Help / Advice in setting up wireless home network for a noob!

Branoic

Hi, I'm looking to set up a wireless (or semi-wireless - see below!) home network, primarily for my XBox 360 and I'm pretty ignorant as far as wireless is concerned, so I'd love some help / advice!

Here's the situation at the moment: I have wired 3mbps broadband with Digiweb costing €42 a month, and a phone line service from Eircom costing on average €65 to €70 every two months. My 360 is two rooms and a long hallway away from my computer and phone point, meaning that whenever I want to connect it to Live, I need to run a cable across the rooms and hallway - a situation which greatly vexes my wife so that I only really get out the cable now if I want to download demos.

So there's basically three things I want to do: 1) Reduce my connection from 3mbps to 2mbps, 2) reduce my phone bill, as we don't make a lot of calls on the landline and the vast bulk of the bi-monthly bill is actually ridiculous line rental, and 3) enable my 360 for wireless.

I live in Wicklow, so the providers I can actually go with are a little limited. I'm looking at a phone & broadband bundle from either eircom (2mbps + Talk Time After Hours €55.99) or BT (2mbps + Total Talk €55.95), and I wanted to find out which option would be best and would be most sensible for wireless.

My PC does not have an in-built wireless adapter, but wirelessly connecting my PC isn't sometime I really care about - it's the 360 I want wireless for. The Eircom deal includes a Netopia 3347nwg wireless router, which can be used as a wired modem if your PC isn't wifi capable or if you don't want to buy a USB wireless adapter. BT have a wireless router upgrade for €45 euro, but again you'd still need to also get a USB adapter.

If I wanted to go with Eircom, would I be able to use the Netopia as a wired modem for my PC and then get the wireless adapter for the Xbox 360 and use that to connect wirelessly to the Netopia? Or if you need to use the router wired with your PC does that prevent it from being wireless for the console?

Also, what's the range on the 360 wireless adapter? Will it have any problems communicating with the Netopia through two rooms and a hallway?

Sorry for the long winded post, but thanks for any advice!

ethernet

I suggest you ditch eircom's landline altogether if you don't need it. You can get a phone service through your wireless BB connection instead. You could use a VoIP-based solution instead. See Digiweb's website.

Branoic wrote:

...
If I wanted to go with Eircom, would I be able to use the Netopia as a wired modem for my PC and then get the wireless adapter for the Xbox 360 and use that to connect wirelessly to the Netopia? Or if you need to use the router wired with your PC does that prevent it from being wireless for the console?

Yes, you would be able to do this. You can have wired and wireless devices connected all at the same time and they can communicate with each other fine.

Branoic wrote:

Also, what's the range on the 360 wireless adapter? Will it have any problems communicating with the Netopia through two rooms and a hallway?

Don't know as I don't have one. It'll depend more on the range of the router. The router can be moved to improve reception or you can use a wireless repeater. I'm not a gamer. Can you tell me if the 360 has an ethernet connection? If so, you can ditch wireless altogether and use another wired solution which wouldn't involve running ugly cables. Instead, you could use your power lines [here's an example of the kit needed for this].

Ledbowie

I have a similar issue.

I currently have an eircom wireless router hooked into my PC (upstairs), but it still required me to run a phone cable to the phone line, which is downstairs. The PS4 works fine when all is plugged in.

Ideally I would like to have a way that I can either:

- Get something which will plug into my phone point that will allow the wireless router to connect without a phone cable
- or -
- Get something which will plug into my pc, and then connect the wireless router to my phone point, also eliminating the nead for a cable.

Is there any such device?

Thanks

ethernet

Ledbowie wrote:

I have a similar issue.

I currently have an eircom wireless router hooked into my PC (upstairs), but it still required me to run a phone cable to the phone line, which is downstairs. The PS4 works fine when all is plugged in.

Ideally I would like to have a way that I can either:

- Get something which will plug into my phone point that will allow the wireless router to connect without a phone cable
- or -
- Get something which will plug into my pc, and then connect the wireless router to my phone point, also eliminating the nead for a cable.

Is there any such device?

Thanks

Read your post a few times. Not sure exactly what you're trying to achieve.

Router upstairs and connected to phone line downstairs. PC connected using a cable to router? How is your PS connecting? You can move the router downstairs altogether and have all devices connect wirelessly. Can your PS connect wirelessly?

P. Breathnach

If the PC does not have wireless connectivity, you can buy a USB wireless adapter cheaply enough, and it's no trouble to set it up (it musn't be, because I managed).

limklad

I have WRT54G work fine the digweb router just put it in Automatic Configuration - DHCP mode and the wireless as "Access Point"

Good deal on ebay for routers : WRT54GS upto 40 Euro but the more expensive bit is the wireless adaptor for the XBOX.
Xbox 360 Box Wireless Networking Adapter upto: 80
euro


Setting up the wireless box is well documented on the web. There is plenty of help on it