Hi Judy,
Yes, you need a router to share the DSL connection with other computers.
There are lots, Linksys and Netgear are a couple large brands, but there are
many different ones. You should make sure it has built-in firewall
capabilities (most do).
As to wireless, there has been some discussion about security with wireless.
Many leave the default settings, which is usually unencrypted so it is
unsecure and could easily be tapped into by someone in range. I would
suggest turning on security settings, at a minimum 128 bit WEP encryption,
or even better, WPA if it supports it (note that whatever adapter you use in
other computers connecting wirelessly, including the laptop, must be set to
the same settings as the router, so check its capabilities. WPA is a newer
encryption standard and may not be supported in all products).
You should also choose not to broadcast your SSID, and most routers allow
you to setup a MAC access list, so only computers with MAC (hardwired
ethernet address) addresses you allow, can connect. However this does not
prevent someone from snooping on packets over the air, so encryption is your
best defense.
The other thing to consider with wireless is what kind. There is 802.11b
which is 11Mbits/sec, and usually the cheapest to buy. However, 80211.g is
pretty cheap these days and offers up to 54Mbits/sec. There are also some
vendors that offer a "Super-g" which is 108Mbits/sec. A coming standard
(maybe) is 802.11n, which promises much faster and longer distance
connections, but it is not a standard yet, so some vendors are trying to
jump the gun with "pre-n" products, which implement their interpretation of
what the standard may be. I am hesitant on them still. They are also kinda
pricey.
For the laptop, there are several makes/models of USB wireless adapters. If
your laptop's USB is 2.0, then a 2.0 USB wireless adapter should be OK,
especially if you choose wireless-g, since a USB 1.x port may not be fast
enough to keep up. You can also get wireless PCMCIA (card slot) adapters.
HTH, there is a lot to digest.
Russ Poffenberger
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Judy A Shelton
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 12:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCBUILD] Internet Connections
Greetings to everyone. Well we finally have our Gateway SOLO 5300 laptop up
and running. Now I've some more questions that I need your help with:
1) We have a desktop computer in our home office that is connected to the
internet via DSL. We want to be able to connect to the interet with the
laptop from anywhere in our home, can we accomplish this with a wireless
router and a USB memory stick of some sort? Any and all suggestions would
be appreciated.
2) Can you upgrade a video card in a lap top without replacing the
motherboard as well or are most video cards integrated into the motherboard?
I'm sorry if I sound stupid, but I know the basics of "Computer Geek 101" by
proxy, ie, my husband is the computer geek, but he does't have a whole lot
of experience with laptops or newer pieces of hardware.
Thanks for all your help in the past and look forward to hearing any
suggestions.
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