Sharing broadband - What do I need to buy?

tigs78

I live in a shared house, my PC is in the living room and my housemate has a PC in his room. I already have broadband downstairs but my housemate would like broadband in his room. I would like to set up a wireless connection but what do I need to buy to do this. I've looked through all the previous threads but none of them seem to be completely relevant as people have different set ups to mine.

The broadband downstairs is provided by the Utility Warehouse, it is 1mb ADSL, the modem is a 'ZyXEL prestige 600 series'.

I have read on other threads about it needing an 'ethernet port'. If I were just to buy a wireless router (ie not a router and modem combined), how do I know if mine has this ethernet port? The modem does not have any spare sockets at the back of the it, it is connected with a cable that goes from the modem to a USB port at the back of the computer and by a cable that goes from the modem to the broadband filter, this is connected by a small clip type connection. Does this sound like it has an ethernet port?

Both PC's run Windows XP and I have looked in the device manager (another thread suggested this) and neither appear to have a wireless card.


In short, with the above setup what equipment do I need to buy?

Any suggestions as to particular models appreciated too.

Thanks in advance

sfboy

You will need a wireless router and modem combo, unless you leave your computer on and have it routed through your pc

wolfman

Get the Netgear DG834GT Router/Modem. Great for the average user. If you look in the Grab It Now forum, there's a thread on how to get one and a wireless card for about £54 which is brilliant considering it normally costs £70ish for the router alone.

arealhighlander

As above, you need a wireless Router with built in ADSL modem.

Your existing modem is USB - if it had an Ethernet /network connector then you could just use a router, but you have what 99% of customers are given as their freebie modems and will not do.

For the PC upstairs, you can eiter install a wireless card, or use a wireless USB key.

You can get good deals of bundles of wireless router/modem and a wireless card/key.

Once you have this, basically your router/modem "logs in" to your Broadband connection and then shares it with any PC connected to it.

You will also need to setup your wireless ecurity to make sure that no-one in the house next door can access your network, its easy enough to do, but make sure you do it right at the start :-)

Worrk about this when you decide and get the equipment!

tigs78

arealhighlander

What is the difference between a wireless card and a wireless USB key? Is it difficult to install a wireless card, should I go for a wireless USB key on the basis that I know nothing about computers!?

keepthereceipt

I would like to second wolfman and recommend the Netgear equipment. An ethernet port is a socket that looks similar to a normal phone socket. If you have one of these at the back of your pc then you can should have an ethernet card in your pc and it should be a breeze.
I recently set this up at home :-

1). Netgear DG834GT adsl router, which comes with its own 2 way microfilter. You plug the microfilter into the phone line and then the 2 plugs allow you to connect you rnormal phone and the other one goes to the router. The connections on the filter are clearly marked.
2). Install a Netgear wireless card. I used the WG311T wireless adapater PCI card which fits inside the pc. I think that Netgear are offering a bundle for these two as wolfman suggested. Don't be put off by installing a pci card. It's quite easy. The instructions that come with the card are very good. You will see which slot the card will go into once you have opened the pc case. Once in, start Windows, the card will be recognised and you just need to follow the instructions and use the installation CD.
3). Connect one computer by an ethernet cable (provided with netgear stuff) to one pc and then the other pc with the wireless adapter installed can go anywhere else in the house.
4). Start up the pc connected via ethernet, power up the router, follwo the instructions provided to go into a browser and access the router set up menu. You may need to call your broadband provider to check some of the settings - you need basic settings such as the logon and password provided by the broadband comnpany plus there are more advanced options such as choosing a network ID and security settings.
5). Once you have saved these settings that should be all that is needed to connect.

Good luck.

arealhighlander

The difference between a Wireless card (the card installs inside the PC, same as many other cards, you have to open the PC to install them) and a Wireless USB key (its like a memory stick, you just plug it into your USB socket on the PC, no opening of PCs etc.) depends on your confidence in opening and installing stuff in your PC.

Curry_Queen

Can I just point out that the DG834GT that has been referred to above (twice!) is the more expensive 108mbps router, which is much more than you need for your requirements and hasn't got particularly good reviews, so you need to be looking for the DG834G model which is 54mbps and perfectly adequate for home users with a small network, and is also much cheaper!