Advice on goin wireless.

comeonthetic

Hi folks,

I have recently purchased a laptop and have 2m broadband internet connection. I want to get a wireless router so that I can pick up the internet anywhere in my house as I have 2 young kids (3 and 1) and they are all over the wires when i'm connected, which is unfair on them as i continually moan at them to stay back.

I was hopin some of you folks could recommend a suitable router for my needs. Basically I play online poker, download music and DVD's and do work for uni.

I have looked at the sticky from Fran but there is quite a lot in it and I trust the folks on here to help me out without me becoming too clued up about it. Maybe when I get it i will look into it a bit more but right now I only want to know the basics (honest, it is nothin to do withthe fact i am lazy when it comes to readin up on stuff).

A rough idea of what i will probably need to pay would also be helpful.

Thanks

Tic

Amba_Gambla

there's a good offer on at PC World at the moment......

£39.99 for a wireless router and free laptop card. Just what you need??

What broadband are you on? Are you on DSL (cable- NTL etc) or ADSL (BT phoneline)
This one is good if you're on ADSL

to get the cheaper price, you need to 'book' it online, and collect in store.
If you go via Quidco, you can get 5% cashback too!!

CLICKY

comeonthetic

sadly i am on DSL. Does this rule this one out for me?

Amba_Gambla

rules this one out, but dsl modems are cheaper. There's a Belkin one for £34.99.... let me have a look......

Amba_Gambla

clicky..........................

Amba_Gambla

sorry, you'll need to buy an adapter/card if you get this one.....

comeonthetic

how do i find one of those?

John_M_Business

Hold on... before you do... can you access the Internet via a cable from your set top box ? If so, then it already has a built in modem and all you need is a wireless router... I like the Linksys gear... usually buy from ebuyer...

Something like this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=63763
or with a laptop card chucked in:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=78215

I generally wouldn't trust 'own brand' gear as it's more failure prone and, frankly, you're saving peanuts for a lot of potential hassle. If you don't like Linksys, then Netgear, 3Com and Belkin are all worthy brands too.

wolfman

comeonthetic wrote:

sadly i am on DSL. Does this rule this one out for me?

Woah, slow down.

ADSL is a form of DSL. They're not two different things. A Cable connection however is different from ADSL/DSL.

Firstly, how do you connect to the internet? Who is your ISP? Basically we need to know if you connect via ADSL or Cable.

Also, how do you currently connect to the internet? Do you already have an external modem that the computer plugs into?

Chippy_Minton

You won't need a card for your laptop if it's already enabled for wireless (WiFi). Tell us the make and model of your laptop and we'll see if we can save you some money.

comeonthetic

Telewest provide my internet service. I have a modem which i connect to my laptop via a cable similar to a telephone cable.

As you can tell I aint too clever with all this. This is the first home comp i have owned and i am just picking up small bits as i go along, hence the reason I am asking instead of digging out info myself.

I am willing to pay a bit extra to make sure I can still download music quickly anywhere in my house.

Thanks

Tic