Newbie wireless network question

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
OK, with the new arrival coming we've converted the "computer room" into the baby's room. Well that means I have to move the computer somewhere. We chose upstairs. However, I've got broadband from Charter and use a wireless router for my once living PS3 and the wireless printer.

My question is, how do I set up a wireless network without having my computer plugged in? Currently, my set up is this. Cable to modem, modem to router, router to computer. Can I just unplug the computer? I thought you had to have at least one computer "hard wired" into the system. Am I wrong?

The reason I'm not wiring it back in is because I don't have enough cable to reach upstairs and I'm tired of fooling with all this. I'd rather set something up in the basement away from everything and use my computer like they do on the commercials :huggy:
 
No need for anything "hard wired".
Charter's netwrok "see" the Router essentially as a computer.
The router's job is then to, er, route (hehee) traffic around to and between the devices connected to it.
Charter dosn't even see any of the other things on the "otehr side" of the router.

Do keep in mind that if you have 2 floors between the router and a receiving device, the signal may be weak.
 
You'll need a wireless card for you PC if you don't have one. No need to wire the PC to the router. x2 what RatLab said about the router essentially being a computer to the modem.
 
My office is in the basement. My wireless router is on the ground floor, and my kids are on the 2nd floor. We use a cheap Belkin unit and have good signal strenght on all three floors.
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
The signal doesnt seem to do well if its up stairs, but downstairs seems to work just fine.
Click to expand...

You know, because of gravity.
The bits fall easier than they are thrown into the air.
 
orangecherokee said:
excellent guys. thanks :beer:
It will be 2 floors. Maybe I should just place it somewhere on the first floor.
Click to expand...

orangecherokee said:
I've been using a Belkin -N Wireless like this one:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Belkin+...Port/8993967.p?skuId=8993967&id=1218007087207
worked good with the PS3 (before it died) and the printer's never failed.
Click to expand...

with the wireless N router you shouldnt have any trouble with the signal strength, its signal strength is 3-4 times stronger then the wireless G routers. You can check to see if you will have good signal for sure by plugging the router in the basement at checking for the signal with your laptop upstairs. It does not have to be connected to the network, your laptop would just be connecting to the router.

If you were using a wireless G router I would tell you to be more concerned about where you place the router. Signal does go down more then it goes up though, think of the shape of the signal as an umbrella. so if you had big house you would want it upstairs and centrally located as possible. Since wireless N came out it changed things, wireless N will easily cover a lot of houses from anywhere in the house.
 
if you don't want to deal with wireless on your desktop or feel your going to have signal issues get a set of these.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=powerline_adapter-_-33-314-036-_-Product

I have them here and my router is upstairs along with my cable modem and I'm getting 100mbs. Both computers are downstairs and connected to the same thing. My laptop is the only thing that connects through wireless.
 
tkob1060 said:
Signal does go down more then it goes up though, think of the shape of the signal as an umbrella.
Click to expand...

um - shouldn't that be a sphere?

The signal itself will broadcast in a uniform shape (well, ok that partially depends on the shape of the antenna), it's just EM radiation, it's just the stuff that interfere that causes other shapes. E.g. the floor, table it sits on, etc.
 
Back
Top