Best adapter for rotating laptop?

I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
with a laptop.

This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
adapter that will plug into that card?

(E-Mail Removed) (Joe) wrote in news:114da101.0311081552.151a3624
@posting.google.com:

> I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> with a laptop.
>
> This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> adapter that will plug into that card?
>

A wireless card has its own driver that makes the wireless card work.
Maybe, you can get away with it if using XP, because it has its own
wireless card driver.

Other than that, I think you're going to have to install a driver for the
wireless card. Most laptops have a PCI card slot where you can pull out the
wired PCI card and plug in a wireless PCI card.

Duane

In article <Xns942DBE525964Ddarnold92insightbbco@204.127.199. 17>,
Duane Arnold <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) (Joe) wrote in news:114da101.0311081552.151a3624
> @posting.google.com:
>
> > I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> > router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> > trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> > with a laptop.

Get a wireless router that has wired ethernet too, or get an
ethernet-to-802.11b adapter, or get a PCMCIA 802.11b NIC. The latter is
cheapest (maybe), the former is fastest.

> > This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> > for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> > software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
>
> A wireless card has its own driver that makes the wireless card work.
> Maybe, you can get away with it if using XP, because it has its own
> wireless card driver.

There's no reason to think that just because a driver comes from Microsoft,
that it's bug-free. However, this may get you past the boss.

> Most laptops have a PCI card slot where you can pull out the
> wired PCI card and plug in a wireless PCI card.

Most laptops have a PCI slot? The onboard ethernet circuitry is removable?

--
-eben (E-Mail Removed)m home.tampabay.rr.com/hactar

Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands,
hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -- H.L. Mencken

hi
you can get etherport wireless bridge , dlink ,orinoco/proxim ,linksys

so no need for any extra wireless drivers
pcmcia , usb , wireless all need drivers

Joe wrote:
> I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> with a laptop.
>
> This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> adapter that will plug into that card?

(E-Mail Removed)nge (Hactar) wrote in
news:bok4nr$29b$(E-Mail Removed):

> In article <Xns942DBE525964Ddarnold92insightbbco@204.127.199. 17>,
> Duane Arnold <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> (E-Mail Removed) (Joe) wrote in news:114da101.0311081552.151a3624
>> @posting.google.com:
>>
>>
>> A wireless card has its own driver that makes the wireless card work.
>> Maybe, you can get away with it if using XP, because it has its own
>> wireless card driver.
>
> There's no reason to think that just because a driver comes from
> Microsoft, that it's bug-free. However, this may get you past the
> boss.
>

The wireless driver on XP is a little buggy, as I have experienced. And
that is way I use the manufacture's drivers. But that may be the only
shot the OP may have to go undetected on changing the machine's
configuration.

>> Most laptops have a PCI card slot where you can pull out the
>> wired PCI card and plug in a wireless PCI card.
>
> Most laptops have a PCI slot? The onboard ethernet circuitry is
> removable?
>

Yeah, that's what I do when I bring home the company's laptop and I want
to connect to my network to VPN to the company network. I pop out the NIC
with the RJ45 Jack -- card and pop in the WPC11 wireless card into the
slot and go sit in front of the TV and do my work.

Duane

Joe wrote:
> I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> with a laptop.
>
> This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> adapter that will plug into that card?

Convince your boss to buy a wireless card for it and let everybody use
it. Keep an eye out for a free after rebate usb or cardbus card.
mike

--
Bunch of stuff For Sale and Wanted at the link below.
laptops and parts Test Equipment
Honda CB-125S
Color LCD overhead projector
Tek 2465 $800, ham radio, 30pS pulser
Tektronix Concept Books, spot welding head...
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Monitor/4710/

In article <Xns942DC75F914B1darnold92insightbbco@216.148.227. 77>,
Duane Arnold <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed)nge (Hactar) wrote in
> news:bok4nr$29b$(E-Mail Removed):
>
> > In article <Xns942DBE525964Ddarnold92insightbbco@204.127.199. 17>,
> > Duane Arnold <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> >> Most laptops have a PCI card slot where you can pull out the
> >> wired PCI card and plug in a wireless PCI card.
> >
> > Most laptops have a PCI slot? The onboard ethernet circuitry is
> > removable?
>
> Yeah, that's what I do when I bring home the company's laptop and I want
> to connect to my network to VPN to the company network. I pop out the NIC
> with the RJ45 Jack -- card and pop in the WPC11 wireless card into the
> slot and go sit in front of the TV and do my work.

Are you sure that what you have there isn't a PC card (formerly PCMCIA)
card? About the size of a credit card, pin sockets on the short edge?

--
-eben (E-Mail Removed)m home.tampabay.rr.com/hactar

A: Because it looks dumb and is hard to read.
Q: Why is top-posting wrong? -- from (E-Mail Removed)

mike <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> Joe wrote:
> > I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> > router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> > trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> > with a laptop.
> >
> > This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> > for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> > software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> > The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> > adapter that will plug into that card?
>
> Convince your boss to buy a wireless card for it and let everybody use
> it. Keep an eye out for a free after rebate usb or cardbus card.
> mike

Thanks for the good suggestions!

I must be missing something simple. If you already have
a wired-ethernet-adapter in the laptop, then just get a
cat5 cable and plug the laptop also into the back of
the router. (Most all wireless routers also have at
least 3 wired-cat5 ports for client PCs.)

That way, you won't need any extra software drivers
because the laptop already HAS the driver for the wired-adapter.




"Joe" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> with a laptop.
>
> This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> adapter that will plug into that card?

A wireless ethernet bridge (Linksys WET11, e.g.) will turn an ethernet
interface into a wireless client interface.

There is a rash of these newly introduced as "game adapters".

"David Cook" <(who wants to know?)> wrote in message
news:x5SdneuuE-bHBzOiRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> I must be missing something simple. If you already have
> a wired-ethernet-adapter in the laptop, then just get a
> cat5 cable and plug the laptop also into the back of
> the router. (Most all wireless routers also have at
> least 3 wired-cat5 ports for client PCs.)
>
> That way, you won't need any extra software drivers
> because the laptop already HAS the driver for the wired-adapter.
>
>
>
>
> "Joe" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> > I'm getting DSL and am planning to buy a Netgear MR814 wireless
> > router. I plan to use an ethernet cable to connect my desktop. I'm
> > trying to discover the best way to get access to the wireless network
> > with a laptop.
> >
> > This laptop is owned by my employer and is rotated among team members
> > for "on-call" duty. My employer does not want us to install any
> > software at all on the laptop, so I'd prefer not to add any drivers.
> > The laptop has a network interface card. Is there some wireless
> > adapter that will plug into that card?
>
>