DSL Wireless Router - what do u recommend?!

Hoojah Nickabolokov

Got Esat BT's 2MB thing, got no hardware. We want to play games and share files between a laptop and 2 pc's, what hardware should one invest in? Quality is more important than cost but we don't want to be needlessly extravagant.

What would you lads recommend? :eek:

Also, I assume we could setup a small web/game server if we wanted to? Marvellous.

Gone West

You will need a wireless router. Otherwise known as an access point.
your internet connection plugs into this.
This device wirelessly (and perhaps also through wires) shares your internet connection around the place. An example of an AP is http://komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=306148&cks=PLC

I assume your laptop has a built-in wifi card? If not you will need to purchase a pcmcia one. http://komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=301534&cks=PRL is an example of this.

For the pcs, you can buy USB or PCI Wifi cards. I'd reccommend USB if you dont know a whole lot about computers. An example of this is: http://komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=305053&cks=PRL

Or you could buy one of the bundles on this page
http://komplett.ie/k/kl.asp?bn=10556
which includes 2 or more of the above pieces of hardware.

*note that the hardware I reccommended is around the cheaper end of the scale, as expensive hardware is not needed for a basic gaming/filesharing/web surfing network.

dub45

Dont forget that you can mix and match wireless and 'wires' so that if any of the pcs are near the router/modem you can save yourself some money and just use ethernet cable (presuming that the pcs have an ethernet card).

Just a warning about using the usbs for the wireless - a couple of guys who work in pc shops have told me they tend to get broken from 'sticking out' but if they are going to be at the back of pcs and out of the way permanently that may not be an issue for you.

Gone West

dub45: yep thats a point that I missed.
You can simply get a router with some ethernet ports and connect it through a wire to one or more of your computers, save yourself the bother of buying wireless network cards.

Also, these USB dongles all come with a usb cable which you can connect to the computer and then position the dongle anywhere you want.

Hoojah Nickabolokov

Thanks lads, that's the one I was looking at!

HN

Gone West

Yeah, its a good standard wireless router.
Fairly simple to set up, etc.

dub45

FuzzyLogic wrote:

Yeah, its a good standard wireless router.
Fairly simple to set up, etc.

Fuzzy can I come and sit by the pool and we can discuss wireless equipment?

karltimber

would I be right in saying - with the Linksys router you selected - Hoojah will still have to use his modem connected to the router.

I just bought a Netgear DG834G modem wireless router -- so I will not have to use my BT modem.
This is because I only have limited power points beside the phone socket and only wanted to power up 1 modem/router instead of 1 modem & 1 router.

Karl.

Gone West

tbh Its just as handy to plug your ADSL modem into your router.
Most DSL packages come bundled with a DSL modem, but not with a wireless router.
Rather than choose from a limited selection of (mostly crap) combo ADSL modem/router- I find it much simpler to just buy a seperate router. You dont have to worry about protocol compability, whether that DSL modem will work with this dsl line, etc.
Wifi (802.11b/g) is an approved international standard, and as such all products will work just fine with each other.

Tbh, theres enough little niggles and issuse with wifi allready without complicating things further for new users

setanta

Sorry to bump and / or hijack this thread but I was wondering did Karltimber or anyone else have any problems connecting an access point on an EsatBT BB connection?

Does anyone know if some access points / wireless routers are more compatible or easier to configure to EsatBT than others ?

I haven't purchased yet so I am trying to decide the best to get

dub45

the isp you use should not make any difference as the settings for eircom/esat/utv are broadly the same afaik except for the sign in and password.