What equipment will i need to network up 3 PC's?

[Guest]

I would like to network up 3 of my computers in my house. But i would like to do this with wireless technology.

I would like to know what hardware i would need (i.e what sort of networt cards, will i need a hub, can i just use any computer as a router?)

And would all the computers need to have the same Windows o/s or would one have to have a specific server o/s?

I would be grateful if you could take the time to help me out here, thankyou very much for your time.


Jim Hardingham
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

Well, you could do it with a wireless access point, but you're better off
using an 802.11G or better Cable/DSL router. That way, if you have or get
broadband Internet, you can share the connection with all 3 computers. At a
minimum you need the following:

1. One Wireless 802.11G or better Cable/DSL Router - Linksys, Netgear,
Belkin, Dlink, etc.

2. Two 802.11G wireless NICs - these can be PCI, USB, or PCMCIA, depending
on your needs. Generally, it's a good idea to select the router first and
then purchase NICs made by the same manufacturer.

3. Connect one computer to the router with an ethernet cable - the other
computers will connect wirelessly. Setup will vary by manufacturer.

With the above configuration, you do not need a hub or switch - all (I
think) wireless routers come with at least 4 port builtin switches and can
support more wireless connections than you need. None of the computers is a
'router' in the above scenario. Obviously, this newsgroup recommends Win2k
or XP Pro for an OS, and there are advantages to running the same version of
Windows on all computers, but the machines do not need to all be running the
same OS.

Doug Sherman
MCSE Win2k/NT4.0, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

I would like to network up 3 of my computers in my house. But i would like

to do this with wireless technology.

I would like to know what hardware i would need (i.e what sort of networt

cards, will i need a hub, can i just use any computer as a router?)

And would all the computers need to have the same Windows o/s or would one

have to have a specific server o/s?

I would be grateful if you could take the time to help me out here,

thankyou very much for your time.

 

[Dusty Harper {MS}]

You can go wireless with all 3 machines. For the wireless cards, you'd put
them in ad-hoc mode. The same is true for just 2 machines.

The Access Point isn't required in the communication in Ad-hoc. The AP is
used to help with performance, range, and scalability.

So in this scenario, you only need Wireless Network cards for the machines
( preferably all capable of running the same 802.11 standard )
--
--
Dusty Harper
Microsoft Corporation
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Ok thanks for your time in replying. I was hoping i could make all 3

computers wireless as i do not really want wires running through the house.
Can I just network 2 PC's wireless, like a simple crossover?