NTL Broadband Query

gemma1585

I have just had NTL broadband installed into my home, but as I am living in shared accomodation it really isn't fair to only have access to it in my room!!!

The box is in my room and I have a laptop and the engineer advised me the easiest way for my other housemate to gain access would be to get a wireless router.

My laptop is wireless enabled but my housemates pc isn't yet.

Any money saving suggestions on how to go about giving my housemate access to the internet from his pc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

thetope

if you buy a wireless router (there's a linksys one quite cheap on amazon) and attach it to the cable modem, and your flatmate purchases a wireless pci card which will slot into one of the spaces at the back of his computer (not expensive around a tenner i think) then you will both be able to surf wirelessly without having to run cables all over the house.

wolfman

Cables are cheaper (depending on the length) and faster/more stable. Wireless is more convenient. Get a router like the Netgear DG834G. It's an easy to use router that costs around £60-70.

You can then either spend £20 or so on a wireless card for your housemate, or get cable (at around £5 for 10m) but you'd have to feed it around the house.

lipidicman

I need to do this too. I am a little confused with networks. The modem connects to the router and each computer to the router? Is this like a special network hub that can deal with the modem?

mynamesnotdave

lipidicman wrote:

I need to do this too. I am a little confused with networks. The modem connects to the router and each computer to the router? Is this like a special network hub that can deal with the modem?

With NTL you can plug the cable modem straight into a router, but with ADSL modems you need a special router with an ADSL modem built in.

lipidicman

NTL modems are ethernet right?

I was under the impression you could connect an ADSL modem to a router. So that's wrong is it? They must be built in?

gemma1585

If I get a router and plug it straight into the modem will I need to have that also connected to a pc?

If this is the case than it wouldn't be possible for me to do that do any further suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

thetope

if you get a wireless router, you don't need to connect any cables to your pc. the modem is networked to the router and the router beams out the signal.

if you get a wired router, you will need a network socket in your laptop (i'm sure it will have one) and you'll have to run a network cable from the router to your laptop (and another one from the router to your flatmate's computer). to me, wireless is the way to go. it's much tidier (assuming that if you're in rented accomodation you can't be drilling holes everywhere, running cables under the floorboards etc) means then if you move house, you can just pop it in a box and take it with you. however if you're in a "permanent" house maybe you will want to wire it all up. this is the wireless routed my boyfriend has http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008DOYO and it has been very easy to use and reliable.

a router acts as a "mini-computer" if you will, which talks to your modem and and distributes the internet to all the computers connected, as well as letting the connected computers talk to each other.

coolsteel

Hi all, my daughter is is the same situation and it looks like im the one who is going to have to sort her rented house out with a wireless router.
So firstly what would be the cheapest ISP for one year commitment, there will be five housemates sharing this cost,
Is a Linkeys WRT54G-UK reliable? so lets say i buy this model then what? im clueless, do the PC/Laptops need anything inserted? my daughter has used her laptop fine on the Univercity connection for 12 months.
Thanks in advance
Coolsteel :cool:

Sput2001

coolsteel wrote:

Hi all, my daughter is is the same situation and it looks like im the one who is going to have to sort her rented house out with a wireless router.
So firstly what would be the cheapest ISP for one year commitment, there will be five housemates sharing this cost,
Is a Linkeys WRT54G-UK reliable? so lets say i buy this model then what? im clueless, do the PC/Laptops need anything inserted? my daughter has used her laptop fine on the Univercity connection for 12 months.
Thanks in advance
Coolsteel :cool:

I use the Linksys WRT54G with NTL Broadband and it's fine. I don't know whether it can be used with ADSL broadband (i.e. broadband through the phone line) but it's certainly fine with Cable/NTL.

The router is what "broadcasts" the wireless signal, and each PC in the network will need a wireless "adaptor" which receives the signal from the router and sends information back to it.

Many laptops have wireless adaptors built in these days, so check before going any further. For a laptop that doesn't already have an adaptor, you'll need one of these, and for desktop PC's you've a couple of options:

A PCI card such as this if you're happy opening up the PC and installing one. The PC will obviously need a spare PCI slot.

Alternatively a USB adaptor such as this will do the same job and is easier to install. It helps (although it's not essential) if the PC has USB 2.0, though.

It makes life a lot easier setting it all up if all the PC's have Windows XP, and easier still if they've installed Service Pack 2.

Good luck!