Wireless router for home

  • Thread starter Thread starter Howard Brazee
  • Start date Start date
H

Howard Brazee

My wife and I are connected to each other and our DSL modem via ethernet cables.

I would like to allow her to disconnect her computer and carry it around the
house, but when her Centrino based wireless was turned on in the past, someone
outside of the house was connected.

I don't want to lock her software up, as we share some files.

Someday hot spots will be ubiquitous enough that we might go that way.

So how do I go through the first step, of letting her be connected wirelessly,
but safely - still allowing me access to her computer in our LAN.

I've been looking at lots of web sites that don't quite tell me what I need to
know.
 
Wireless routers have built in encryption that can and should be used. On
mine I have 128 bit encryption turned on, ssid broadcasting disabled,
connection from WAN port disabled and I watch the log on the router. You can
set it up reasonably secure for a home network. I have been in areas where I
have picked up someones router because they just used default settings.
Broadcasting the router default ID shows up the network to anyone who scans
for it. I use my laptop on RF and my desktop on cable. I am set up so I can
plug a cable into the laptop to transfer large files. My RF is only 11 meg
so the 100 meg cable is faster...........
 
Another secure way is to add her MAC address to an Allow
list on the wireless LAN. I would use all 3 features to
make it secure!
 
static ip assignment. How big is your antenna on that thing. mine is
useless beyond 200 feet.
 
Wireless routers have built in encryption that can and should be used. On
mine I have 128 bit encryption turned on, ssid broadcasting disabled,
connection from WAN port disabled and I watch the log on the router. You can
set it up reasonably secure for a home network. I have been in areas where I
have picked up someones router because they just used default settings.
Broadcasting the router default ID shows up the network to anyone who scans
for it. I use my laptop on RF and my desktop on cable. I am set up so I can
plug a cable into the laptop to transfer large files. My RF is only 11 meg
so the 100 meg cable is faster...........
Click to expand...

Her cable is plugged into a port replicator. What would be nice is if she
would use the cable while plugged in, and then automatically switch when she
takes her laptop downstairs.
 
Another secure way is to add her MAC address to an Allow
list on the wireless LAN. I would use all 3 features to
make it secure!
Click to expand...

I don't know what that means. I suspect I will find out when I buy the right
wireless device to plug into my current router and then read its directions.

Unless I screw up and buy the wrong wireless device. It's not obvious how much
I need to spend nor what I need to buy.
 
Hi there,

My two cents on wireless since I recently bought Centrino
as well. At the office here, I notice absolutely no
difference in terms of internet browsing speeds when
using the wireless or having the laptop plugged in.

Unless you do large amounts of transferring files from
one computer to the other, stick with a plain 802.11b
(note the "b" here) wireless router. You can find one of
these for about $75 from companies like D-Link.
Salespeople will hassle you to go with a "g" or "a"
rating on the router, but for now, it's a waste of money.

I noticed something else in your original post that no-
one else has commented on...

"I would like to allow her to disconnect her computer and
carry it around the house, but when her Centrino based
wireless was turned on in the past, someone outside of
the house was connected."

This would indicate to me that the other person was
conencting to your internet not via the router, but via
the wireless/infrared card in your wife's laptop. Try re-
setting up your network, and be sure to select that you
connect to the internet via a residential gateway (make
sure that it is the selection that states that other
computers do NOT connect via this computer).
Allow list on the wireless LAN. I would use all 3
features to make it secure!

I don't know what that means. I suspect I will find out
when I buy the right wireless device to plug into my
current router and then read its directions.
Click to expand...

MAC address stands for Media Access Control Address.
Every network card (wireless, ethernet, firewire, etc)
has one, and each MAC address is unique. What the other
posting is suggesting you do is to set up your network
similarly to how your internet service provider confirms
that you are indeed a subscriber. With the instructions
provided with the wireless router, you can set your
wife's MAC address as the only card able to access the
wireless connections. You can find the MAC address of her
wireless card by activating it, allowing it to find the
network, and under Start->Settings->Network Connections-
Wireless Network Connection->Support->Details you will
Click to expand...
find "Physical Address." This is the MAC Address of your
wireless card. This code will never change unless you
replace the wireless card. Write this down, and following
the instructions provided with the router, allow ONLY
this MAC address to connect to the network.

The other suggestion about the 128-bit encryption is also
very helpful. The instructions for the router should
explain how to set this up.

As I said before, if you are looking for a wireless
solution to simply allow you to be connected to the
internet while away from cables, a "b" rated router will
do quite nicely.

Hope this all helps. If you have any questions e-mail me
at (e-mail address removed) Just remove the DELETE
when sending.

Nick
 
Right now, the IPS only sees the address of my Cable Modem Router. Our home
LAN has local IP addresses connecting to the NAT.

My wife has connected to the internet at Kinkos, and has dialed into Earthlink's
800- phone number to get e-mail. Someday we would like to use hot spots, when
they don't cost as much as our current service.

I would like to plug in something to my cable modem router to connect wireless
to my wife's computer. I would like her to be connected whether or not she's
plugged into her port-replicator, as long as she's in the house. This isn't
important, but would be cool, and a first step to future connectivity needs.
Heck, we probably would just use it when my son's family came by - I have two
copies of Lemmings Paintball that can be linked by IP address. I have no idea
how to connect through a NAT to my son's computer, but two computers in the
house would work - and bringing her computer to the basement would allow us to
yell at each other while playing.

First thing I need to do is make sure nobody else connects through her wireless
modem.

Then I need to make sure I can connect to it without re-configuring everything
when she disconnects from her port replicator with wired connection. My
computer needs to be able to copy data back and forth between our two computers,
and we need to share one internet connection.

And finally, I need to try to connect at a free hot spot wirelessly (Kinkos?).

Once all that is done, I will search for a cheap way to connect at other hot
spots.
 
Back
Top