Notebook only wireless connection. Can it be done?

Hello all,

I've had a read through the very useful FAQ, but I have one further query I was hoping for a little help with.

I'm planning on replacing my desktop currently wired to my b/band connection, with a notebook. I plan to run wireless access to the notebook. There will be no other PC's in the house. I cannot figure how this might work without there being a wired connection at some point, although I'm sure there must be a way.

My current supply is through a Motorola cable modem that uses either USB or ethernet connections. I'm guessing I need a router/access point, or a bridge. I'm in the UK and have been browsing dabs.com for possible solutions, but cannot find a product that describes my scenario. A cheap but safe solution is required!

Any suggestions much appreciated!

 

The nearest I can figure is that you need a wireless router. You would just take the CAT5 (ethernet) cable from the modem to the router....unless I misunderstood what you are trying to accomplish..
A wireless router can be found for a low as $30, but I'm not sure how much over in the UK....I've forgotten so much since I used to live in Europe...
Once you have everything plugged in, you then can go anywhere in the house and open up the wireless connection utility and connect to the wireless router and have wireless internet access anywhere w/in range. (about 300' at most, more like 200' w/ walls and such)

 

Yes, all you need is a wireless router connected to your cable modem. But initially you may need the desktop to configure the router. After that you can switch off the desktop and use just the notebook wirelessly. I suppose you can also initially connect the notebook via cat 5 to the router to configure the router, but I've never done it this way.

 

You don't necessarily need a desktop to configure it...you can connect to it wirelessly and configure it, or hook the computer up to it initially via ethernet to configure it.

 

That's exactly how it's done; I had to do it that way since my laptop was my first home computer. Just read up a little on wireless security and take steps to prevent others from stealing your bandwidth. You will need a ethernet cable to configure and update your router.

 

Thanks for all your help, guys. Much appreciated. Would this router be along the right lines? http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=38DV&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=wrt54gs&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

 

Linksys wrt54gs is a very good choice as long as you stay away from revision 5. please verify that you are dealing with version 1 to 4 but not 5.
I don't wanna get into details here- if you are interested visit www.linksysinfo.org
regards.

 

Thanks, downloads. From what I understand, the WRT54GL should be okay (i.e. no isues with firmware upgrades). Can someone confirm this?

Much appreciated!

 

I think the revision number refers to the firmware. And I don't know if you can tell what you will be getting until you actually get it. So make sure you know what the return policy is.

 

Unfortunately revision number refers to hardware itself- V5 has half the RAM and flah of previous version, besides it's not linux-based. Even though newest DD-WRT works on vxWorks based revision 5 it's not recommended to buy one. GL should be fine if you are able to find one (they are not manufactured any more) Still GS is a very good router- safe and efficient. You can choose either. Linksys is a good choice most of the time anyway.

 

Daft question, I'm sure - the GL, although Linux based, would still work okay with WinXP wouldn't it?

Trouble with the GS is that I'd almost certainly buy online (shop retailers don't have a great range and are relatively expensive). Therefore, I wouldn't be able to check the serial numbers and thus, revision.

 

XP will work with the router. You don't have to worry about what OS a router is using.