Wireless Networking?

[PI100]

does anyone here have a wireless network?

i just set one up today and i have to say the range is a bit 'pants'.

i bought a draytek vigor2600g router (54g) and a linksys 54g pci card.

Paul

[djanderso]

Yup, I've got one - has a Zoom 5551 ADSL Router connected to an HP 10/100 hub. Off that I have a Wireless Access Point (USRobotics), and 1 USRobotics PCMCIA card - quality is very good and I'm happy with the range - gets me downstairs and out into the garden. At the mo it's running on 22MBps but my XMAS project is to upgrade it to 54MBps with some firmware upgrades.

[aido]

I have one setup here but it's stone age compared to you guys, it's an old 802.11b 11Mbps setup, with an Alcatel AIO AP & Avaya Card...

The range can be affected by the walls and other 2.4Ghz devices in the house, have you got any DECT phones or anything like that as that can cause issues..

Also remember, the ranges quoted on the box are usually line of sight with no objects in the way - a good brick wall or two can slash them dramatically - when you say the range is pants though, what range are you getting?

I can go and sit outside round the back of the house (it's an old house with thick walls) and the signal goes through at least three walls and works okay (at 1 or 2 Mbps)...

Did you manually try other channels etc?

Also remember that WEP can also degrade performance, but I'd rather take the hit than leave my network wide open...

[Brettster]

I have set a few of these up at work

I use netgear adsl wireless routers and netgear pci wireless lan cards and it runs at 11mbps.

but the range is really very good

I have one where the computer is at the end of a warehouse and the router is at the other end about 150 metres away and goes through 3 walls and has 3 dect phones to contend with and we still get 11 mbps speeds and is very reliable

[PI100]

thanks for thr replies

i want the router to be downstairs and for me to surf upstairs, goes through one thick wall in total distance would be about 8metres

i must be doing soemting wrong

[ifraz]

I use a Netgear router and a wireless PCMCIA card at home. It's very good and reliable.

[Evista]

I use a Linksys wireless G and the reception is severly hampered by having to go through a 12" wall from the study to the rest of the house. Amazingly I used to get the same reception (very low) in the kitchen which is only 10' away as I did upstairs in the opposite side of the house.

I moved the transmitter at the weekend only a couple of inches and cant get a reception anywhere now :yack:

I have wireless in the office and find that it is as much the receiver on the laptop as the transmitter. Mine is alot worse than others inthe office - mine's a built in one with the Sony VAIO whereas the other guys in the office have external USB thingy's

[GreyBeard]

go and sit in a medium sized hotel/pub car park with your wireless laptop, and have a browse thro their computer! why do otherwise progressive companies leave themselves wide open like this? we've tried it twice and it worked both times!

[SteJ]

Recently upgraded to broadband and decided to network 3 of my family PC's together. I was going to go wireless for ease of installation, but eventually hard-wired everything via CAT5 cables/plugs and hub.

It is more mither to set up initially, but the overall cost (£5 per 100mbps network card, £35 for network hub kit, £5 for RJ45 'phone' type wall-socket) and performance outweighed the wireless option for me.

Transferring files (i.e. 800mb video CD's etc.) from one PC to another is pretty quick, and the online speeds do not deteriorate when everyones on t'internet. I've run the job laptop on a spare socket and had a total of 4 machines online, gaming, downloading, the works, no mither at all. Would easily recommend a wired system.

[djanderso]

go and sit in a medium sized hotel/pub car park with your wireless laptop, and have a browse thro their computer! why do otherwise progressive companies leave themselves wide open like this? we've tried it twice and it worked both times!

Exactly the reason why I have banned the use of wireless access points in any of our corporate offices! Woe-be-tide any employee who disobeys me :D

[ColinBarber]

There are also banned from our offices and are removed if found. They are a real problem because they are so cheap staff just go out and buy the things!

Any company using wireless and using no encryption or even the standard 40/128-bit encryption is asking for trouble.