Hi,

I have currently got telewest 2mb broadband setup (cable?) with the modem/whatever it is supplied by telewest. It connects to my tower PC (desktop)? via the USB port, with a lead going to the modem, all in the same room.

I wish to move it to a loft room and have the broadband connected wirelessly, and in the very near future also have a laptop in the home connected wirelessly using the same broadband.

Id also like to keep the 2mb connection speed.

What sort of wireless things do I need as im a bit stuck! I may just order something from SCAN but Im not sure what! Any advice from the tecchies on here would be appreciated thanks.

You will need a wireless router will be connected to your modem, off of which all pc's will be connected either wirelessly or wired. However it is recommended to have at least 1 pc wire connected to the router to allow control of the router.

I run 10 meg Telewest con, with 1 desktop and 2 laptops. The desktop is wired to a D-Link router, and the laptops wirelessly (using the on board wifi hardware). The D-Link router is then wired to the modem.

For the wireless connection you will need wifi cards for all your wireless connections, being sure they are of the correct standard type. Personally I would run a longer cable from the router to your desktop, and have the laptop wireless. Connection speed shouldn't be affected to much for either desktop or wireless.

Hi, I think you need a ADSL modem with wireless router. Here is a example:

Linksys 54Mbps WireLess ADSL2+ Modem Router (WAG354G-UK)

He doesn't as Telewest Blueyonder isn't ADSL, it's cable.

oh, my bad. Very Sorry. I guess others have point the poster to the right direction already.

He doesn't as Telewest Blueyonder isn't ADSL, it's cable.

Yep , just about any of the wireless routers here

ebuyer.com - Networking

Do Telewest offer their own wireless router? I use one supplied by Wanadoo and it's been pretty decent + secure. My Belkin USB dongle gets a good signal from it even though its one floor up and the opposite side of the house.

Thanks for the replies, all helpful.

Bear in mind im no expert in this field, once the desktop computer is in the loft, it will be gradually used less, and most of the time be switched off, however id still like the option to connect to the net from the loft wirelessly. When I get the laptop that will become the one mainly used.

Why is it best to have a PC linked to the modem/router with a wire (like I have now)?

I plan to have the wireless modem/router hidden away behind the TV in the main living room - is this normal and would it affect the connection throughout the house?

Will I need a wi fi card to go in the USB port of the laptop? Are the wi-fi cards be included in with the wireless routers?

Some are advertised at different speeds - 54mbps, 128mbps etc. Which is the optimum for the equivalent of what I have now? I dont want to lose any download speed.

Once im sorted is the thing easy to set up - encryption etc?

I think I need a cable wireless router, and 2 wi fi dongles?

Sorry for all the questions Id rather know what exactly I need that get ripped off by a salesman!

Why is it best to have a PC linked to the modem/router with a wire (like I have now)?

A wire cannot be hacked into by someone in the road with a wireless laptop and the ability to wield it with menace.

I plan to have the wireless modem/router hidden away behind the TV in the main living room - is this normal and would it affect the connection throughout the house?

Shouldn't really affect the connection in the house, although not sure if it will interfere with the telly signal? I imagine it would be fine.

Will I need a wi fi card to go in the USB port of the laptop? Are the wi-fi cards be included in with the wireless routers?

Not needed. Most wireless cards are not USB. A USB "dongle" (google for "belkin dongle") is the easiest way to connect a laptop I've found. Cheap too - Mine were

I've got a Dell 2350 Wireless Broadband router which was bought in error and is un-used. It is suitable for DSL/cable.

Yours for

Im beginning to work things out now from the help - thanks,

What about one of these:-

Belkin 54Mbps Wireless Cable/DSL Internet Gateway Router (F5D7230UK4)

And one of these:-

Belkin 54Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Network Adapter (F5D7050UK)

I have just realised my broadband is 4mb not 2mb!

Would the above be good enough for online gaming with BF2?

andy2407 - thanks for the offer but im going to have a good look about first and see whats what. If I change mind I will send u PM.

You need a wire connected pc so as to be able to fully configure the router. You will probably need to make changes to the router set-up for the wireless connection which you cannot do on a non-configured wireless connection. The wired connection will not need any major configuration and so should work more or less relatively straight out of the box, whereas the wireless cons will need some configuring. Most wireless routers will say this in the book of words that come with them.

I hope you're running or plan to run a decent friewall for for connected pc's, even if you're router has a built in hardware firewall.

Yes will be fine for online gaming, as the wireless will work somewhere between 11mbps and 54mbps depending on signal. Your internet connection is 4mbps, so even on the slowest speed its still faster than your web connection.

Only thing to consider will be the types of floors/ceilings between the router and loft and how many walls are in line of site to the back of the tv. I have3 brick walls and one wood/plasterboard floor between our wireless router and pc and can barely get a signal at the far end of the room.

And I must also mention that once its all up and running to enable WPA security, without it your network is very vulnerable to other users piggybacking off your own connection. With most laptops having wireless builtin these days its easier than you think. At work we are close to a number of blocks of flats, and on the top floor of our office building we can recieve at least 4 wireless networks, 2 of these we can connect to as the networks are unsecure.

Kentish - I see now re the wired connection for setting up. I plan to use the free zone alarm which I use now, Im hoping that and the built in firewall will be enough. Take it that would suffice?

mannyo - I am very concious about it all being protected from people logging onto it and using/interfering with it. I believe the software that comes with it will have the appropriate security to set up etc. It would be mad to leave your connection open to anyone!

Zone Alarm should be fine, on each pc. I don't use it myself as I always found it too heavy on the processor,and is one reason why I use Comodo. However ZA should be fine.

Been reading mixed reviews on most makes now, Belkin, Netgear and Linksys seem to be popular ones. Belkin seems to get stick in the reviews for unreliability, Netgear too, and the Linksys for incompatibility!

Hmmmmm......

A netgear router is probably the best. For dongles, belkin seemed the best value to me and there's less to go wrong in a dongle compared to a router. I had a netgear dg834G for quite some time, until I went with wandoo's own wireless option.

Looks like it will be a netgear then, but after Christmas now! Confident about sorting it thanks to the help and advice on here.

ZyXel or Draytek make very good produces.

ZyXel also do some bodget routers which are still very good although i am not so sure what their cable range has in the way of cheaper products.

Draytek 2900 range are the cable ones they do IIRC

Hi

I am using the Belkin 54g router you linked to. It was a doddle to set up and has been relaible for the 12 months I have been using it. I had a Kcorp 125mb/s one prior to that. The Kcorp was noticably faster than the belkin if transferring lots of big files between laptop and PC (digi photos maybe 10 gig at a time) but for general network use, you wont see any real difference.

On Blueyonder, you need to determine which setup you have. Some Blueyonder customers get a cable modem (fed by a coaxial cable and connected to the PC by either a USB or RJ45 cable) and some get a DSL modem connected to the PC via a USP cable.

Chris

Couldnt wait till after christmas, the boss (g/f) has demanded the computer goes in the loft, so i went and got this:-

NETGEAR WGTB111T-100UKS at PC World - Cheap Wireless DSL Routers - NETGEAR WGTB111T-100UKS WIRELESS 108MBPS ROUTER AND USB ADAPTER KIT

Dont usually go to pcworld but it was a kind of emergency buy and i think a good deal too at £59.99!

Took a little sorting but its done now and seems just as good as the wired conection - this is my first test browse and first wireless post!!!!! (from right next to the modem/router)

Hope its as good when I put the thing in the loft tomorrow!