Wireless Home Network

[marlboro]

Anyone use a wireless LAN at home?

I'm looking for good/bad experiences.

My shortlist is Proxim Orinoco and Linksys, the later favourite on price and security features.

[Graham.J]

Speak to bonce, IIRC he's got a pretty wicked setup at his house.

[rich-uk]

D-Link do a cheap solution, my mate's got one set up at the moment, it does the job as good as any i've used.

Of course it depends on how big your house is, he's only got a 2 bedroom flat....

[futie]

I use a 'Belkin' router and PCMCIA card. Works fine - quite good range, etc. And it works with XP. But beware - the first PCMCIA card I bought only seemed to have a range of about 4/5 metres. Took it back to PC World and got it changed - the new one is fine.

Oh, the router also allows me to run a HTTP server in a DMZ on the end of a broadband connection. It's got a HTTP config. website running on it - quite cool I thought .

[rich1231]

I use a Buffalo router,and a netgear card in my laptop. Did have Buffalo PCMCIA card but always seemed to overheat. All works fine now.

[Marlboro]

futie,

I'm looking to do the same with an http server, but this depends upon a fixed IP address. Do you have this? Or do you hope your broadband provider will not reset the link?

[danger mouse]

This is going to sound well "fik" but do these act as hubs for multiple terminals or just for one?

ie. You can use your laptop while your eating you tea in the living room without docking, or is it that you can hook up computers all over the house using the computer it is attached to as the nerve centre.

I guess the clues in "LAN", but I just wanted to make sure. If it is the multi option, is there any firewalling in the little fellas?

Only asking as we've just gone BB at home, but only on one computer*, and the walls are thick so wirng is an issue.

baffleD Mouse

* and it's not my one, so now I've lost dial up too....grrrr! So no more sneeky nocturnal surfing, D'oh, I could sleep instead.

[danhf]

I've got a ZoomAir setup - awful range although the walls in my house a quite solid. I wouldn't recommend it and there are cheaper options.

Yes, you can run multiple PC's off the 1 hub and the ZoomAir includes a firewall with DMZ, etc.

I have the "hub" next to the BT router, PC in the kitchen and then laptop for general use around the house.

Work have paid for my 6 fixed ip addresses - quite useful for certain stuff but v expensive.

Sounds like overkill but I need to move to where ever the kids aren't when I work from home...


Dan

PS Mouse - any news on that sketch mate or are you waiting for something from me?

[marlboro]

danger mouse,

They actually act more like switches, with layer 2 or 3 filtering. I would use a separate firewall and encryption. Send me a mail if you require more info.

[fatsteve]

Yup, would recommend the D-link setup, that's what I'm using.

I've got a combination of:

DSL modem / router / switch (DSL-604+)
2 x AP's working in bridge mode (DWL-900+)

This allows me to share a single DSL connection to 5 PCs or more (split between 2 rooms via a switch and wireless bridge). I've also got the option to just hook into my standard wireless AP with my Ipaq or any other stand-alone PC with a PCMCIA card.

Dead easy to set-up if you have an understanding of networks (ie simple DHCP, DNS, etc).

Drop me a mail if you want some more info.

The advantage with the D-link is that it operates at 22Mbps (as opposed to the standard 11Mbps that 802.11b offers)

My total setup was about £350, which is a damn site cheaper and easier than laying Cat5 cable round the house.

Edited to mention that the DSL-604+ also gives me firewall, NAT, bridging and DMZ control. I'm switching DSL provider in a couple of days to get 2 fixed IP addresses that I can route back to a PC / server on my network to run as a HTTP server (ie simple hosting). Going to freedom2surf from BTOpenshite broadband.

Steve

>> Edited by fatsteve on Wednesday 22 January 01:01

[stc_bennett]

Hi just like to add me experience to this.

brought me new house last year, took laptop (This will come up later) with me when picked up me keys etc, met up with Home Automation and Audio Vision Bloke at the new house, for setting quote and details of what i wanted in property Lighting controls Sound in all rooms etc.

got me laptop out started doing some work with the Audio bloke, telling him what i had got planned and a rough design of things (stored on laptop) and by accident internet explorer loaded, and me home page loaded. thought this was strange no network cable connected, then started to investigate the built in Wireless lan had found a network a few houses away and connected me to the net. I dont know why but the wireless lan took it self and chaned the domain on me laptop. i had already setup the explorer to find IP address automatically. still dont know why it done it and it still does to this day.......

Tried finding out which neighbour it is but no one is owning up to having wireless lan on there computer.. it can be only one of them but i dont want to mention it cause we have not got our broadband setup yet lol so i will use his for now lol lol....

I have now disabled my wireless device cause i donot like the security of them.

I hope no one on here lives in the North of carlisle who drives a lexus....

Hope this helps

Cheers

Steve

PS cause of this incodent i chose a fully wored network for my house..

edited to say cat5 install cost was £400 for 6 rooms

>> Edited by stc_bennett on Wednesday 22 January 01:02

[fatsteve]

Steve,

Good point about security. I'm using MiniStumbler (PocketPC version of NetStumbler) which is a wifi sniffer, ie; detects AP's, open AP's etc.

If anyone is interested in installing wifi then I would highly recommend using a sniffer to ensure your network is as tight as a ducks arse. By default most AP's are open, but you can lock them down by MAC address so only certain PC's can access the wireless network. Again, this is fairly easy to implement with simple networking knowledge.

Steve

[tuffer]

Marlboro said: futie,

I'm looking to do the same with an http server, but this depends upon a fixed IP address. Do you have this? Or do you hope your broadband provider will not reset the link?

Im using www.Plus.net they have provided me with a fixed IP and I even kept the same one when I moved house. Excellent service and very cheap for wires only. Will be seting it up with wireless and a web server when I get some spare time.

[Size Nine Elm]

rich-uk said: D-Link do a cheap solution, my mate's got one set up at the moment, it does the job as good as any i've used.

Of course it depends on how big your house is, he's only got a 2 bedroom flat....

I've used D-Link for a couple of years... with disappointing results - the range is not particularly good. Marketing bumph says 50-75 feet, I get max of about 20 feet including one wall. Bang went the idea of surfing in the garden...

Setup is Sony Vaio with PCMCIA card, and 2 desktops with USB units, all 11Mb.

Great - when it works...

I would upgrade to a newer/better setup, but now being out of broadbandland doesn't seem like there's a lot of point.

[rich1231]

The new Buffalo kit is £140ish for a wireless router and PCMCIA card. Speed is 54Mps!!!
Security wise wireless is a bit cack, the WEP features can be cracked easily IMHO.

[danger mouse]

danhf said:

Sounds like overkill but I need to move to where ever the kids aren't when I work from home...


Dan

PS Mouse - any news on that sketch mate or are you waiting for something from me?

...it's the damned kitten, if you can call the boheamoth that,in our house, but the fat bastard gets everywhere... time for the snip I think!

Do they use a digital or analogue signal. We've got both at home for cordless phone and the digi copes magnificently with the foot thick clunch that is our walls, while the old analogue one simply doesn't.


BTW, I've mailed at home Dan.

[Rich-UK]

I haven't had much experience myself as i'm none too sure they are secure enough for me yet.

But his works further than 20 feet, his is brand new though, whereas yours is older, I can only assume progress has been made in that area!!

[goodlife]

I use SMC devices (mix of PCI and USB) running 'Ad-Hoc' mode. Ad-hoc supports up to 4 connections (IIRC), and means you don't need a hub. Range seems fine. As was posted earlier - I can also access someone elses wireless LAN from my house!

Broadband plugs straight into the back of the 'host' PC, which runs SyGate Office Network to sort out IP's, dial-on-demand ,etc. SyGate is much better than Internet Connection Sharing from MS, as it supports VPN and all that other stuff required to access the office network.

BTW - Anyone who travels on the train from the west into Paddington can access the internet for free at Maidenhead Station. There is a company around there that has no encryption on it's wireless lan...

[danger mouse]

Crikey dumb hackers paradise.

Would be cool to be able to PH while fixing Twink out in the garage though....

...this is car forum

[whoozit]

I've had an SMC router/print server and various flavours of wireless access point for 18 months now, very easy to set up and with OK wireless range throughout the house.

I had the bright idea of putting an old amp and speakers in the garage last week, and connecting up either my iPod or a laptop streaming music from the upstairs machines or from an Internet radio station . . . works brilliantly, now I have music while I work on the car/bike without having to worry about having the CD player etc. nicked.