Wireless Help

[Cris]

I have decided to install a wireless network in my house and I humbly solicit recommendations. My main objective is to install connectivity to my guesthouse, which is approximately 30 meters from my router. I currently have a cable broadband modem feeding a wired router, which supports two computers.

Want to relocate a computer from a wired bedroom to an unwired study. I want to keep both the wire configuration for my pc for max speed and wireless to give connectivity to the other two boxes.

Recommendations, suggestions?

Thanks

[dgrotz]

I have a Netgear wired/wireless router, works great. No great speed differences between wired/wireless. You need a wireless NIC on each computer unless wireless is built in.

Dave

[Andy]

So you are looking at roughly 100 feet to the guesthouse, right? This could get tricky if there is building materials such as walls, etc. between the wireless router and the computer. If there are issues you could extend the range with directional antennae (for both the router and computer). Many times the quoted range is based on line of sight with no obstructions, when you start going room to room the range drops dramatically. Also, whatever you get, it helps if you purchase like brand equipment for the router and wireless cards, the chances of it working together well increases.

[McDuff]

Wireless routers also have 4 ports of wired connectivity so you will be to replace your current router(save some wires and space).

There are 3 "speed" ranges B/G/A(from slowest to fastest). "A" is expensive, so go with a B/G capable router. Use all "G" cards in your computers, if you mix and match B/G the net will slow to least common denominator.

I have a linksys router. It is ok, but have had some thermal shutdown problems. Moving it to open air fixed it. Linksys does have a nice easy way to set the wep security by just entering a "passphrase" and it will generate the 26 digit code for you.

I would definitely get an extender antenna like Andy suggested for going as far as you want. When I am in my bedroom(~10-15 meters, thru 2 walls) my connection speed fluctuates quite a bit.

"Rather be ridin' than rollin'"

[Cris]

I purchased the Pre n router and card from Belkin and am confident it will give me the connectivity I require.

Unfortunately with these install wizards supplied by vendors I do not have a grasp on how my network is configured to know how it is working, as a matter of fact it is not working. Though I have no idea why, because it was and when I came back it wasn't.

I have good signal strength, I was over 100 megabits per second but when I came back in the room, it was not working, and the network was not connected. When I scan it tells me I have a good signal.

Then I started changing workgroup name, lost network, changed it back and connected fine. When I came back there was no connection, and I have been unable to regain it.

Are they are so fundamental components that show where I loose my network. For example in a wired network cables are 80% of the problems. Once I know I am physically connected, running the correct protocol (with the correct ip address) and a 'log on' account I should be able to log on.

How can I check the way the wireless system is configured on my computer? What elements need to be the same? Can anyone walk me through this?

What is really frustrating is I know that it works and I "should" know how it works but I do not know why it is not working.


BTW, does anyone know how i can remap my keyboard so that when caps lock is on, its the same as a shift key pressed, i.e. cap lock on 7=&, 8=*,/ = ?, etc. Also want to make the f12 key send ctl-alt-del.

Things have changed since dos 3.3.

[McDuff]

A couple of problems I had:

1. Conflicting applications. On my laptop I have 3 different apps available to run wireless; the intel(internal card), the Dell app, and the Win XP app. You might need to disable one if you have more than one. Win XP might have fired up it's control when discovered card, as well as the Belkin app.

2. I use the XP control and when it finds multiple wireless networks, I have neighbors around with some, it would lose the ip address for my net. It would be connected but have no "connectivity". Had to make a preferred list of nets to connect to with mine being first.

"Rather be ridin' than rollin'"

[Andy]

That sounds familiar, good radio connection with a router assigned IP, but no connectivity with mystery disconnections. I had the same thing with one laptop trying to VPN tunnel to an off-site server via wireless/my router/DSL. After lots of finger-pointing by that server's "help desk" (who also owned that laptop) I took it upon myself to simply update to the latest drivers for the wireless chipset that laptop used...problem gone. That is the nature of wireless, there are 'standards', but they do not seem too 'standard'. I havent heard too much about Belkin equipment, but I really havent looked into it too much. Maybe return it for a Netgear or ??? wireless package to see how that works out?

[Lizbv]

I'm looking to get a Belkin G. Let me know how you like yours if you can please. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gifthx

Take your hands off my MOJO http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[teyrn]

Another thing that interfears with wireless b/g networks are cordless phones and other devices that operate on the 2.4Ghz frequency. I believe channel 6 and 11 are open unused channels, but don't hold me to it.

http://www.tuath.org/files/sig.jpg

[jimnms]

Are you using WPA encryption by any chance? I had lots of dropped connections when using WPA, but everything works fine with WEP.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[Cris]

The Belkin pre-n wireless router exceeded my expectations. 100MB per second for at least 100'. I would not buy a access point designed for the older protocal(A+G); this is backwards compatible anyway.

I took it out of the box and setting up the hardware consisted of putting in a PCI card and installing the power, modem and cable to the router. The software was an "automatic wizard" which had me on the net right away.

The computer with the wireless NIC card in it is at the other end of the house and receives 2 networks.

My network named "Avocado" and another network "Nationwide" which is a business four or five blocks away. The avocado network has a signal quality of %100 and the "Nationwide' network is usually 44%.

Have not yet had the time to troubleshoot the network, connectivity is great, but I enjoyed figuring out these types of problems and will try and get to it this weekend.

[Lizbv]

Cris did you get the Belkin 802.11g?

I don't know why I'm so undecided on this purchase.

Belkin
Netgear
or Linksys
?

Take your hands off my MOJO http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[jimnms]

Originally posted by Lizbv:

Cris did you get the Belkin 802.11g?

I don't know why I'm so undecided on this purchase.

Belkin
Netgear
or Linksys
?

Take your hands off my MOJO http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif



I'd recommend the Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS. I have a D-Link DI-624, it works, but there are some little things that I don't like about it.

_____
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

[PN]

Liz: Garvey just recently purchased the Belkin wireless 802.11g at CompUSA for $15 after rebates. I use Linksys and if I need to need to purchase another router I'll stay with the same company.

Linksys BEFSX41 Broadband Firewall Router. (Not wireless)

PN

[Lizbv]

What the heck you know, Got a Netgear at CompUSA for $29.99. I'm not running a marathon, just looking for a good deal.
I admit I'm aweful with mail in rebates. This one was instant in store, just my cup of tea.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=302517&pfp=BROWSE

What do you guys think of Hawking technologies network products?

Would anyone like to buy my Linksys B Router n Linksys Laptop Card at a good price? http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

p.s. for those of you using 108 Mbps Wireless Router/Card, are you guys really getting this speed? What besides massive downloading or possibly media do you want to put more $ out for? I guess if you have a lot networked does this help? Well at least in conversations you can say, "I got Super G".
Hehe http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Take your hands off my MOJO http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[This message was edited by Lizbv on 04-20-05 at 07:37 PM.]

[Cris]

My problem with connectivity was "channel" selection. As soon as I took it off auto it hasn't gone down since.

I played with the different security modes but I'm a simple man and disabled all encryption or security features, less hassle.

Don't worry though I chose to use Mac Address Control. Which is the ability to set up a list of clients that you want to allow or deny access to the wireless network.

The only boxes that can connect to my network must have their MAC address hard coded into my access list. I like that kind of security. Simple.

Reason I wanted the throughput is speed. Even if you are just net surfing image display and D/L's eat up a lot of bandwidth though it impacts my backup strategy also. The cost is not that significant so there is no reason not to get the latest and greatest especially when it is better by an order of magnitude.

I'm from the old school where "SESO" was the law. Whenever writing anything on the computer, always remember to "Save Early Save Often" though with auto save and advances in technology and stability you don't crash as often as you did in the 70's.

I still backup correctly, backup to a different physical drive and then backup on a drive in a different physical location so I want the speed to make archiving quicker on my network.

[teyrn]

Originally posted by Cris:

My problem with connectivity was "channel" selection. As soon as I took it off auto it hasn't gone down since.

I played with the different security modes but I'm a simple man and disabled all encryption or security features, less hassle.

Don't worry though I chose to use Mac Address Control. Which is the ability to set up a list of clients that you want to allow or deny access to the wireless network.

The only boxes that can connect to my network must have their MAC address hard coded into my access list. I like that kind of security. Simple.
Software such as netstumbler will sniff the packets as they go through the air and display the MAC address of each machine as it isn't encrypted. Spoofing the MAC address attached to these packets is easier then spoofing IP addresses of a local network and hacking in. Most routers when you set them up grab the MAC address of your NIC. ISP's used to use the MAC of your NIC for varification of allowed clients. Requiring or limiting based on the MAC address only really works when you enable encryption and even then given long enough packet sniffers can work out the MAC address.
In the home I would doubt any one would sit within 200ft of your wireless router just to get online. Relying on this souly though isn't a great idea if you truely want security.

http://www.tuath.org/files/sig.jpg