wireless access point

[Mr T]

i am going to buy a new notebook and i want to be able to go around the house with the notebook and have a internet connection. if i use a wireless access point will i be able to do this.

also how do they work can i connect my desktop to it using a cable and then have it wireless to my notebook

thanx MR.T

 

[randruff]

If you buy a wireless router with a 4port switch you will be able to have your desktop wired into your router as well as your notebook using wireless. The only thing you have to do is make sure the wireless card you get is the same frequency as the router. Example: wireless router = 802.11g wireless card = 802.11g. Kapeesh?

 

[Byteman]

Wireless Access points are designed to connect to a LAN and/or Router. They generally come with an RJ-45 jack in the back (ethernet port). You connect it to one of the switch ports on a dsl router usually. I would follow randruffs suggestion and get a router. 802.11G routers are usually backwards compatible to B, you'll have to read the box...

 

[Mr T]

wouldnt a wireless access point be better for the job! i wont need a wireless card will i because most modern notebooks have them already built in

 

[St. Worm2]

wouldnt a wireless access point be better for the job! i wont need a wireless card will i because most modern notebooks have them already built in

To connect 2 or more computers to the Internet, you'll most likely need a router to create the needed IP addresses ... unless your ISP doles out extra IP addresses (mine does not). And, on top of that, a good router will also give you a variety of security features that often include an enterprise level hardware firewall (with features like SPI ... Stateful Packet Inspection).

"Wireless Routers" are really 3 devices in one, a router (of course), a switch (so you can connect wired devices/computers to it), AND a wireless access point. I'm with Randruff and Byteman, this is what you need to buy! Plus you can get one of these things for well under $100 these days. Shoot, sometimes under $50 with rebates.

When you set it up, be sure to go into the firmware during setup and disable the wireless SSID broadcast. Once that's done, go back in and change the SSID password to hide and protect your wireless network from folks who might try to logon to it w/o your consent. Of course you'll have to manually enter the SSID on your laptop, but that only takes a second, and this is especially important to do if you are not going to use WEP or WFA to secure it (both of those seem like overkill to me for a home wireless Lan, and they can be a problem to set up and maintain and they slow down your network in most cases). Wireless MAC filtering is easy to set up if you want another level of security over simply changing and hiding the SSID, BTW.

Finally, to get the best signal strength, set your wireless router as high up as possible and as close to the middle of the house as you can. If you have a huge house and are not getting as good of a signal in certain places as you'd like, you could then add a wireless access point to get the coverage you need. I've been mostly using Linksys WRT54G wireless routers here of late to set up my wireless LAN's and have been very happy with them so far. These units are particularly useful for large homes and moderate sized commercial buildings as I can quickly and easily add a Linksys WAP54G Access Point to that router as a signal "Repeater" and extend its original signal for quite a distance.

Sorry about the essay here .. Oh, and hey, I think I know your son, "E". Great kid ..

 

[DCIScouts]

I agree with these guys that you need a wireless router and wireless card if it's not already built in. (It should tell you in the Control Panel or the Hardware Profiles manager.) Furthermore, with all the sales on for Back To School, you can actually get some for under $30...!