Network advice required

Finally saved up enough pennies to get a broadband line put in! and my wife
has offered to buy me a network!

Having search the internet for a system I'm more confused than ever.

If I dare ask this question as I'm sure there are a thousand answers - what
wireless router / firewall etc should I invest in?

I would like to connect the following
1) Toshiba laptop built in wi-fi 802.11b
2) Toshiba laptop PCMI Linksys 802.11b
3) Broadband (basic)
4) (this is the hard part) Printer/scanner - Epson CX5200 USB only - I don't
really want to connect it to a laptop
5) I would like to buy an external hard drive and use it for backup
6) I've heard about VPN - which does sound useful as I work away from home,
but I don't know how necessary it is
7) Reliability and speed is important
8) Security is very important


All opinions will be greatly appreciated

Cameron

Cameron <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Finally saved up enough pennies to get a broadband line put in! and my wife
> has offered to buy me a network!
>
> Having search the internet for a system I'm more confused than ever.
>
> If I dare ask this question as I'm sure there are a thousand answers - what
> wireless router / firewall etc should I invest in?
>
> I would like to connect the following
> 1) Toshiba laptop built in wi-fi 802.11b
> 2) Toshiba laptop PCMI Linksys 802.11b
> 3) Broadband (basic)
> 4) (this is the hard part) Printer/scanner - Epson CX5200 USB only - I don't
> really want to connect it to a laptop
> 5) I would like to buy an external hard drive and use it for backup
> 6) I've heard about VPN - which does sound useful as I work away from home,
> but I don't know how necessary it is
> 7) Reliability and speed is important
> 8) Security is very important
>
>
> All opinions will be greatly appreciated

A linux box.
I'm not completely sure if the printer will work though.
Otherwise, something like the linksys WRT54G will give you connectivity.
It will connect between your modem (assuming that it's a ethernet sort)
and the network.
You'r pretty much looking at another computer (or very expensive kit
which pretends not to be a computer) to do the printer/scanner and
hard-drive.
Assuming that you can work out some way of sharing the printer
through windows, a WRT54G, a box running windows with a hard
drive and a USB port, of practically any description will
do.

If you feel daring, you could lose the WRT54G, and use
a suitible device plugged into this PC, as well as the
modem.
This will require more software setup though, and some
operating systems won't cut it.

There is one obvious solution, Draytek Vigor 2600G, AFAIK the only
ADSL/router/wifi with printer server and USB socket for the printer. Problem
one: not cheap.
Problem two: it's not available yet, they say any day now, but...
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop...p?SupplierID=9

The alternatively you could get HP wifi printer (look for printer on above
site),
but that's not cheap either.

I think there are wireless printer server boxes about, but likely to be
aimed at business, hence not cheap and not likely to have USB socket.
Regards,
Martin