Wireless Router + Card = £49.95 w/free delivery. (merged)

knight-on-the-town

Fair point Searcher2, but what non 'Techies' need to know is that each computer needs a network card ... either a standard (and cheaper) wired network card or the more expenive wireless one. People can't just go connecting one comuter to another (i.e. making a home network) and expecting it to work. Each PC or laptop has to have a network card fitted (newer computer may have these included as standard when bought).

Note also that cos of the pace of change, network cards are getting faster and whilst they are backwards compatable if you mix different types eg wireless technology has for example 54G and 108G (and before that the connection will essentially be at the speed of the slowest. That said compared with the old dial-up all are incredibly fast.

xueta

BEFORE I read the manual/instructions :rolleyes: is there anyone who can tell me quickly how to set up security between the router and wireless connections???

How do I configure both router and laptop to share the same security settings? At the moment, enabling WEP or even disabling SSID broadcast results in loss of the connection! HELP!!

Functions perfectly well with security features disabled, but you never know when MI5 might want to see inside my e-mails ...

Keldin

Maybe I'm a bit lost in this long thread but I can't find the code for this Netgear bundle at Amazon. I understand it's been removed from this thread and posted in teh Online vouchers area but I can't find it there either. HAs it been removed from there as well? Where do I find it now.
Thanks
K

Searcher2

knight-on-the-town wrote:

Fair point Searcher2, but what non 'Techies' need to know is that each computer needs a network card ... either a standard (and cheaper) wired network card or the more expenive wireless one. People can't just go connecting one comuter to another (i.e. making a home network) and expecting it to work. Each PC or laptop has to have a network card fitted (newer computer may have these included as standard when bought).

Note also that cos of the pace of change, network cards are getting faster and whilst they are backwards compatable if you mix different types eg wireless technology has for example 54G and 108G (and before that the connection will essentially be at the speed of the slowest. That said compared with the old dial-up all are incredibly fast.

Yes - I have a Dell Dimension 5100 and the network connection is part of the motherboard... I guess quite a few people from MSE have 5100's too after the recent misprice by Dell on these machines! :-)

thepearce

xueta wrote:

BEFORE I read the manual/instructions :rolleyes: is there anyone who can tell me quickly how to set up security between the router and wireless connections???

How do I configure both router and laptop to share the same security settings? At the moment, enabling WEP or even disabling SSID broadcast results in loss of the connection! HELP!!

Functions perfectly well with security features disabled, but you never know when MI5 might want to see inside my e-mails ...

In my own case ....with another router what I have done is to set up WPA-PSK (no server) encyption on the router using a passphrase, with SSID enabled. I've then just looked for wireless connections and been prompted that this connection requires authentication (so you enter the same passphrase). I think this process will vary from computer to computer - my IBM laptop comes with some decent software for it's wireless adapter so I don't have to use the windows method.

With a previous laptop I have used a wired connection to access and change the router settings before attempting wireless connection.

Even if you have to spend a bit of time accomplishing it......please do set up some encryption.... otherwise people could use your connection (nevermind looking at your computer). Someone near me has an unsecure connection...... and I could use it easilly........ not so bad if I'm just reading MSE but remember - people could use "your" connection to go to ANY site, or even fileshare.

Keldin - You might find this thread useful : http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/forums/thread.asp?Forum=223&Thread=483491&Type=1

gavinp

Does the router support WPA-PSK because you really want to use that if it is an option?

If you use WEP, every man and his dog rather than MI5 (or the FBI) could break into your wireless network...

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article111-page1.php

I read an article once where the strength of WEP was compared to WPA, with WPA being a large safe with a combination lock and WEP being a manilla envelope...

Thanks

Gavin


P.S. Most email (and email passwords) are sent completely unencrypted so is fairly easy to intercept if you know what you are doing...

xueta

gavinp wrote:

...If you use WEP, every man and his dog rather than MI5 (or the FBI) could break into your wireless network...

The FBI too, eh? ... ooh the sneaky sods!!!!

Seriously, though, thanks for all the advice. I'll look at the WPA-PSK settings later tonight :think:

Babbler

I secured my network by only allowing PC's with certain MAC addresses (the equivelent of a products serial number - unique to each card in the world). This can be done using the web browser interface - although not being at home at the moment I can't give further details. This then only allows computers with those card MAC addresses that you specifty to use the router.

Babbler

Babbler wrote:

I secured my network by only allowing PC's with certain MAC addresses (the equivelent of a products serial number - unique to each card in the world). This can be done using the web browser interface - although not being at home at the moment I can't give further details. This then only allows computers with those card MAC addresses that you specifty to use the router.

Be careful when doing this though as you may inadvertantly lock yourself out of the router! . Do not tick the "Enable access control" checkbox until all PC's, including the ones connected by wire - have been added.

kevinyork

Got mine today, only ordered Sunday on super saver delivery!!

Have set up wireless home networks before but have to say this is superbly easy. The interface is good. Only needed to key in my isp user name and password and it did the rest itself.

Only thing I had to change was the channel the network was broadcast on. Go into the router from your browser and change the wireless channel setting to 6 in order to benefit from the 108mbps speeds.

Highly recommend this equipment


Kev