Now that we have gotten the hi-speed cable I think its time to take the next step and hook up our downstairs computer. The guy from antietam said all I would need is a router?
I know jack about routers! Is this something I'll be able to do myself and what kind do i need? I saw a bunch. Some are wireless? anywhere from $49-$800
Any suggestions on what I will need?

I've had good luck with Linksys. I just picked up a Linksys wirless router for $60 last weekend. If you're not going to go wireless, a Linksys can had for a little less. Other brands (Belkin, DLink, Netgear) will work too and be had for a little cheaper, but I don't have any experience with them.

Do you need wireless or can you easily run the wires to all your computers? If you go wireless, PC wireless cards (so your computer can receive the signal) are around $50 each and simple to install.

If you keep your cable modem and router close to one computer, you can run a short wire to that computer (wireless routers have wired ports on them to, so you can do either), then buy a wireless card for the other computer.

The router will come with step by step, idiot-proof directions.

The other computer is right next to the modem so I dont think I need wireless. Idiotproof is exactly what I need. Thanks SMan

My parents installed a Netgear router. It was a horrible experience. They really don't know much about computers though.

I'm partial to Black and Decker routers. You can use them to put some really nice finishing touches on any kind of homemade furniture you want to build. If you can afford to splurge, get yourself a wide selection of bits: there's all sorts of cool things you can do with them! Happy woodworking!

Netgear all the way.

If anyone tells you different, they must be lying.

Sad part is I could probably make a new kitchen table quicker than setting this thing up

I would go with a wireless router anyway... you never know if you willl need to move the PC, or buy a laptop. *The wireless routers still have the 4 ports in the back to plug your cables into as well. You can turn the wireless portion off as well, so no one can use your wireless signal. I would recommend this place: buy.com - THey have free shipping.

Newegg.com

Order from them.

Hey Rom (or anybody else in the know),

Tell me how to make my new home wireless network secure. Aren't there some kind of built in encryption/security measures in newer wireless routers?

I'm not trying to make my network impregnable, I'd just like to prevent anyone from a free peek.

What router are you using Sman?

A beginner's guide to securing your wireless realm.

Without checking the box, I think it's the Linksys WRT54G, a wireless-G router without that Speedbooster stuff.

Thanks for the link!

Very good idea to secure your network SMan. You'd be suprised of all the wireless networks that arent secure around here. I would say maybe 90% are wide open. I did a report on this for one of my college classes... Here is a hint, change your routers password.

Here is a fun tool to play with in regards to WiFi networks. http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

I thought about picking up one of those little keychain-size wifi detectors just for the heck of it, until I realized they were like 30 or 40 bucks. Too much for something that would just be neat to have.

Just put it on your HM forums expense report. Webbie will pick up the tab. Or Yoss.

Ok Sman, now that's a dangerous peak on the geek meter around here.

I know. I'm going to tone it down. But all of this Star Wars and computer talk had me whipped into a geek frenzy!

"Whipped into a geek frenzy"? Now thats just scary!

OK. Welcome to router, modem, & new ethernet card hell!!!!!!

Got the router and loaded software on to my comp. piece of cake. Next up my daughters comp. First problem. there are only 2 small ports for telephone and fax lines no bigger usb port. Guy at radio shack says I need to install ethernet card which has the bigger plug so I can plug directly into router. Surprisingly to my wife and daughters amazement (ok, mine too) I take the comp apart and find an empty slot and install this card thing. Go to install software for ethernet and router and I can't tell if either is correctly installed. I dont see them listed under programs. When I go to install router software it tries to connect to internet and I get message (cannot connect to internet). What a nightmare! Next step in this folly. Daughter gets new comp.

When you plug the network cable into the new ethernet card on your daughter's rig, do you see any activity lights lit (usually green or amber) on the card itself? If not, the card wasn't installed properly. Make sure it's seated the whole way in it's slot. Sometimes they can be a bitch to get in.

Most versions of Windows should auto-detect a properly installed piece of hardware. If not, look for the "add hardware" button in the device manager.

Yep green and yellow blinking away. The router software keeps saying cannot connect to internetand without that I cannot finish install. It was a dial-up but i unhooked the phone cord and am using the new port but with little to no luck. Im gonna try the techie at work in the am and see if I can get a clue. Plan B wait until my brother in law comes up and let him fix it

uh, the phone cord needs plugged in to connect to the internet, if all you have is dialup service. the router doesn't automatically connect to the internet unless you already have a connection to the internet.

I understand. My problem is if i leave the phone line in it goes to dial-up. With the new cable service we have and the router hooked to the cable modem shouldn't I now be able to ditch dial-up? The frustrating thing is Our comp. upstairs (XP) took about 1 min. to download the router software and works fine. Hers runs on (ME) and I expected it to be different downloading but it is a fiasco!

Sorry, I didn't realize you had cable.
But you also cleared up another question I had. That being the operating system. XP is just about automatic and foolproof when setting up new hardware. ME, on the other hand, can barely work with nothing hooked to the machine.

You really, really, need to dump ME, maybe it's time for a new PC. I doubt that you'll ever get the ME PC to work properly with the router.

exactly what I was dreading. If i do get rid of this one your all invited to come take target practice with it

Dell's got a good deal going now with 34% off select Dimension systems. Plus rebates on their warranty upgrades and free shipping. Decent systems can be had for starting around $700 bucks.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 40% off on their XPS high-end gaming system.

www.dell.com

I'm thinking about getting my daughter a composition book a whole gang of pencils and a library card and wishing her good luck with her studies

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Aha! I have finally got it working. My brother in law figured it out. the ethernet card i bought wouldn't support ME. So he brought his windows XP pro and installed it and everything is now beautiful!!!

After two months of having a wireless router, I finally got around to securing the signal. While setting it up, I had my wife's computer searching for our wireless signal and I found two neighbors with wireless signal that was reachable from my house.

Now I wonder if any of my neighbors were unscrupulous enough to snoop around my network in the two months it was wide open. Actually, there would be little to look at since file sharing was disabled on my computers. I'm curious if they tried though.....

The moral of this post is that if you have a wireless internet setup, take the extra few minutes and set up the security/encryption features. You never know who may be peeping.

Agreed.


When I was in Atlanta I would stop behind this rinky dink motel that was offering free wireless that was totally unsecured. I do it in Reston, Fairfax, etc..... as well. Nothing malicious, just trying to check my webmail.


I love wireless.

All right, I just bought a Linksys wired Cable/DSL Router with 4-port switch. Don't need wireless, both PC's are desktops and kept in the same room.

We'll see how this goes...

You'll be shocked how easy it'll be to setup.

How'd it work out?

Hey Chris, welcome back. We've missed you.

I haven't done it yet. Probably over the weekend. I've got to put together a computer desk, and get the old PC back together before I get connected.

If memory serves me correctly as to where you work, I'll be giving your guys a call once I get it powered up, to set up the new validation for the service.

I'm basically no dummy when it comes to PC Tech, but I've never really worked with setting up a router before. I guess the telnet into it is all pretty much done with wizards.

Are you tinkering with something other than just adding the router? I don't remember having to call myactv the two times I've hooked up routers. I did have to call a few months ago when I bought a new cable modem to replace my pre-historic 3com shark fin modem. They needed the MAC address (or something like that) off of the new modem.

Thanks, Yos. I've been really busy, doing online college, my forum has exploded in popularity and much more. I'll try and swing around more.

Call between 3-10 pm on the weekdays.

p.s. SMan is correct, the modem should automatically adjust itself, but sometimes they don't and a reset is in order.

Okay, did it. Installed and set up the Router.

Piece o' cake. Set it up on my XP Pro PC. Fired up the Win98, had to reboot once, now everything's schwinging!

Does anybody with a wireless network have any experience with those "high gain" antenna add-ons for routers. It's basically just a new bigger antenna that boosts your wi-fi signal. I need to do something because I have two wireless devices on a different floor that disconnect from the net every few minutes. One of them is my wife's computer and she's nagging me about it. Moving the router's location is not an option.

Have you tried other channels? Wireless phone can interfer with WiFi on certian channels.

I don't have any experience with high-gain router add-ons but I have plenty of experience with nagging wives. Just tune your internal antenna to low gain.

Actually I did have a very similar problem. My wife and I have laptops and I could use mine outside on the patio with no problem while hers would disconnect every few minutes. A kid at Circuit City advised me to replace the router which fixed the problem. I can't explain why. Our laptops are the same model too.

I tried using that router in her coffee shop and some people had problems connecting and some didn't. I was a Net Gear.

What model router is it? If its a Linksys of a particular model, there is a mod you can do that increases the gain. Kind of a hack, but apparently it works well.

It's a Linksys WRT54G. I changed the channel on the router with no noticeable result. I posted this question on another board and a guy posted a link to the home brew antenna that I think you're referencing, CPD.

I read something about moving the orientation of the antenna. Something like, if your gear is on the same floor, set your antenna to look like this l l (which is the way mine are now). If they are on different floors, set them to look like this \ l or \ / . I'm gonna try that, look into the home brew antenna, then consider plunking down the money for the retail antenna.

No, what I was referring to was increasing the setting of the Xmit value.

Check this out: http://lifehacker.com/software/router/hack...uter-178132.php

I guess the wi-fi card you use must really matter. My wife's computer is one floor directly above the router and disconnects. My cheap laptop will basically get signal anywhere on my 1/2 acre of property, including sitting in a car in my driveway (I was registering a Sirius radio I had just installed in a friends car) which was a few hundred feet, several brick walls, and two floors away from the router.

Alas, CPD, I can't change the firmware. After what I went through to get my router to connect properly to Xbox Live (using an older version of firmware, port forwarding, other madness), I can't bring myself to change it.