Wireless laptop question

Currently: I have a Comcast Cable modem that supports my desktop

Need: Wireless laptop, in addition to the desktop

If I buy a laptop and router, can I leave the desktop as is (ie non-wirelss, attached to the Comcast modem) and just have the laptop as wireless? In other words, I'd have the desktop running off the modem and the laptop running off the router? (I'm not sure whether my 5 year old Dell desktop even has wireless capability). How would this work? Does the router somehow hook into the modem?

Thanks

 

Yes, your desktop can stay wired, but not through the modem, instead through the router as well. Most home wireless routers come with a built-in multi-port switch.

This is how it's going to work:

(You can also get a router with a built-in cable modem so that you can eliminate the Comcast one.)

 

You plug the modem into the router use a port on the router to run a CAT5e crossover cable to your desktop and connect to the router wirelessly from the laptop.

If you don't plug the modem into the router the set up is pointless your laptop will only be able to connect to the router (i.e. not to the internet).

The diagram above is spot on!

 

Thanks
So in the diagram:

Internet to Modem connection is the black cable wire?
Modem to Router is wire with telephone-type clips?
Router to desktop is another bleck cable type wire?

(As you can tell, I'm not very technical )

 

Yep, you unplug the wire (coming from the modem with a plug that looks like a large version of a telephone plug) that's currently plugged to your desktop, and you plug that to the router's "WAN port". Then you take another network cable, plug one side to one of the "LAN port", and the other side to the desktop. Modem-to-router and router-to-computer use the same type of wire, which is a CAT 5 or CAT 5e network cable.

 

Internet > Modem DO NOT CHANGE THIS...whatever it is it is correct.

Modem > Router I use Cat 5e crossover cable (colours vary...usually grey or yellow...usually imprinted with black text what it actually is (eg CAT5E CROSSOVER)

Router > Desktop I use Cat 5e crossover

...That is how I do it...you could use patch cables I guess but I just stick to crossover.

 

I think you meant crosstalk, crossover is for computer-to-computer directly.

Just don't want Gary to get the wrong cables.

 

Thanks a bunch guys...great info

 

Hey stewie...no I do mean The RJ45 CAT 5e UTP crossover cable...it will probably come with one of these in the router box (to connect it to the modem) so probably only need to buy one more to go from Router > Desktop. It is probably the most standard networking cable in the world...yes you can use it for PC>PC as well which is why I suggested crossover in the first place they are the most versatile compared to patch cables.

http://www.cat-5-cable-company.com/faq-difference-between-patch-crossover.html

 

I know what's a crossover cable, but you don't use it to connect hub/switch to PC. As far as I know, crossover cable is only for connecting two devices directly without any hub or switch, even the link you posted stated the same thing. Check your cables again, I'm pretty sure they're not crossover cables. I've had many routers, none of them comes with a crossover cable, many routers today use Auto-MDIX, so you don't need a crossover cable if you want to stack another hub or switch to it.

 

Hey Stewie, please believe me when I say it is a crossover cable that I use 100% because a Patch cannot be used to connect 2 computers together without a router and I use this exact cable to do exactly that.

Ok so I just googled what most people are using to connect from PC > Router and most people do use cat 5e PATCH cable for PC > Router as you are correct in that it is not neccassary to use crossovers in this instance anymore (which is why I said you could probably get away with cheaper patch cables in the first place!)...I choose to use crossover cables because like I said they are more versatile than straight wired patch cables. A crossover can do anything a patch can do and more.

I agree what I do is not what the majority of people seem to be doing so you might want to use a patch to connect from PC > router...but a crossover will work as well!

 

If that's the case, then the only reason why crossover cable is working for router-to-PC is because of Auto-MDIX. Most home routers today have Auto-MDIX for both WAN and LAN ports, and Auto-MDIX works both ways, normally it's for eliminate the need of a crossover cable, but if you plug a crossover cable to it, it can also switch and make it act like a regular patch cable. However, you must understand, without Auto-MDIX or Manual-MDIX (switching manually), your crossover cable will not work for router-to-PC.

As I explained above, that's only because of Auto-MDIX on the router, not the cable itself.

 

"without Auto-MDIX or Manual-MDIX (switching manually), your crossover cable will not work for router-to-PC."

yes I understand this thanks, in that case the scenario you mentioned is the only time I can think of that a patch can do something a crossover could not. Equally some network devices do not even have the MDIX ports built in and then you would need crossover cables to connect them and patch wouldn't do the job.

So we have exhausted the use of patch and crossover cables for the day in small home networks!