Connecting A Pc To A Wireless Router.

[the scouser]

I've recently upgraded my internet connection and was sent a free wireless router. I've had a look at the instructions and it appears that the router has to be connected to the PC via an ethernet cable and this, to me, seems to defeat the object; i.e. it's not wireless. If I buy a USB wireless adapter, will that enable my PC to connect to the wireless router wirelessly, or must the connection be via an ethernet cable?

Thanks as always.

Scouse.

[cdnvic]

What make/model is it?

Any wireless card, usb or otherwise should allow you to connect, so long as it's the correct wireless protocol. Give the exact brand and model number pls. Most wireless routers have a cable connect ability as well for when a wireless card is unavailable or on the fritz.

Edited December 17, 2006 by cdnvic

[the scouser]

It's a Netgear DG834G.

Thanks,

Scouse.

[cdnvic]

You need a wireless "G" adapter on each computer you want to connect. There's a few different cards you can get but USB might be the best option as you can move it with ease between different computers, desktop or laptop.

Check to see what USB connection your computer has first if outright speed is important to you. USB 1.0 maxes out at 12mb/s where USB 2.0 is capable of 480mb/s. Anything you bought in the last few years should be 2.0

Here's a sample price list of the prices in the UK:

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPP-wireless_adapters--2_4_ghz

[the scouser]

Thanks very much: for once it all sounds straightforward enough. I've got USB 2.0, so I'll have a browse of your link and see which is the best/fastest.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[the scouser]

Well, I've ordered the Netgear WG111. Am I right in thinking that as the router operates at 54 Mbps, there's no point getting an adapter greater than this?

Forgive my innocence in these matters, but with an internet connection of up to 8 Mbps, is there likely to be any loss of speed using a wireless connection rather than the old dsl cable?

Cheers,

Scouse.

[cdnvic]

I'd say you were fine. The higher transfer rates within the network only come into play when transferring data from one machine to the other, and at 54mbs you can move alot of data in a hurry.

So long as you stay within range and have a solid connection you shouldn't see any data loss. You shouldn't have any problems with interferrence, but make sure there's no portable phones operating in the same 2.412 to 2.472 GHz range that the router uses, and make sure to use WPA encryption and a strong password to keep freeloaders off your network.

Sometimes the best place to place the router isn't always obvious. Find the place with the easiest pathways to everywhere you will have a computer on the network, and avoid anywhere where you have alot of pipes or wiring running that will absorb the signal.

[the scouser]

Thanks for the reassurance. It's not easy being a technophobe.

Scouse.

[monty]

Basically the wired (LAN) connection on your router is used when setting the thing up.

If you try to change some wireless settings of your router while conected to it wireless, chance are that halfway through you suddenly have lost connection, complicating things.

Much easier and safer doing that stuff when connected by wire. Should only be done once anyway!

And if you ever need to do a firmware update of your router, it is absolutly required to do this when connected by lan cable (or USB). If something goes wrong during the upgrade (for example slight interference from a 2.4ghz wireless phone) you stand a very good chance of just having created a very fancy doorstep

[astral]

The router plugs into your phone line just like the old modem.

You will need a Lan cable to plug your computer into the router for set up.

In my case the main computer is close to the router and is permanently cabled in.

Other computers can be around the house and use the wireless connection.

If it is a desk top then I suggest you buy a wireless card, they are not expensive.

Preferably choose the same brand as the router, as the manufacturer may have his own tweaks to get better speed.

Most modern notebooks already have the Wireless function built in.

[the scouser]

Thanks Monty and Astral for your input. Now, hard-wiring the router to the PC was the bit I was hoping to avoid, as the main phone point is downstairs and the computer upstairs with a 9-metre gap between. As usual, the supplied ethernet cable (LAN cable?) is about 50 cms long, so I presume I have to buy a 10-metre cable just to install the bloody thing?

Scouse.

[Crossy]

Nah, most of the setup can be done without the phone line, just carry the router to the PC. A 10m phone extension will be cheaper than a LAN cable

[the scouser]

Cheers, Crossy. A nice bit of lateral thinking.

Scouse.

[the scouser]

Well, the saga continues...

My wireless adapter arrived today, so this evening I settled down to set everything up. I disconnected my dsl modem, and installed the wireless router through a wired connection (using Crossy's bit of lateral thinking). So far, so good. I successfully logged on to the internet, so it is safe to assume that the router is both correctly installed and working.

I then disconnected the ethernet cable and installed and set up the software that came with the adapter (Netgear WG111). When prompted, I connected the adapter to a usb point and was ready to go. The router was connected to the dsl filter of a bedroom phone extension (the master phone socket can't be used as there's no adjacent plug socket to connect the router to the mains) and all the relevant indicators were green, including the internet signal indicator.

The wireless adapter software indicated that it had found my network, with a signal strength of 76%, and I entered the WEP passkey correctly, but, and here's the rub, it downright refused to connect. It scanned and scanned and scanned, but to no avail. Twice it briefly connected, but before I had time to even try to log on to the internet, the connection was lost. To add insult to injury, I rebooted and it could not then even find the network.

Is it me? Any thoughts gratefully received. Thankfully, I hadn't uninstalled my old modem drivers, so I have simply plugged it back in and still have an internet connection.

By the way, when using the "easy install" CD to set up the router, it would only let me configure a WEP pass key. How do I now go about setting up a WPA encryption as suggested by cdnvic?

Thanks for your patience,

Scouse.

[percy2]

Disable the WEP and MAC security until you get it connected then reinstate them after you have it working.

Cheers

[cdnvic]

Not having the equipment itself, I'm only able to advise you on theory, but there is a dedicated Netgear forum to help you with the specifics of configuring their equipment. Find it here:

http://forum1.netgear.com/