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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 13:34:44 GMT
Hi all,
I'm about to purchase a new PC (this current one is so rubbish I can't run BVE etc!) but my daughter wants this old one in her room for her MSN etc.
So, as I know nowt about routers etc, how do they work? I need the broadband plugged into my main PC, but does a router simply plug into my PC then something plugs into my daughters upstairs?
Are they reasonably secure?
Any advice would be much appreciated, because as most of you know, I'm a complete PC dunce!!! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 13:42:28 GMT
 you will probably need a wireless card for your daughters PC. hope this helps  most routers have a hardware firewall built in so the router along with the XP SP2 firewall should work well enough. You should use Anti virus too though. Will your new PC have Vista? If so, BVE isn't total certainty to work on Vista. The lines coming from the router can be wireless or cabled. You'll probably have the new computer plugged into the router via ethernet as it is much quicker than wireless and have the old PC via wireless. The best way to get wireless on a PC is to use a PCI card as USB cards aren't as good or reliable. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 13:46:57 GMT
The router connects to one computer, then you will need a wireless card or usb stick (i suggest usb) as they are less hassle......
some good makes are dlink or belkin......
as for the security worries you can set up what is called a network key so only people that know it can access your internet...
hope that helps!!
source:
Had loads of experience setting up due to aol's rubbish service!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 14:21:46 GMT
Much obliged for the replies! I'm now a bit wiser! The shop I'm buying my PC from (www.computerorbit.co.uk) I'm sure will also advise me of the best wireless router.
For information, Rob, Computer Orbit will install XP on my new PC for me as I know an awful lot of software conflicts with Vista! That's one thing I checked before ordering!
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Post by cetacean on Sept 29, 2007 15:21:33 GMT
The router connects to one computer Normally you connect the router directly into your broadband modem*, and then together they act as a little autonomous unit providing an internet connection to whatever computers you care to connect. (* This needs a modem with an Ethernet port. If you have one of those cheap USB modems you get free from some providers, your best bet is buy a router with a built in modem) |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 15:31:43 GMT
yeah, but it is much more faster if you connect it directly to the computer
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Post by cetacean on Sept 29, 2007 16:20:35 GMT
What on earth are you talking about?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 16:23:54 GMT
if you mean that the modem plugged directly into the computer that is untrue if you only have one computer, but with routers you are most likely to have multiple computers using the same internet connection making it slower.
If you mean the ethernet rather than wireless than you are correct as ethernet is far more reliable an quicker.
PCI cards for wireless in PCs are usually much better as they are more reliable and have bigger aerials.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 16:24:13 GMT
*confused*
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 16:34:30 GMT
if you mean that the modem plugged directly into the computer that is untrue if you only have one computer, but with routers you are most likely to have multiple computers using the same internet connection making it slower. If you mean the ethernet rather than wireless than you are correct as ethernet is far more reliable an quicker. PCI cards for wireless in PCs are usually much better as they are more reliable and have bigger aerials. yeah the ethernet is what im talking about! as for the cards i find them much slower (by personal experience) and have had more joy with the usb sticks |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 17:10:09 GMT
I’ve had a mixture of USB and PCI. The PCI cards seem to have a better range than the USB sticks from what I have experienced. You can’t beat doing it properly with ethernet cables though! No signal issues, no privacy issues, just lots of wires. ;D
BTW If you’re starting from scratch, the easiest way to get going is with a combined modem/router/firewall… which will also let you remotely block certain websites if you need to. Many of the current devices have ethernet and wireless so you can use either and or both.
Security wise a hardware firewall is much more secure than a software one. I’ve had USB modem+PC setup hacked on a couple of occasions. Replaced it with a hardware one and the problem vanished.
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Post by Chris M on Sept 29, 2007 18:19:43 GMT
Indeed the best solution for you, Alan, is almost certainly a combined wireless router and broadband modem (I second the recommendation for Belkin and D-link), a wired connection to your new computer and a wireless connection to your daughter's computer. You will need: - 1 Wireless router/broadband modem.
→If you have broadband through a traditional phoneline (e.g. BT, Tiscali, TalkTalk, etc) then: this looks good.
→If you have broadband with cable TV (e.g. NTL/Virgin Media) then this or this are what I'd recommend.
- 1 network cable to attach your computer to the modem/router. Depending how long need the cable to be, you want either
[/url] (£1.50) → 2 metres (£2.00) or → 5 metres (£4.00) [li]1 wireless PCI card for your daughter's computer. this looks the best value. You can easily install this yourself (assuming you can operate a screwdriver, or if you are lucky you might not need even that), and most cards come with very clear instructions. If not, this site has a good step-by-step guide. [/li][/ul] You use the existing cable to connect the router/modem to the outside world. You will need to install drivers for the PC card, but this is very rarely more complicated than putting a CD in the drive and following on-screen instructions. Some hardware wants you to install the drivers before the hardware, others want it the other way around. The manual will tell you which order it wants. If you need any more help just ask! |
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Post by Tomcakes on Sept 29, 2007 19:18:37 GMT
Wired connections are far better than wireless ones, aside from security, it's also far more reliable and faster. I would imagine a PCI card to be best if it's permanent. As for a network key yes, but that can always be cracked.
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Post by Chris M on Sept 29, 2007 20:08:17 GMT
You can get 25-metre (and probably longer) network cables if you want to go completely wired (and don't mind trailing the cables through your house, but wireless is much easier!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2007 21:15:49 GMT
Wireless is great if it works but it doesn’t always work that well. I have installed several wireless routers for different friends if mine and they have all worked well. At home I can’t get a good enough signal to get it working well. No idea why, it must just be too many bricks in the way! I have used Netgear ADSL routers which seem to be reasonably reliable and not too expensive. I would also add that you’re best off avoiding certain well known high street retailers when buying cables. It could cost you 3-5 time more that you should be paying. Orbit prices seem ok. Dabs and Misco are also usually fairly good. |
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Post by Tomcakes on Sept 29, 2007 21:46:42 GMT
You can get 25-metre (and probably longer) network cables if you want to go completely wired (and don't mind trailing the cables through your house, but wireless is much easier! You can get 305 metre cables if you so desire! Get a carton of Cat5, terminate it each end, and there you go! And peter's advice is sound - I'm sure I saw one certain retailer selling £20 patch cables... |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2007 18:09:28 GMT
You can get 25-metre (and probably longer) network cables if you want to go completely wired (and don't mind trailing the cables through your house, but wireless is much easier! You can get 305 metre cables if you so desire! Get a carton of Cat5, terminate it each end, and there you go! The problem is that the Ethernet standard only supports a 100 metre cable cable run, then you get signal problems, and yes this is from personal experience with a PC in the back of a warehouse, that had to have its 10/100 NIC swapped for an older 10 Mbit NIC that would tolerate the weak signal. On the wireless side, use WPA instead of WEP because WEP is too easy to crack, and watch out for walls with steel studs. Also I second the recommendation to use wired Ethernet if possible, the performance, reliability and security are much better. It is fiddly but not particularly difficult to drop a cable through the walls, especially if you can use an existing plumbing or electrical run, and you can always put the wall plates wherever it easiest and run long patch cables to them. |
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Post by Chris M on Oct 2, 2007 23:47:33 GMT
From personal experience, limestone walls also block much of the signal - in adjacent rooms in mum's study the wireless signal is reported as very good or excellent, in the kitchen (the adjacent room, but with a ~3 foot thick stone wall between them) the signal is poor on the near side of the room and very poor in the rest of the room. The next room along, the dining room (separated from the kitchen by a plastered timber and straw partition wall) there is no signal at all.
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