Wireless Laptop Help Needed Pls

[Foley]

I've just bought a new laptop to replace my bulky desktop.

The laptop already has a wireless LAN card built in but I've got no idea what I need to buy to make a wireless broadband connection. I'm wih BT ADSL. I hate all the cables running everywhere. It would be great to browse the net whilst sitting in the garden.

Do I just need a wireless ADSL modem/router or do I need something else?

[malbon]

I've just bought a new laptop to replace my bulky desktop. 

The laptop already has a wireless LAN card built in but I've got no idea what I need to buy to make a wireless broadband connection.  I'm wih BT ADSL.  I hate all the cables running everywhere.  It would be great to browse the net whilst sitting in the garden. 

Do I just need a wireless ADSL modem/router or do I need something else?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

yeah thats all you need Mike. A router. my laptop has build in card but i could get the thing to work. ended up buying a wireless card for a tenner and it picked the connection up straight away.

 

its all fairly plug and play.

[Daniel]

These are quite good. PC World do them for about £60 I think.

 

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/DG834G.php

[ipanter]

There are loads of them around, just make sure that when you by it it is a broadband router, as there are wireless access points and bridges that all look the same but won't connect directly to the net.

 

When setting up the router remember to change and hide the SSID, this will stop anyone who is within range of you network but who don't know the SSID connecting to your WLan.

 

Also depending on your laptop try to use some security like WEP or WPA.

 

HTH

[Foley]

Thx Guys.

Great advice as usual.

 

Mike

[chorton_1]

I live in a small village and could pick up 2 other wireless networks and a friend living in a London flat had a cuople of items put on his machine within a few hours of setting his network up, so the advice to set up the security measures is pretty important!

[Daniel]

Along with the stuff IPanter says, I know with the Netgear you can only allow certain MAC addresses onto the Wireless Router. I'm sure other models have that too, so that's something else you can turn on.

[Sonya]

We took our wireless laptop round to next doors one evening to surf the net with them for something. Although it was totally obvious that it would work through the party wall (as it works through all the other wall in our house) there was a small titter of glee when we logged onto the net in next doors house using our WLAN!

 

Small things please small minds!

[ipanter]

have you used it on the loo yet, that brought a smile to my face!

 

in fact guess where i am now!!!!!!!

[dr.j]

Apologies for going slightly off topic but has anyone got one of those wireless multimedia thingys that enables you to transmit mp3s/jpegs etc from your computer and listen to them on your stereo or watch them on your TV?

 

Netgear do one, think Creative do one as well but have seen mixed reviews.

 

If you've got one, are you pleased with it? Wondering about getting one......

 

Cheers, A

[Scott_Mac]

Top recommendation of a router there too, certainly gets my vote.

 

Can pop over and give you a hand setting it up if you get stuck too, hardly far away