Question: wireless routers.

[grizz]

I'd like to set up a home LAN with my new box and the old one. The only problem I really have is one machine is on a second floor bedroom, with no cable outlet. The main machine is in the basement with a cable modem. I don't really want to start running cables up two flights of stairs and through the living room to hook the two together. Also I rent, and don't think I should be punching holes through the walls for wiring.

Would a wireless router do the trick? Will it work through 2 floors of the house?

The second machine will be used for internet, email etc. The main machine is for games, downloading etc.

Will both be able to access the internet at the same time?

Any information, or suggestions is welcome

Thanks,

[capt. apathy]

just drill the holes, and run the wires.  $.50 worth of spackle and a buck worth of paint will put the walls back to as good as new.

[JimC]

I run a linksys etherfast wireless AP + cable / DSL Router (BEFW11S4) across the street in another house and have a Wireless USB Network Adapter (WUSB11) on my PC, both are 802.11b. The USB Adapter allowed me to move it around to find the best recption, the distance is about 150 Ft. this goes through 1 wall and the USB adapter is velcroed inside the front window of my house, I get Pretty good recption, Link Quality is almost always 70% or better and signal strength is 30 - 75 . Of course this depends on how many cars are in the line of sight from one to the other. I have seen times that I could get NO signal, but if I get a few cars moved, I will always get a good signal. From what i'v read going from a basement to the 2nd floor does not always work so well, The thing to do is buy the stuff and try it, you may have to move things around to get a better signal, but if it works, most of the time I would say it works very well (for me anyway), if you cant get it to work for you, just take it back.  I spent about $235.00 US and I really cannot complain.  And Yes you can access the internet with, uh.. I think about 32 pcs at the same time.( if you got a big pipe and/or a lot of patience.)

Try it, You just might like it.

Jim

[Wlfgng]

IMHO    don't do wireless  ...        yet

[grizz]

Well I went with a D-Link 704P router and ran the cable down the cold-air return to the furnace. A hundred feet of Cat 5 cable was more than enough to reach the router.

Set-up was easy and both machines were on-line within 30 min.

If anyone has any experience with the 704P firewall I could sure use some info.

Thanks

[LePaul]

Abunabi is using wireless in his house on one or two of his machines, the rest are wired in traditionally.  He mentioned having better luck with one flavor of 802. over another....I'll mention this posting to him and y'all can compare notes.

[jdm3]

I started out running with a Linksys 4 port cable router.  I upgraded to the 4 port cable router with the built in wireless access point and 802.11b.  There seems to be some problem with the notebook using a 802.11b PCMCIA card being too close to the router when its within 20 feet or so.  Otherwise I get signal strengths 40 - 80 % with quality always over 70% unless some one drives by with a hot CB radio or something similar.  I only connect one notebook wireless, the rest are 10/100 ethernet and there are two switching hubs also in the network.  Only two rooms don't have ethernet yet, the john, and one spare bed room.  They both will soon!

I have set up commercially three of these for home lans so far.  the router handles up to 255 connections, 32 or so can be wireless.  As long as the cable internet works (biggest question in this area) all seems to be fine.  aDSLs are happier, but a map of our area looks like a crossword puzzle, with DSL only available on the blacked out squares.

Doing it over again, I would use 802.11a at 72 mip instead of 802.11b 11 mip.  For happier pc to pc transfers and such.

-Abunabi

[Ddriag]

I use a laptop for AH, with a Belkin PC card 802.11b NIC going via a desktop PC with a USB wireless adapter. the connection to the net is via a wire to the cable modem using XP's ICS. I have big problems with packet loss and warping when I fly using this setup, although if i use a wired network connection it's fine. This has to be a setting I've missed I s'pose but I thought I'd just warn you about it.
If anyone knows how I might sort this out I'd be grateful for some help.

[Lephturn]

My first suspect would be any USB connected network device.  USB is good for mice and joysticks, not for a network connection.  USB 2.0 might handle it OK, but 1.0 just isn't fast enough.  That's where I suspect your problem is, assuming the wireless link is working fine that is.