Basic Questions About DSL/Cable/Wireless

Hey guys. Gotta apologize for asking the most basic of questions, but I couldn't find the answers anywhere and comprehend it at the same time. A tad brain dead tonight.

I currently have dial-up and wanting to upgrade to either DSL or cable internet. I have 2 desktops and one laptop. I know I'll need a wireless router, but will it give my laptop internet access everywhere or only within a certain range? How do I make it so my laptop always get internet service? Does it matter if I get DSL or cable?

I'm debating between Bellsouth DSL or Comcast Cable. Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

Plug your DSL/Cable connection into your router. Yes the rotuer has a limited range, but should work within your house. You just need to connect your laptop to the router wirelessly. I would get whatever is cheaper. Unless you are a heavy downloader you likely won't notice a difference.

 

You won't get free wireless everywhere you take your laptop...unless you bring your router. Otherwise you will need to find another source to get your wireless. Some coffee shops offer free wireless. Also if you go to school you will be able to access the internet wirelessly for free. Hope that clears up some of the confusion.
Tim

 

if you want wireless no matter where you go you need to get a wireless broadband card from Sprint, Verizon, or Cingular. They will use the cell phone network and anywhere you get cell phone reception you will get internet. Expect to pay $60-$80/month for that though.

I use Verizon with a Kyocera KPC-650 card and love it.

 

If by anywhere you are talking about anywhere in your house, you should be able to. If you have problems with doing so. Buy a NEMO router, the have longer range.

 

I think you mean MiMo

 

Speed/Price/Convenience.

I recently upgraded from dial-up to DSL. Have not used Cable.

Speed - Max on BellSouth right now is 6 megaBITS/sec download, 0.75 Mb/sec - if that is available in your area. Max on Cable is the same. Those are "target" speeds, and YMMV. DSL is a dedicated line, so you get that connection speeds always. Cable is shared, so you may get slower speeds during high-traffic (early evening) periods.

Price - At 6 mbps, price is almost identical at about $60/month in my area. However, DSL also offers 3 mbps for $40, 1.5 mbs for $32, and 256K for $25 (dial-up is 56K). I would not go lower than 1.5 mbps, personally.

Convenience - DSL requires you to either install filters on all your other phone lines (and security alarm, if monitored), or run a separate splitter and dedicated run to the DSL modem. The latter affects where you can place the router, which may affect where you can get signal. Cable requires a splitter and I think the router has to be at the front of the split, so that may also affect where you can place the router. Pretty much of a toss-up.

 

I just got Bellsouth's DSL 1.5 mbs service (Ultra) and it works great. I can't imagine needing anything faster but I can always upgrade, if need be.

I attached a Linksys WRT54G wireless router to the Westell modem which took a bit of configuring (wasn't connecting to the internet) but found the solution here...

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/9687

Compared to dial-up you can't believe the difference....

 

whether you get DSL or cable, both connect to a modem. You connect your network to thier modem via a router. A regular router will have an ports to plug in network cable to connect to the computers on your network. A wireless router will offer the same as above but will also allow wireless connectivity. The wireless "g" standard supports 54 mbps and usually covers a 1300 sq ft area. Average size home lot. You can configure your wireless devises to automatically connect to your wireless router. Once setup and working properly, you will be happy you upgraded. GL

 

I have cable from Astound Broadband (I think now it's a part of Wave Broadband) and it's like Comcast. Using this test
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.dir
I got about 4.2 MBPS (megabits per second), and when I'm downloading something, I get from 120 Kilobytes a second, to 350 kilobytes a second. On a burst speed (the first 5 seconds or so) i have gotten up to 1.2 megabytes a second. On a slow download server, I get as low as 20 Kilobytes a second. It's fine for what I do, which is just basic browsing and light games(at this point). I have cable that goes to the modem (Scientific Atlanta Webstar) to my router (Netgear WGR614 v6) then to my laptop wirelessly and my desktop wired. The router has a four port LAN router built in.