[sniper82]

Hi,

I have 2 pcs at home and am going to get ADSL2 broadband and am in need on some advice as to whether I need a wireless or non wireless modem router.

Can you please shed some light on the differences and if I'd need it if I was just going to download, surf and play games on the net.

Also can you please tell me what are good modems of both ranges available in the market.

It'd be greatly appreciated if you could assist.

Thanks

[hardmanphil]

First choice is whether you need a wired or wireless solution. Consider the following questions.

If you have 2 desktop PC's that don't move around much then a wired solution is possible. It's then up to you if you think that you can run an ethernet cable from the ADSL router to each of the PC's without major upheavel and you don't think that the PC's will move much in the future then a wired solution is for you. You may already have a standard ethernet connection on your PC, but if you haven't you'll need to buy one for each. They come primarily as a PCI card for as little as £5 and also as a USB adaptor but the PCI card is the preffered solution. The cable will cost too so bear that in mind when comparing the cost of your solutions. The wired solution will be more reliable, slightly more responsive and more secure.

If you can't run a cable easily, have laptops that move around or just want to future proof your technology buy a wireless router. I would recommend one anyway because a wireless route usually has at least 4 wired ethernet connectors to wire up your PC' and will allow you or a friend to use a wireless laptop in and around your house. It will cost a little more than a plain wired router but still available for less than £40.

If you can't run an ethernet wire to either 1 or both of your PC's you will need to install a Wireless LAN card in each PC that you don't want to hard wire. That is unless WiFi is already installed, but unlikely on a desktop PC. These cards cost as little as £15 but you save on cabling costs.

Wireless connections have plenty more bandwidth than the fastest ADSL when used within the recommended distance - about 30 metres max but is affected by thick walls and large objects especially if they contain metal. Most houses can be covered well by a centrally installed wireless router. The risks are security and slightly more complex setup but nothing too difficult. You'll need to run the wireless on something like WEP for encryption. It isn't 100% secure to a determined hacker with the right hardware and software but it'll stop the casual snooper.

As for your net experience there will be no perceived difference your PC's performance with either solution even from the basic 54mb/s wireless connections.

I use Netgear but I'd recommend nearly all the main stream manufacturers of wireless products as easy to use and reliable.

[ScottGem]

First we need to clarify some terms here. A Modem is a device that connects a computer to an analog telephone line where its MOdulates/DEModulates analog signals into digital signals.

Because most people understand that a modem is what connects them to the Internet, when broadband connections started to become available, the device that connected their PC to the Net was referred to as a broadband modem, when its actually a specialized router.

Broadband modems are ALWAYS wired. If you want to share the Internet connection that the broadband modem gives, you connect the broadband modem into a router. The router serves the function of managing communications between the broadband modem and the devices on your LAN.
Broadband routers come in wired and wireless versions. Wireless versions almost always have wired connections so can be used with both.

A wireless router uses the 802.11 protocols to communicate using radio waves between the router and the wireless network adapter on the PC. A wired connection will be faster and more stable than a wireless one. But if running a wire is impractical then using a wireless connection is a viable alternative.

I prefer Linksys devices because they have worked well for me and they have excellent tech support.

[OvenFrank]

This is a Linksys® BEFSR41 - EtherFast® 4-Port Cable/DSL Router. In Canada cost C$ 55- in the US it is probably cheaper than that. We installed it at home where the to PCs are located side by side. Installation was easy-although we had to plug and unplug the DSL provider's modem several times to establish the IP.

Think of the EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch as a kind of "splitter" for your Internet connection. Just connect your DSL or Cable Modem to the Router, and all the computers in your household can share the Internet -- all at the same time. The built-in 4-port switch lets you attach four local PCs directly, or daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches as your network grows. Once your computers are connected to the Internet through the Router, they can communicate with each other too, sharing resources and files. All your computers can print on a shared printer connected anywhere in the house. And you can share all kinds of files between computers -- music, digital pictures, and other documents. Keep all your digital music on one computer, and listen to it anywhere in the house. Organize all of your family's digital pictures in one place, to simplify finding the ones you want, and ease backup to CD-R. Play head-to-head computer games within the household, or against Internet opponents. Utilize extra free space on one computer when another's hard drive starts to fill up. It's all easier than you think -- the included Setup Wizard takes you through configuring the Router, step by step. The Router can act as a DHCP server for your network, so your PCs are configured automatically. Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP) lets specialized Internet applications configure the Router so you don't have to. Built-in NAT technology helps keep intruders out of your computers. With the EtherFast® Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch at the heart of your home network, you don't need to be a networking genius to share printers, files, and your high-speed Internet connection.

One cable comes with the router, the other cable cost around $2. Could cost more if the other PC is far away.

Cheers.