connecting desktop & noteboobk on dsl

[suenbob2]

I'm getting DSL my modem is coming from phone company. I want to hook both my desktop an laptop together to the modem i know i need a router.

1. could you recommend a descent router
2. what about software for connecting them
3.if i go with wireless my notebook is a dell 5100 i will need a seperate card for this? will i need a seperatewireless card for desktop?
4 read a post about earthnet ? i do want to be able to log on either computer without turning on other .
Thanks for advice, Bob

[scomac]

In response to your post I'll give you some information about my network.

I have had pretty good luck with my D-Link router. It's a 4 port router with a built in hardware firewall. There are a few tweaks you need to make with it to be completely hidden though. (In the sense of having ports that show as 'closed' instead of stealthed such as port 113)

As for software to connect the 2 computers, you will just need to set your system for home networking. If you are using WinXP, it's pretty simple really, just click start/control panel/network connections, then over on the left side panel, you will see a box for 'set up a home or small office network'. Just run the wizard, make a floppy disc and run it in the laptop.

If you want to go wireless, I would have the desktop wired to the router, and run the laptop wireless. To set up most wireless routers, you will need it hardwired to the computer. But if you want to have both wireless, you will need a wireless ethernet adapter. Depending on how old the laptop is, it might be set up for wireless. But if not, you will need a PCMCIA wireless adapter.

With a router, you can be on either computer to access the internet without the other being on.

Hope this helps!

Scomac

[suenbob2]

My laptop was purchased in dec brand new an yes it has a slot for a PCMCIA wireless adapter card i'm assumeing i can use any card an not dell. But i do need to go with earthnet card to be able to use either card to connect to the internet or no? i'm still not sure on this.

[scomac]

If you get yourself a wireless ethernet adapter that fits into a PCMCIA slot in the laptop and wireless router, you won't need to hook the CAT5 cable to that computer. You will need to have an ethernet port open on the desktop (as most newer systems come standard with an ethernet adapter) and physically hook the desktop up to the router to set the router up. Once that is done, if you want to have the desktop computer wireless, you will need a wireless card for the desktop as well.

If this is still unclear, post again and I'll try to help out some more.

Scomac

[suenbob2]

my desktop is very old so i will have to get a card for that an a cable is there a chance my mother board wont except it ? my mother board is a luckystar k7VATi think 800 MHZ processor amd t/b running XP.
Thanks for your help, Bob

[scomac]

It should. If it doesn't already have an ethernet port, you will need to get a PCI ethernet adapter that will go into an open PCI port (expansion slot) inside the computer. If it is running Win98 or higher(which it is), it should be set up for universal plug and play. Windows will find the new hardware and will attempt to load a device driver for it. Your card should come with a device driver that you may need to load. Once the card is installed and the device driver is loaded, you should be good to go.

If it doesn't recognize the new hardware for some reason,for example if you have universal plug and play disabled, you will need to go to the add hardware wizard and follow the onscreen instructions for setting up the new hardware.

You will need to get a CAT5 cable to run from the router into the back of the desktop.

Scomac

[suenbob2]

i got my dsl modem an man have i missed out my dialup speed was about 14-38 kbps know i'm at 778 1.123 kbps how is that for speed i did an onlone test an it said good? just curious i'm happy in any case.

[scomac]

That's good. What kind of site did you test it at? When I check my speed, I go to www.numion.com and use their speed tests. It doesn't just measure your maximum speed, but it measures what your browsing speed would be. Depending on the time of day and internet congestion, I surf at between 600-900 kb/s. One time I downloaded a demo game from a site and I had an 800+ kb/s transfer rate.

By the way, did you end up getting your router and setting up your network? If so, how did it go?

Scomac

[suenbob2]

I checked it on cnet just checked on your site an got from 300-560 kbps. but i'm still happy i was running on usb plug didnt have earthenet driver installed i just did an rechecked an it came up to 658 during midafternoon i'm seeing it changes evertime i check. i was holding off on the router to see if i liked it an if it was really worth it. i didnt want to get it an be stuck with it afterwards if i sent the dsl back it will be the only thing i use it for

D-Link AirPlus G High Speed 2.4 GHz 4-Port 802.11g Wireless Router, Model DI-524
D-Link AirPlus G High Speed 2.4GHz 802.11g Wireless Cardbus Adapter, Model DWL-G630 - Retail

D-Link AirPlus G High Speed 2.4Ghz 802.11g Wireless PCI Adapter, Model DWL-G510 - Retail
what do you think off these from newegg roughly $150 for cost
thanks for your imput, bob

[glc]

D-Link wireless equipment is as good as anything in the home consumer market. However, I recommend you use a standard wired Ethernet card in your desktop and just make the notebook wireless. Not only is it cheaper to do it that way, it's more reliable and easier to administer the router that way.

[suenbob2]

D-Link Copper Gigabit PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model DGE-530T (Bulk) - OEM
not sure how this 1 is i believe it will work?

[glc]

Gigabit is overkill, the router is only 10/100 megabit and your DSL is only around 1 megabit - and the wireless maxes out at 54 megabit. All you need is a standard DFE-530TX+ 10/100 card (or any cheap 10/100 card, brand really doesn't matter for wired nics as long as the chipset is not terribly proprietary - the DFE-530TX+ uses a Realtek chipset that's compatible with every OS I've ever seen - there are no brand compatibility issues like you sometimes see with wireless), I buy those by the dozen and use them in everything but mission critical servers which get Intel or 3Com cards.

[suenbob2]

I just setup desktop an used the usb connection off modem then i wanted to see if i could use earthnet at the same time an yes i can get both computers online simutaneuosly. if i wanted to stay wired at laptop i could just get a longer cat 5 cable to hook it up?i didnt think i could do this. very nice