Wireless Networking

starbelgrade

Hi -

I'm not the most technical person when it comes to computers, so ye might be able to help me out here. Basically I want to be able to use the internet on my laptop & I'm not sure what router to buy ...

The set-up at home is as follows.. I have a new Dell PC with Vista on it & it's connected to the internet - we get the internet signal from a tower on the mountain behind the house.. we've a little reciever type thing on the external wall, and from that runs a wee telephone style cable to a black box with another telephone style cable connecting into the back of the PC.

Now, the laptop is set up for Wi-fi, but I'm not sure what I need to do to get it connected without any wires to the existing internet connection... I've been looking through the Argos catalogue but I'm stumped as to what router I should buy.

Any help here would be much appreciated. Cheers!

keen

If the black box is a standard router and the telephone type cables are ethernet cables. (http://wiki.pomona.edu/pub/FAQ/EthernetCable/Cat5.jpg)

You could buy a wireless router and connect it to your current router with another ehternet cable. (http://www.elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=ECE1496949)

What serive provider are you with?

You may be able to get rid of the currnet black box and just use a wireless router instead not sure of what type of provider it is as some use different types of routers to gain the signal to start with, like NTL coaxil modems.

starbelgrade

The service provider is Fastcom - It's a small company serving some areas in Sligo... the cable connection from the black box is an ethernet cables, but there's only one output from that which goes to the PC and there's no other output to connect the wireless router, so I'm still not sure what to do!

starbelgrade

It gives this information on the Fastcom website - I dunno if this helps..

How is the service connected to my computer or network?
From the integrated radio and antenna unit mounted at roof height, a single data cable is brought down to near ground level on the outside of the building, and enters the building through a single hole which will be sealed with silicon filler, and terminated in a wall mounted data socket. A special Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) connector is used to power the radio unit and this will require a nearby power socket. A patch cable is provided to connect from the data socket to your computer network port or network device

Compushed

What you'll do is unplug the cable coming from the black box to the PC. Plug it into the WAN socket on the new wireless router that you buy (any should do, but don't buy an ADSL router, they have a phone jack and a "modem" where you need an RJ-45). Then a cable from a LAN socket on new router to the PC and wireless to the laptop.

You sound competent enough (your description of what you have and what you need was clear, unlike many of my clients! ) so it should be a doddle for you.

Only one caveat, if the current "black box" is MAC locked to your PC then it might need to be cloned on your new router, but that's unlikely and almost all routers can do it these days.

keen

starbelgrade wrote: »

The service provider is Fastcom - It's a small company serving some areas in Sligo... the cable connection from the black box is an ethernet cables, but there's only one output from that which goes to the PC and there's no other output to connect the wireless router, so I'm still not sure what to do!

I've never heard of Fastcom but have done this with NTL and worked fine.

If you have a wireless router it will come with about 4 ethernet ports(modern ones do) connect the black router to the wirlees router via an ethernet cable, that will leave three free ports you could connect your PC to one of them and would also provide wireless access for the laptop.

starbelgrade

Compushed wrote: »

What you'll do is unplug the cable coming from the black box to the PC. Plug it into the WAN socket on the new wireless router that you buy (any should do, but don't buy an ADSL router, they have a phone jack and a "modem" where you need an RJ-45). Then a cable from a LAN socket on new router to the PC and wireless to the laptop.

You sound competent enough (your description of what you have and what you need was clear, unlike many of my clients! ) so it should be a doddle for you.

Only one caveat, if the current "black box" is MAC locked to your PC then it might need to be cloned on your new router, but that's unlikely and almost all routers can do it these days.

Thanks.. I don't feel like such a dumb-ass now for asking!! That sounds perfect - I was looking at routers in the Argos catalogue & was just getting confused!

Another question though... there are 2 choices on most of the routers in the catalogue - for either "cable broadband" or "phone broadband".. which one should I get?

Compushed

You want a wireless "cable" router.
It's a silly name, what they call a cable router is basically a generic router with no "modem" i.e. one that has an ethernet WAN socket.

Don't use any CD they give you, do all the config though the web interface (ie 192.168.1.1 or similar).

starbelgrade

Compushed wrote: »

You want a wireless "cable" router.
It's a silly name, what they call a cable router is basically a generic router with no "modem" i.e. one that has an ethernet WAN socket.

Don't use any CD they give you, do all the config though the web interface (ie 192.168.1.1 or similar).

Cheers - the name threw me alright... I was thinking that a wireless router would be one WITHOUT cables (or wires!) and that mine was a phone connection because the ethernet cable looks like a phone cable (even though I don't have a phone!)...

Well, at least I know what to buy now! How do I configure through the web interface though? (Yep. The questions just keep comin!)