Router Differences

[billd766]

I live in the wilds of Central Thailand and after over 3 years of waiting for a phone line and using GPRS/EDGE I am looking at going to TOT and getting a satellite internet connection.

I have 3 computers that I could hook together but I would need a router of some sort.

Is there a difference between a DSL, ADSL and a satellite router and if there is no difference what would be the best router to buy.

I would also like to connect my printer into the LAN as well but could I do that with the router or would I need a separate printer connector?

[ungcas]

Any wifi router would work, really. It's up to you what brand you want. Dlink, Netgear, Linksys, SMC etc.. Now that i'm in BKK i'm using a Zyxel which i prefer. It's been very stable for me, and a lot more options.

If you want your printer to work for the whole network , one way to do it is to have it setup for 1 pc then enable printer sharing on it, and then u can just add it as a network printer for all additional pcs. The downside of this is that you always need to have the pc connected to the printer to be on so others can use it. (Cheapest and most common way)

Another way is to Buy a network printer that has a network connection(essentially a network card inside of the printer) in it then u can connect it to your router. This way the printer will have it's own IP address and can be used at anytime. But these printers are harder to find and cost a lot more.

[billd766]

Thanks ungcas.

Next time I am in BKK I will buy a router but it is not essential yet until I get a satellite connection anyway. perhaps I should look on the router brand website and see if there actually is a difference between the routers and if I actually need a satellite router.

[monty]

You don't need a router at all!

The iPSTAR box which comes with the satellite set-up has a router built in. It only has one LAN port though, so to hook up more equipment you'd just need to put a simple network switch behind. Couple of hundred Baht for a port model...

[billd766]

Hi Monty

Thanks for that info. I may go that route first as I already have a network switch, BUT mine has only 8 ports, none of which are marked as I/P or O/P ports.

[monty]

doesn't matter, you can plug the iPSTAR box in whatever port you like...

Use a straight lan cable to connect to a switch, while to connect the iPSTAR box directly to a PC you'll need a cross lan cable...

[billd766]

At the moment I am using AIS EDGE through my Nokia and though it is slow I upgraded my promotion from 120 hours to 250 hours a month.

That went from 100 hours at 350 baht to 250 hours for 500 baht a month.

It now costs me 2 baht per hour and I can live with the download speeds as it gives me time to do other things.

Satellite can come later.

Cheers

Bill

[nidge]

I've just cancelled my ipstar contract because every day was slower than the previous one. I could often make a coffee between loading pages. I now have maxnet which is 1/4 the price and double the speed. It's still crap but cheaper faster crap!

[mellow1]

I thought TOT and iPSTAR were 2 different companies and different set ups as well as price, speed etc.

The OP started out with TOT , thats why I looked at this thread, for info.

And what routers are best for such a wireless set up?

Edited November 17, 2007 by mellow1

[Prasert]

I thought TOT and iPSTAR were 2 different companies and different set ups as well as price, speed etc.

The OP started out with TOT , thats why I looked at this thread, for info.

And what routers are best for such a wireless set up?

IPstar connections are offered by TOT and CSLoxinfo. CSLoxinfo has a monthly download limit (at least that's what they announced a year ago, so many people told them to collect their equipment).

Satellite home connections are usually a bigger headache than adsl, enough topics to read about that.

I use a corporate IPstar connection, which is stable and reliable, but expensive (3300 per month).

For WiFi you need an accesspoint. If you already have an internet connection through an adsl box or satellite box, you don't need another router.

[Makyai]

I thought TOT and iPSTAR were 2 different companies and different set ups as well as price, speed etc.

The OP started out with TOT , thats why I looked at this thread, for info.

And what routers are best for such a wireless set up?

IPstar connections are offered by TOT and CSLoxinfo. CSLoxinfo has a monthly download limit (at least that's what they announced a year ago, so many people told them to collect their equipment).

Satellite home connections are usually a bigger headache than adsl, enough topics to read about that.

I use a corporate IPstar connection, which is stable and reliable, but expensive (3300 per month).

For WiFi you need an accesspoint. If you already have an internet connection through an adsl box or satellite box, you don't need another router.

Ok just connected with TOT ipstar and found out that I can't use the Netgear Super wireless ADSL modem router that I just bought for it. This accesspoint where can I get one and how much will it cost. Any information would be greatly appreciated, Thanks