Choosing a router

I currently have a Win 2000 peer to peer connected to a Win 95 using a
crossover cable

I connect to the internet using a plain modem.

I expect to add a notebook that would, I guess, have a wireless NIC.

I have concluded the best alternative is to:

1. Eliminate the connection between the Win 2000 and Win 95 system that uses
crossover cable.

2. Add a wireless router that also can serve as an AP, to which I would
connect the Win 2000 and Win 95 systems with CAT 5.

3. Add the notebook, with a wireless adapter.

The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:


http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=610

http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...d=35&prid=601]

http://www.d-link.com/products/?pid=6


Any router recommendations?

I have noticed two factors that concerm me:

1. I have noticed a number of comments about how poor is the Linksys tech
support, which is allegedly exacerbated by the Linksys outsourcing of tech
support to organizations in other countries, making it more difficult to
have effective communications in English.

Which of the companies making routers have better support?

2. I found http://www.linksysinfo.org/, which, at first made me happy, but
not for long.

I am distressed to find that many folkes appear to use/prefer the firmware
written by 3rd parties instead of the official Linksys firmware. Of course,
this has implications for support under the warranty (Linksys warranty is
only 3 years.

Is this a common practice with routers from other manufacturers?

Which router manufacturers provide good enough firmware so folkes are not
tempted to stray?

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.

Sorry for the multiple postings, OE had problems last night.

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
"Howard Kaikow" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:cm8g9i$9fo$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I currently have a Win 2000 peer to peer connected to a Win 95 using a
> crossover cable
>
> I connect to the internet using a plain modem.
>
> I expect to add a notebook that would, I guess, have a wireless NIC.
>
> I have concluded the best alternative is to:
>
> 1. Eliminate the connection between the Win 2000 and Win 95 system that
uses
> crossover cable.
>
> 2. Add a wireless router that also can serve as an AP, to which I would
> connect the Win 2000 and Win 95 systems with CAT 5.
>
> 3. Add the notebook, with a wireless adapter.
>
> The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:
>
>
> http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=610
>
> http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...d=35&prid=601]
>
> http://www.d-link.com/products/?pid=6
>
>
> Any router recommendations?
>
> I have noticed two factors that concerm me:
>
> 1. I have noticed a number of comments about how poor is the Linksys tech
> support, which is allegedly exacerbated by the Linksys outsourcing of tech
> support to organizations in other countries, making it more difficult to
> have effective communications in English.
>
> Which of the companies making routers have better support?
>
> 2. I found http://www.linksysinfo.org/, which, at first made me happy, but
> not for long.
>
> I am distressed to find that many folkes appear to use/prefer the firmware
> written by 3rd parties instead of the official Linksys firmware. Of
course,
> this has implications for support under the warranty (Linksys warranty is
> only 3 years.
>
> Is this a common practice with routers from other manufacturers?
>
> Which router manufacturers provide good enough firmware so folkes are not
> tempted to stray?
>
> --
> http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
>
>

Howard Kaikow wrote:

> I connect to the internet using a plain modem.

<snip>

>
> The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:

<Snip>

Those routers all look like broadband routers - they won't work with a
56k modem.

--
Ben Cottrell AKA Bench

I won't be using the router to connect to the internet, only for a local
network.

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
"Ben Cottrell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Howard Kaikow wrote:
>
> > I connect to the internet using a plain modem.
>
> <snip>
>
> >
> > The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:
>
> <Snip>
>
> Those routers all look like broadband routers - they won't work with a
> 56k modem.
>
> --
> Ben Cottrell AKA Bench

On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 18:59:51 +0000, Ben Cottrell
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Howard Kaikow wrote:
>
>> I connect to the internet using a plain modem.
>
><snip>
>
>>
>> The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:
>
><Snip>
>
>Those routers all look like broadband routers - they won't work with a
>56k modem.

Yes they will. You wouldn't be hooking the modem directly to the
router, but it's possible. You'd need to have one machine set up as
the gateway machine. This is the one that actually dials up and makes
the connection. A LAN connection from this machine to the router and
the rest of the network. The router's hardware firewall would not be
able to protect the gateway machine as it's exposed directly to the
net (it *is* the connection), so you'd likely want to have some sort
of software firewall installed on that machine.

You wouldn't even really need a router either, as all you'd really
need is a hub or switch.

I'm not sure it's really worth all the expense and effort with a dial
up connection, but it's possible to do it if you really wanted to.
---------------------------------------------

MCheu

"MCheu" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> I'm not sure it's really worth all the expense and effort with a dial
> up connection, but it's possible to do it if you really wanted to.

My only concerns are:

1. Being to maintain botheWin 2000 and Win 95 system on the network, not
using wireless. THese systems will always be using dial-up modem.
2. Adding a notebook, using wireless, and it will have a dial-up modem. The
router will also serve as the AP.
3. Next year, adding another desktop, I guess Win XP. Unless I decide to
change to DSL, this system will use dial-up modem.
4. Perhaps setting the printer on a print server.

I do not see any need to use the router to connect to the internet.

MCheu wrote:

>>>I connect to the internet using a plain modem.
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>>The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:
>>
>><Snip>
>>
>>Those routers all look like broadband routers - they won't work with a
>>56k modem.
>
>
> Yes they will. You wouldn't be hooking the modem directly to the
> router, but it's possible.

Yes, that's very true. although buying a router just to use ICS kinda
defeats the point ;-) I hadn't realised his intentions. Although,
possibly he plans to upgrade to broadband someday?

> You wouldn't even really need a router either, as all you'd really
> need is a hub or switch.

It would also need a wireless AP attached or built in to it for the laptop.

To the OP : Incidentally, are you sure that the laptop will have a
wireless adaptor (I guess you haven't bought it yet?) If it's an
option, you should consider asking for an ethernet PCMCIA card instead -
this would simplify the situation a great deal.

> I'm not sure it's really worth all the expense and effort with a dial
> up connection, but it's possible to do it if you really wanted to.

I have used ICS with a 56k dialup connection in the past. It works fine
as long as only one computer at a time is actively using the connection.
(Or using it for "light" tasks.) :-)

--
Ben Cottrell AKA Bench

Ben Cottrell wrote:

> Yes, that's very true. although buying a router just to use ICS kinda
> defeats the point ;-)

Correction : that should have been "to use windows ICS"


--
Ben Cottrell AKA Bench

On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 02:14:00 +0000, Ben Cottrell
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>MCheu wrote:
>
>>>>I connect to the internet using a plain modem.
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>>The problem I am having is choosing a router. Candidates include:
>>>
>>><Snip>
>>>
>>>Those routers all look like broadband routers - they won't work with a
>>>56k modem.
>>
>>
>> Yes they will. You wouldn't be hooking the modem directly to the
>> router, but it's possible.
>
>Yes, that's very true. although buying a router just to use ICS kinda
>defeats the point ;-) I hadn't realised his intentions. Although,
>possibly he plans to upgrade to broadband someday?
>
>> You wouldn't even really need a router either, as all you'd really
>> need is a hub or switch.
>
>It would also need a wireless AP attached or built in to it for the laptop.
>
>To the OP : Incidentally, are you sure that the laptop will have a
>wireless adaptor (I guess you haven't bought it yet?) If it's an
>option, you should consider asking for an ethernet PCMCIA card instead -
>this would simplify the situation a great deal.
>
>> I'm not sure it's really worth all the expense and effort with a dial
>> up connection, but it's possible to do it if you really wanted to.
>
>I have used ICS with a 56k dialup connection in the past. It works fine
>as long as only one computer at a time is actively using the connection.
> (Or using it for "light" tasks.) :-)

The economics favor the currently-cheap-as-dirt 4-port/wireless router
solution, uplinked to an ICS host via a LAN port - don't even connect the WAN
side, and be sure to disable the internal DHCP server - and let ICS manage
DHCP and gateway functions for the LAN.

A hub or switch can't support a wireless LT on its own, and a WAP doesn't
provide connectivity to the old wired node (one too many nodes for a x-over
"LAN").

/daytripper