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Wirelss built-in... need card?

Hi.

As I am new to the wonderful world of wireless internet, I apologize in advance for what may be a rather rudimentary query.

I'm a single mom and have a hard-wired network setup that is working fine, but as my daughter is now the proud owner of a new laptop, I would like to switch things over to wireless.

The laptop literature states that it has built-in wireless... 802.11 b/g. Now comes the question... With a wireless router, will I need an add-on card to receive the signal or will the built-in 802.11 b/g do the job? If a card is not required, will the built-in work with any router (Linksys, D-link... etc.)? At school, how will my adughter connect to the wireles system (or any other external system)?

One other thing, to avoid any (possible) conflict, would I have to remove the existing hard-wired router software (at home) or can it just stay there should I ever again need to fire it up?

I realize these are a lot of questions, and as such, I thank one and all for your time, effort and assistance.

-Danielle.

Reply to
l_etoile
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When you get a wireless router, be sure that it's b or g, preferably g, which is faster. It will have "wired" ports on it as well, which you can plug your PC into exactly like the current router, if you're using one. If not, you connect your modem to the router, then plug your PC into the router. If the router is set to broadcast, your daughter's laptop will pick up the signal. The wireless routers in public places are set to broadcast as well, so she will be able to pick up those signals as well. Sometimes the built in cards are not to powerful, so if she finds this to be the case, she can get a pcmcia card that would be more powerful

Reply to
RBM

l snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com hath wroth:

No card is required. The 802.11b/g card inside your laptop will do both transmit and receive.

Yes. That's the nice thing about standards. Anything that says

802.11g will work (from any manufacturer). For security, make sure that the wireless router or wireless access point supports WPA. I'm sure the new laptop supports WPA.

Certainly. The skool undoubtedly has 802.11b or 802.11g wireless access points. The laptop card should be easily compatible.

Either way. If you're attached to the router for some reason (such as one issued by a company for home telecommuting), you can leave it alone and just add an access point. This access point can be either a wireless device that is labeled as such, or a wireless router that's configured to operate as an access point. You'll find that wireless routers are cheaper than access points, so I would go with a wireless router. See the FAQ at: |

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how to setup a wireless router as an access point.

Using a separate access point with your existing router has a few advantages:

- The router usually wants to live near the floor where all the wires come together. However, the wireless access point wants to live up high for maximum range. These are usually incompatible requirements for a single box.

- If your existing router has a built in cable modem or DSL modem, you are effectively stuck with adding an access point, or be faced with replacing everything including the modem.

- A separate radio section is nice for security. If you're not using it, turn it off and nobody will hack their way into your system.

I probably generated more questions than answers. If you want more specifics, please supply maker and model of what you currently own for hardware.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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