Are you thinking about moving up to broadband? Do you need to connect more than one computer to the Internet? Are you thinking about purchasing a new laptop/notebook system with the Intel Centrino processor? If so, read this article for a quick and basic wireless network setup...
I've been on a cable-modem since 2001 and originally I had a Linksys 4 port router hooked up to the cable service. This worked well for me as I use 3 computers and occasionally hooked up my laptop from work to the network. But, as my 2 children got older and wanted connectivity, I needed a better way than running cables and adding a hub, so this is what I did....
Having used the Linksys BEFSR41 hooked up to my cable modem for the better part of two years, I found myself contemplating a wireless network for connecting my childrens computers to the network. I originally thought of going with Linksys for the wireless components, but a quick Amazon review convinced me to go with Netgear.
So I did some research about wireless routers and determined right away I wanted to get one with the same 4 category 5 ports like the Linksys had. I have a hardwired mail/web Linux server, Windows workstation and another Linux test server I run with standard network interface cards (NICs). After a few days of research I settled on the Netgear MR814 wireless router. This is an 802.11b router and works like a charm, it currently sells for $44.94 at Amazon, but I paid @$129.00 for mine. I've upgraded to the WGR614 802.11g since then.
After the new router arrived, I hooked it up and installed all the network cables to my 3 systems. I had to take the Windows system and reconfigure it's network address to make it compatible to the router's default network settings. Once this was done, I was able to browse to the router and start the configuration. Configuration via the browser was straight forward and I was back in business in no time. I had also purchased the Netgear MA401 802.11b Wireless NIC (WNIC), so I plugged it into my laptop and installed the supplied card drivers. I was online wandering around the house, cruising the Internet in minutes. (Note: all the wireless with no security enabled.)
Once I was confident the network was working right, I ordered 2 Netgear USB Wireless Adapters. One of these is connected to a regular computer with Windows ME and the other is connected to a system running Windows XP Pro. Both are working like a champ and I'm happy with the network. It's been vary stable, always on and I heartly endorse Netgear products.
As mentioned earlier, I have upgraded the network to 802.11g with my personal and work laptops connecting in modified G-mode and the children still connecting in B-mode. Since I do have B devices on the network I dont get true 54mb thoughput, put hey, the cable modem at it's fastest is only 2mb. So my network is plenty fast and has room to grow with the wireless.
If you are considering expanding your broadband connection from one, to many, do consider wireless for your local area network (LAN) needs.
Next I'll post a short article why a router needs to be behind the cable modem (hub, access point, bridge just won't do). Also I'm planning a short article about the 802.11 protocol explaning the differences between the wireless standards. So check back and keep up to date...