Is wireless for one laptop at home worth it?

So, I have a Dell 700m with b/g card and have cable internet. I don't have a desktop or anything else really that I need to connect. I was just thinking of the convenience of sitting on the couch vs being stuck to a cable near an outlet. Is there considerable internet speed lost when going wireless? Do I need a router just to go wireless or is there something simpler for just one computer? Or would it just be best to sit connected to the wire when I'm online? Would appreciate some insight.

For those who hate evolutionists because of what you read in the Bible... if you look closer you'll find you missed the point of both.

 

well, First of all you would need a Wireless Router, I would recomend Netgear cos i've had alot of experience with the. Then all it is, is Plug and play, Apart from the Configuration that needs to be done but thats easy....... No, no loss of speed at all... I'm on DSL and my mate was on cable, both worked at the set speed of the ISP....

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Xplodin @ Cha!
AKA Johnno

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Definately worth getting a router and becoming wireless. It will show the full/true potential of your laptop. No speed is lost. Most routers & wireless cards support 802.11g standards which can connect upto speeds of 54MB which is way higher than any DSL/Csble internet connection.

get either Linksys or Netgear wireless routers - probably the 2 best out in the market.

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Why would you not? The router is cheap and there is no drop in speed if you stay within 100-200 feet.

Brian

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What model #'S of Linksys or Netgear would you reccommend for the Dell 700m? Awaiting arrival of 700m and newbie to forum with first post. Thanks

 

To be honest I installed a Wireless router for only one notebook in the house. I can't agree more with miner, it will show you the true potential of your notebook. You can litterally sit anywhere in side your house and be on the internet, with a high-speed connection. Plus there is no monthly fee just have to buy the router .

I have a Linksys WRT54G.

It took maybe 5 minutes to install. Just make sure you read the mannual, or put in the CD, before you go connecting any wires.

 

Most any brand will do. Shop the Sunday Newspaper ads for Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot, etc. and on any given Sunday you will likely find one for around $20.

 

Yeah, and if possible wait for a sale on a Linksys WRT54G. That thing is so freakin hackable and there are tons of free (stable) third-party firmware hacks that give you loads of new options.

Heres a link for more info: http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20040527.html

 

Honestly, if you are adding a computer to your household and only had a single one before, you're going to need a router anyways. It does lose speed in comparison if you just plugged a network cable into it. Though the speed is decreased, it will still be quite fast in comparison to lets say...56k, it is still broadband. I personally keep my laptop plugged in for power in my room but use the WLAN to connect to the internet. It's only when I am downloading really large files that I move my laptop into the office room and connect it directly to the network cable. Just make sure your cordless phones use a different frequency then the router lol. It also enhances your networking options. For instance, I am capable of using the printer that is connected to my desktop from anywhere in the house. I also have all my music files on that same desktop in the shared folder and can stream them wirelessly to my laptop anywhere in the house and not waste the hardrive on my laptop yet can still listen to my favorite music.

 

For just the internet, the bandwidth of the wireless will give you enough head-room. Since you only got one computer, transfering files between systems is out of the picture and so you wont need the extra speed of wired. Though personally, i'd rather not have radiations zapping me all day and if you work at your desk anyways, wire would be recommended (using a laptop at places other than desks is bad ergonomics and will hurt your health).

 

Uh oh lol

 

The fastest internet most home users will have is 6mbps (cable broadband), DSL for the most part tops at 3mbps. While the G routers are 54mbps. That's like trying to throw a baseball into the grand canon. No speed loss will occur for that purpose. And even large file transfers aren't going to be that big of a problem. Unless of course you have grand visions of transfering 60GB hard drive backups to another machine then obviouslly you want the fastest connection you can get. And even 10/100 Nec cards with premium cat5 cable isn't going to be enough, your going to want a giganetwork (10/100/1000 & Cat6 ethernet cable).

Wired conection is faster, but wireless is fast enough the majority of the time. I think you just need to deside what wireless technology you want to go with: standard g or the newer faster and better "pre-N" (aka Mimo).