqiupment, post back here and im sure we will get it working for you.

 

Thats good to know thanks!

 

Nick, you give awesome advice, but sometimes it's a bit technical for complete newbies. I'm willing to bet that the first poster is looking at this post as though it's written in a foreign language...so cut him a little slack! I'm learning more from you now that I'm reading more, but it can sound daunting at first...

 

Thanks Clare, Btw: Ill try as low as i can go

From working with wireless all the time, it just sometimes comes out that way. I do the best i can as describing things, but then the computer skills get involved. I try to put the things they need to do as in a way that anyone can understand. I answer a lot of the same questions over and over, and people never use the search function so i teach a lot of people which i dont mind doing.

I love helping people, and if people dont understand what i say then just ask or PM me. I answer all my questions with out a doubt. That is one of the reasons i created a guide. Lets just say on that it doesnt get looked at and people are in a hurry to get what they need to get done asap.

Remember, and this goes to anyone: I love helping people and i like wireless. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

One thing I have been looking at that is available in Australia (where I live) is a service called Unwired. I'm not sure how long I will be in my current house so it seems like a good option for a while. I wonder if anyone has opinions on these sorts of things? It's not necessarily going to be as reliable as the usual wireless broadband but might suit my needs better for the time being...

http://www.unwired.com.au/

Thanks!

 

Sure that would work for you. btw: Hows summer down there?

 

Hmm today its not that great! Lots of storms But apparently its gotta be the hottest summer ever, hurrah!

 

Yeah let us know when you get the equipment. Lol in america its getting cold since its winter here. Dang 30F in the midwest.

 

As I said, Nick, I'm learning a lot from you. And it's got to be frustrating the people don't read the faq. The hardware thread is the same way. It always amazes me that so many people just want somebody else to do their homework and get a quick answer, but maybe that's what we're used to with computers. And don't worry--I'll be back when I actually try to connect my desktop and my laptop into a real network, which may be this weekend. Then again, I may wait until I get a new desktop. That old 1999 Dell is hardly worth the effort!

To all in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. May the turkeys in your life always be on the table!