Livebox wireless connection

melbury

I have just been sent a Livebox (wireless thing) from Orange, but really haven't a clue what to do with it!! My computer is about four years old and I don't know how to tell if it would work with this box.

Could somebody please tell me:

1. Are there any advantages to using a wireless box?

2. Is it safe from a security point of view, someone I know says these are
not as secure as a wired connection.

3. Is it worth the hassle or best to just leave it in the box?

Thanks, any input would be appreciated. As you can tell I am not very good with modern technology

espresso

melbury wrote: »

I have just been sent a Livebox (wireless thing) from Orange, but really haven't a clue what to do with it!! My computer is about four years old and I don't know how to tell if it would work with this box.

Could somebody please tell me:

1. Are there any advantages to using a wireless box?

Depends what you are currently using to connect to the net but a router gives a better connection and security than a modem.

2. Is it safe from a security point of view, someone I know says these are
not as secure as a wired connection.

Yes if you set up WPA encryption with a long random key.

3. Is it worth the hassle or best to just leave it in the box?

No.

Thanks, any input would be appreciated. As you can tell I am not very good with modern technology

Why not read the user manual or visit here.

................

Nikolai

You need a wireless adapter for your computer to communicate with the livebox.
If you are using a laptop it may well have one built in. If it is a desktop then it is unlikely to have wireless connectivity already. These adapters can be bought for around £10 or so.
1. Main advantage of wireless is mobility - if using a desktop this is probably not an issue, as long as you can wire up your connection in a way that doesn't annoy - no trailing wires etc.
2. If you use WPA security with a long, random key (which should be the default on this box) then security is not really an issue, although a wired connection is definitely the most secure (however, a long random key over 20 characters would take millions of years to crack!).
3. If you are using a modem at the moment, the livebox is a router, which includes a hardware firewall which gives another layer of security.

If you are going to use more than one computer to connect to the net then a router is the way to go, and wireless is convenient once set up.
However, a wired connection would give faster speeds when transferring large files between computers. If you don't do this, or plan to, then that is not a problem..


Edit: beaten to it by espresso!

espresso

Nikolai wrote: »

You need a wireless adapter for your computer to communicate with the livebox.

Not necessarily, can be used hard wired with the wireless disabled, which would still be better than using a modem. No messing about having to connect when you want to use the net, as it's normal to leave routers on 24/7.

Nikolai

I should have put 'wirelessly' into the sentence above! That what I meant to say!

espresso

Nikolai wrote: »

I should have put 'wirelessly' into the sentence above! That what I meant to say!

Yes just wanted to make suer that the OP understood. Just got logged out again, when I post that!

:beer: