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UncaDanno · 08-13-2000, 04:45 PM

Yes, I realize that wireless is, as a rule, slower than wired. I'm not looking for blazing speed. Don't have time (or the inclination) for gaming or KeWl graphics.

I do business application architecting and development. And, since what I usually build entails reducing network traffic to a bare minimum, the slower wireless network would give me an earlier indication that I'm being sloppy in regards to traffic.

I realize that I'll need a Network Interface Card for all the "stations". Else they can't Interface with the Network, eh?

I was hoping to get some suggestions regarding manufacturers or some "network in a box" setups anybody has had any hands-on experience with.

And wireless is a must for the laptops.

From what I've seen so far (ALL of it from sales reps), I can go with Intel's setup at about $120 per end unit, Proxim's for about the same, or WebGear's (about the same price). Proxim claims to be the manufacturer for Intel's setup's guts. But both Intel's and Proxim's SEEM to rely heavily on their wizard applications for setup. I say "SEEM" because no sales rep can give me a definitive answer on this. And, for each of these at least one machine in the network has to be Win95 or Win98 (to run the wizard). I'm all NT or Win2K.

WebGear's setup seems to be the most flexible and the most documented. And touted to be the fastest 2.4GB). What I really like (and, at first disliked) about their setup is this: A two-station kit consists of two PCI cards that basically give two desktop (or tower) machines PCMCIA slots. The kit also has two PCMCIA cards (for these slots) that have buit-in antennae. So the cards can be put in the towers and I can put one of the PCMCIA cards in one tower (or the other) and the other PCMCIA card in one of the laptops (to let a laptop talk to the tower). Or I can put the PC cards in both the towers so the towers can converse among themselves. Or I can put the PC cards in the laptops so they can talk to each other.

I was just hoping that someone here would have had hands-on experience with real equipment so they could give me their impressions of the different manufacturers' offerings.

08-13-2000, 04:45 PM	#5
UncaDanno Member (9 bit) Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Midland, NC, USA Posts: 292	Yes, I realize that wireless is, as a rule, slower than wired. I'm not looking for blazing speed. Don't have time (or the inclination) for gaming or KeWl graphics. I do business application architecting and development. And, since what I usually build entails reducing network traffic to a bare minimum, the slower wireless network would give me an earlier indication that I'm being sloppy in regards to traffic. I realize that I'll need a Network Interface Card for all the "stations". Else they can't Interface with the Network, eh? I was hoping to get some suggestions regarding manufacturers or some "network in a box" setups anybody has had any hands-on experience with. And wireless is a must for the laptops. From what I've seen so far (ALL of it from sales reps), I can go with Intel's setup at about $120 per end unit, Proxim's for about the same, or WebGear's (about the same price). Proxim claims to be the manufacturer for Intel's setup's guts. But both Intel's and Proxim's SEEM to rely heavily on their wizard applications for setup. I say "SEEM" because no sales rep can give me a definitive answer on this. And, for each of these at least one machine in the network has to be Win95 or Win98 (to run the wizard). I'm all NT or Win2K. WebGear's setup seems to be the most flexible and the most documented. And touted to be the fastest 2.4GB). What I really like (and, at first disliked) about their setup is this: A two-station kit consists of two PCI cards that basically give two desktop (or tower) machines PCMCIA slots. The kit also has two PCMCIA cards (for these slots) that have buit-in antennae. So the cards can be put in the towers and I can put one of the PCMCIA cards in one tower (or the other) and the other PCMCIA card in one of the laptops (to let a laptop talk to the tower). Or I can put the PC cards in both the towers so the towers can converse among themselves. Or I can put the PC cards in the laptops so they can talk to each other. I was just hoping that someone here would have had hands-on experience with real equipment so they could give me their impressions of the different manufacturers' offerings.