🚀 go-pugleaf

Phred wrote:
> In article <60278c9f-3997-4220-a62b-30b53b0f5001@v35g2000prg.googlegroups.com>, "William R. Walsh" <wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> You unwittingly hit my question right on the head. I'm (finally)
>>> going wireless and deciding whether to buy a PCI adapter
>>> or a USB adapter.
>> The PCI adapter is likely to work better--every USB Wi-Fi adapter I've
>> tried had the same problem: it wanted more power than the USB port
>> could reliably provide.
>>
>> USB Wi-Fi adapters do have an edge in that you can position them away
>>from the computer (and a metal case being nearby does make a
>> difference) to obtain more reliable operation. A PCI card would need
>> an external antenna if it does not perform reliably with the built in
>> one that is near the computer case.
>>
>> Actually, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't even bother with
>> either one a while ago. I've been using wireless access points in what
>> is known as client bridge mode. They connect to the computer's built
>> in Ethernet hardware and can then be configured to join a pre-existing
>> wireless network. These have the advantage of working anywhere there
>> is Ethernet connectivity, providing multiple ports (most routers and
>> access points have four wired ports), needing no special driver
>> support, and providing a constant link to the network (most Wi-Fi
>> cards only work when someone is logged in to the system).
> 
> G'day William,
> 
> I've got a 4-port ADSL router (Thomson SpeedTouch 510) connected to a 
> Dell 4100 running Windows ME.  The router is connected to the PC 
> through an SMC black box that converts the connection to USB.  This 
> setup has worked well (as well as WinME allows :) for years.
> 
> I also have occasional use of a Dell 1300 laptop running Win XP Home.  
> It has built-in wireless connectivity.
> 
> Okay...  Would one of these "wireless access points" that you mention 
> enable me to configure a network so that both PCs can access the same 
> Internet connection?  (Not necessarily simultaneously.)
> 
> If so, could you point me to a good detailed set of instructions for 
> setting the thing up, please?  They would need to be very simple and 
> specific step by step for me to have any chance of doing the job 
> successfully!  (I'm pretty well wholly ignorant when it comes to 
> networking principles and practices, much less the wireless types!)
> 
> TIA for any help you (and any others) can provide.
> 
> Cheers, Phred.
> 


Phred,

Connecting a computer to the internet (and router) via its USB port, 
even with some sort of converter box, effectively isolates it from other 
computers in the network.

Get yourself a now-inexpensive PCI Ethernet card for the Dimension 4100, 
configure the drivers, and connect it to one of the Ethernet ports on 
the router.  Once you have done that, the Dimension 4100 and the laptop 
can communicate with one another, as long as some short of sharing is 
enabled in the operating system of one or both.

No need to replace the ADSL router... Ben Myers