I need to bring highspeed internet access into my house to support a work-at-home arrangement. I need to connect the following:
a) personal desktop machine
b) company provided laptop (mine)
c) company provided laptop (wife's)

I am technology challenged but my thoughts (based on input from various sources) are:

1) add cable modem at point of entry into the house (basement)
2) run CAT5 cable from basement to home office and connect to wireless router
3) hardwire router to desktop
4) install wireless "cards" into two laptops


My questions are:
1) Does this make sense - - - especially the CAT5 from the basement to home office router location?
2) Is it difficult to do, are the wireless routers 'plug-n-play'?
3) Is it easy to add wireless 'cards' to a laptop? Is it even necessary?
4) Any recommendation on the wireless router? What protocals should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance,
Michael

 

I would run coax to the modem near your desktop...you want to be able to get to the modem if you need to see the status lights or to cycle the power.

Everything else makes sense.
Mine is hardwired but I understand that wireless is fairly easy.
Yes, it is necessary and should be easy as well.
Netgear and Linksys is what my company is using currently.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RUGBY
I need to bring highspeed internet access into my house to support a work-at-home arrangement.

 

I have my cable modem installed in my basement, and my Linksys wireless router right next to the cable modem. I use wireless cards on all of my PCs to connect to the router.

Works like a charm. No cable dragging required.

 

What are the limitations on range of a wireless modem?

Will it work from a basement to a second floor office? First floor den?

Any forums where this might be discussed in more detail?

Thanks in advance.

Michael

 

Extremetech website is a good source.

Home networking (wired)
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973...3,828062,00.asp


Home networking (wireless)
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973...,1335949,00.asp

Those two articles will give you gobs of informtion.

 

The key to wireless networking is line-of-sight distance to the router. I live on the top (6th) floor of a building, on the rear side. I think typical range is up to 30m/100 ft.

The building right behind me has a solarium on the 1st floor. I can sit in the solarium of that neighboring building with my laptop and check e-mail. Reception is not very good, and certainly not strong enough for serious web work...but considering I was 6 floors away and a whole nother building from my router....I was impressed.

 

If you're looking for an online forum to discuss routers and home networking, check out Broadband Reports:

http://www.dslreports.com/forums/18

I've gotten all sorts of problems solved there by searching their forums.

Chris.

 

If your laptop(s) have the Intel Centrino chip you do not need to put a network card in, the capability is built into the chip.