Wireless Networking (1 Viewer)

Can anyone advise please?
I am currently running on broadband (Plusnet with USB modem) and never had a problem.
However, my PC is at the back of the house and I would like to install a network card into it so that I can pick up the internet on my laptop (already got network card in) whilst watching TV!
The question is, will the signal go to the other side of the house through 3 walls?
I don't know how anything works, I just accept that they do! Or don't!
Thanks.

GeoffWood said:

Can anyone advise please?
I am currently running on broadband (Plusnet with USB modem) and never had a problem.
However, my PC is at the back of the house and I would like to install a network card into it so that I can pick up the internet on my laptop (already got network card in) whilst watching TV!
The question is, will the signal go to the other side of the house through 3 walls?
I don't know how anything works, I just accept that they do! Or don't!
Thanks.

Click to expand...

Basically the answer is yes, but it depends upon whether your equipment is up to it. Have a look at http://www.adslguide.org/reviews/ and pick oneof the wireless routers to look at. The Netgear dg834g does a fair job through walls, and is coming down in price ( router plus laptop card £94 at Dabs for example )

Thanks Bill, I was hoping it would be as cheap & simple as a card in the back of my PC. Will have to leave it for a couple of weeks.
Cheers

GeoffWood said:

Thanks Bill, I was hoping it would be as cheap & simple as a card in the back of my PC. Will have to leave it for a couple of weeks.
Cheers

Click to expand...

You can do it with a card in the laptop and a card in the PC with a long crossover cable joining them, or you can do it with a wireless card in each machine, but wireless cards are not cheap. The router plus a card is a much better solution though. Cheapest way would be to buy another modem to use in the living room on the laptop, just plug it into the telephone socket and then into the Laptops USB port, you just would not be able to use the other machine at the same time.

I have a similar system to the one you describe. Modem/router is a Speedtouch 570 which is conneted to the desktop by Lan and the Laptop is in another room about 30 feet away with a usb wireless transmitter. The walls are made of wood and the signal strength is good. We have had no real problems since installing the setup except I also have a wireless Home cinema setup which has multi channels for the wireless signal and have to watch that the signals don't get crossed.

This is a lot better than having a hard connection and I tried to use 2 usb adsl modems but found you could not have them both plugged in to the phone line at the same time. It did not matter that one computer could be turned off it still would not work without unplugging one of the modems from the phone line.

Hope this is of some help

Pete

PS cost at the time of installation 8 months ago was about £140 but I think the prices have dropped now.

For anyone interested in wireless cards for a laptop PCworld have the Netgear wg511ge laptop card on sale for £9.99 until Sunday. Up till yesterday they were £49.99 at pcworld and not available much cheaper anywhere else.
I bought one even though my wireless network router will not arrive for some weeks yet.