[OT] PC help needed

I've just bought a (WiFi) laptop for my daughter to take to Uni but in
the meantime I want to hook it up to my home LAN.
I have:
NTL cable modem connected to a
Belkin 4 port Cable/DSL gateway router with wired connection to two PCs.
What the minimum Wifi gadgetry I need to plug into the router so that
the Laptop can use the Internet connection?
--
Peter

peter wrote:

I've just bought a (WiFi) laptop for my daughter to take to Uni but in
the meantime I want to hook it up to my home LAN.
I have:
NTL cable modem connected to a
Belkin 4 port Cable/DSL gateway router with wired connection to two PCs.
What the minimum Wifi gadgetry I need to plug into the router so that
the Laptop can use the Internet connection?

You want a wireless access point, eg.

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx...0909&InMerch=1

http://tinyurl.com/yvnrdp

You don't have to buy Belkin but I guess you're familiar with the brand
and the interface. Once you've got it, configure it and the laptop to
use whichever flavour of WPA they're both happy with. Don't run it
without security and don't use WEP, it's rubbish. WPA with a 20+
character key is the way.

--
Phil

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmc1979/

peter wrote:

I've just bought a (WiFi) laptop for my daughter to take to Uni but
in the meantime I want to hook it up to my home LAN. I have:
NTL cable modem connected to a
Belkin 4 port Cable/DSL gateway router with wired connection to two
PCs. What the minimum Wifi gadgetry I need to plug into the router
so that the Laptop can use the Internet connection?

You need a Wireless Access Point, which you can connect to one of the
ethernet ports on your router. Personally I wouldn't go for Belkin (I
don't like their stuff), I'd recommend something like the Netgear
WG602, which I've used many times. If you buy one from Aria and pay by
Google checkout you get £10 off your order so the price is £26.90 inc
VAT

http://netgear2007.notlong.com

If you really want Belkin Aria do the 54Mb model for £34.02, £24.02 if
tou pay using Google checkout

http://Belkin2007.notlong.com

Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.

HTH

--
Paul-B Formula 1 - cheat-free version here now.

Paul-B wrote:

Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.

Someone (probably the technology guy on the BBC website) said you can
download a tool off the internet easily that will crack a WEP encrypted
network in a matter of hours, but if you use 20 random characters for
your WPA key, a dictionary attack would take longer to complete than the
history of the known universe.

--
Phil

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmc1979/

Phil Newnham wrote:

Paul-B wrote:

Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.


Someone (probably the technology guy on the BBC website) said you can
download a tool off the internet easily that will crack a WEP encrypted
network in a matter of hours, but if you use 20 random characters for
your WPA key, a dictionary attack would take longer to complete than the
history of the known universe.

20 random character WPA key security is overstated.

Doesn't take very long to type "michaelschumacher".

In article <4643153E.4010207 (AT) Groups (DOT) com>, News (AT) Groups (DOT) com says...

Phil Newnham wrote:
Paul-B wrote:

Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.


Someone (probably the technology guy on the BBC website) said you can
download a tool off the internet easily that will crack a WEP encrypted
network in a matter of hours, but if you use 20 random characters for
your WPA key, a dictionary attack would take longer to complete than the
history of the known universe.



20 random character WPA key security is overstated.

Doesn't take very long to type "michaelschumacher".

let's see:

1) All lower case
2) All Alphabetic characters
3) Has a language meaning

3 strikes and you're out.

I don't see the randomness....

And don't get cute. I realise everything is both "random" and "ordered",
but we are, at the end, dealing with people as our random string
generators, and they don't tend to be too "random"

--
Dave


"I wish that this were not our problem."

- Australian Prime Minister John Howard showing
compassion for refugees... an "Australian Value"

David Melville wrote:

In article <4643153E.4010207 (AT) Groups (DOT) com>, News (AT) Groups (DOT) com says...


Phil Newnham wrote:

Paul-B wrote:


Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.


Someone (probably the technology guy on the BBC website) said you can
download a tool off the internet easily that will crack a WEP encrypted
network in a matter of hours, but if you use 20 random characters for
your WPA key, a dictionary attack would take longer to complete than the
history of the known universe.



20 random character WPA key security is overstated.

Doesn't take very long to type "michaelschumacher".


I don't see the randomness....

Aha. Did the smiley not post?

In article <464316C6.3020302 (AT) Groups (DOT) com>, News (AT) Groups (DOT) com says...

David Melville wrote:

In article <4643153E.4010207 (AT) Groups (DOT) com>, News (AT) Groups (DOT) com says...


Phil Newnham wrote:

Paul-B wrote:


Don't forget to secure your network, I tend to use WPA as it's a lot
more secure than WEP.


Someone (probably the technology guy on the BBC website) said you can
download a tool off the internet easily that will crack a WEP encrypted
network in a matter of hours, but if you use 20 random characters for
your WPA key, a dictionary attack would take longer to complete than the
history of the known universe.



20 random character WPA key security is overstated.

Doesn't take very long to type "michaelschumacher".


I don't see the randomness....


Aha. Did the smiley not post?

cough

got me too.

--
Dave


"I wish that this were not our problem."

- Australian Prime Minister John Howard showing
compassion for refugees... an "Australian Value"

Phil Newnham <pnewnham (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> writes

peter wrote:
I've just bought a (WiFi) laptop for my daughter to take to Uni but in
the meantime I want to hook it up to my home LAN.
I have:
NTL cable modem connected to a
Belkin 4 port Cable/DSL gateway router with wired connection to two PCs.
What the minimum Wifi gadgetry I need to plug into the router so that
the Laptop can use the Internet connection?

You want a wireless access point, eg.

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx...egorySelectedI
d=11178&NavigationKey=11178,50909&InMerch=1

http://tinyurl.com/yvnrdp

You don't have to buy Belkin but I guess you're familiar with the brand
and the interface. Once you've got it, configure it and the laptop to
use whichever flavour of WPA they're both happy with. Don't run it
without security and don't use WEP, it's rubbish. WPA with a 20+
character key is the way.

Thanks Phil and Paul for the info...

In addition someone might give me a normal Wireless router would this
plug this into my Belkin gateway router in the same way?
--
Peter

peter wrote:

Phil Newnham <pnewnham (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> writes
peter wrote:
I've just bought a (WiFi) laptop for my daughter to take to Uni
but in the meantime I want to hook it up to my home LAN.
I have:
NTL cable modem connected to a
Belkin 4 port Cable/DSL gateway router with wired connection to
two PCs. What the minimum Wifi gadgetry I need to plug into the
router so that the Laptop can use the Internet connection?

You want a wireless access point, eg.

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx...tegorySelected
I d=11178&NavigationKey=11178,50909&InMerch=1

http://tinyurl.com/yvnrdp

You don't have to buy Belkin but I guess you're familiar with the
brand and the interface. Once you've got it, configure it and the
laptop to use whichever flavour of WPA they're both happy with.
Don't run it without security and don't use WEP, it's rubbish. WPA
with a 20+ character key is the way.

Thanks Phil and Paul for the info...
In addition someone might give me a normal Wireless router would this
plug this into my Belkin gateway router in the same way?

Yes. The router bit works seperately from the modem bit (techspeak!!!)

--
Paul-B Formula 1 - cheat-free version here now.