Wireless Newbie with a new Cable Modem and a Question

Just signed up for Cable Internet and got a Modem to use for free.
It's a Motorola SURFboard SB-5100.

I'd like to set up a wireless system so that I can use my Laptop to
get online around the house (one story) and outside. The laptop has
built in 802.11b.

What do I need on the cheap? - I have a very thin wallet after
Christmas

And what about encription? How is this achieved? I'm a teensy bit
concerned about neighbors getting access.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.

"MakiYaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Just signed up for Cable Internet and got a Modem to use for free.
> It's a Motorola SURFboard SB-5100.
>
> I'd like to set up a wireless system so that I can use my Laptop to
> get online around the house (one story) and outside. The laptop has
> built in 802.11b.
>
> What do I need on the cheap? - I have a very thin wallet after
> Christmas
>


A wireless b router, I use a dlink-624 which is a B/G.
connect the modem to the wan port on the router and your desktop
to any of the lan ports.
Of course turn everthing off.
You didn't say if the modem was connected USB or Ethernet.
I am assuming Ethernet.






> And what about encription? How is this achieved? I'm a teensy bit
> concerned about neighbors getting access.
>


In the directions you will have an address to setup the router after you
get connected. The encription is first set in the router then the card.
I use WEP with 128 bit encription, which will keep out the above average
Joe.
You set this up in the router with some pass codes. Then you will have to
setup the card in the laptop with the same numbers to get on.
Make sure you right the numbers down so you dont forget them.
As far as this wep security, I was told by a compenent programmer that 128
wep would take
a very sofistacated set of algorythems and several days to crack it.
So if your not in a high risk area, wep would be fine.






> Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.

BigJIm <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> "MakiYaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
>> Just signed up for Cable Internet and got a Modem to use for free.
>> It's a Motorola SURFboard SB-5100.

> A wireless b router, I use a dlink-624 which is a B/G.
> connect the modem to the wan port on the router and your desktop
> to any of the lan ports.
> Of course turn everthing off.

Turning the cable modem off for about ten minutes and then turning it on
will make it "learn" the MAC address of the router, and everything might
work.
If you can't get to the internet, it may be that your cable provider wants
to register your new MAC address. You can do this by calling them and
telling them that you have added a router to the cable modem.
Or you might be able to do it yourself if you go to the proper web site,
which you can reach.
Or you can probably tell your router to "clone" the MAC address of the
PC that already works. How this is done varies from router to router.
My SMC allows me to click a button in their web interface to use the
MAC address of the PC that I am on.

My cable provider doesn't care which method I use.
I use the clone method, although I have tested the cable-web interface.
http://192.168.0.1 will probably get you pointed toward your router's http
management tool.

I made note of the cable-config web address when the installer used it.
I was automatically taken there when I connected a different computer
directly to the cable modem, but not when I hooked up the router.

---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

MakiYaker wrote:

> I'd like to set up a wireless system so that I can use my Laptop to
> get online around the house (one story) and outside. The laptop has
> built in 802.11b.
>
> What do I need on the cheap? - I have a very thin wallet after
> Christmas

The cheapest way is to put a WiFi PCI card in your PC (assuming you have
one, of course) and connect to it in ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) mode . Later on,
if you have the money, you can buy the WiFi router and then the PC and the
laptop can connect to it in infrastructure (managed network) mode.

I'm using a Netgear MA311 Wireless PCI Adapter which cost me 38 GBP with a
35 GBP Linksys WCF12 Wireless CF card in my Pocket PC. Wireless networking
on the cheap.

--
Garry Knight
garryknight<at>gmx.net ICQ 126351135
Linux registered user 182025

Maki,

So long as your cable modem is external to your pc and has an ethernet
port (by which it connects to your pc) or has both an USB and ethernet
port (to connect either way), you can buy a wireless router (about $50
US) to connect to the modem. If you have a primary machine currently
connected to your modem, you can plug that into the router and your
laptop can roam around the house getting the router's wireless signal.

--Ray

(E-Mail Removed) (MakiYaker) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed). com>...
> Just signed up for Cable Internet and got a Modem to use for free.
> It's a Motorola SURFboard SB-5100.
>
> I'd like to set up a wireless system so that I can use my Laptop to
> get online around the house (one story) and outside. The laptop has
> built in 802.11b.
>
> What do I need on the cheap? - I have a very thin wallet after
> Christmas
>
> And what about encription? How is this achieved? I'm a teensy bit
> concerned about neighbors getting access.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.

Thanks to all who responded.

I bought a D-Link Wireless Router... DI-514.

I was losing the connection constantly and found out that Windows XP
has something called Wireless Zero Configuration which can be the
cause. I stopped this (fixed the problem) but will have to start it to
connect then stop it again each time. Does anyone know if there is
another way to solve the constant dropping of the connection?

Why do you need to use the Windows zero config? I have a D-Link router and
adapters. I disabled zero config when I installed the equipment, and I've
never used it. The D-Link connection utility works just fine. Whenever I
boot, the utility automatically connects me to the last network I connected
to, if available, or else allows me to connect manually from a menu of
available SSIDs.

"MakiYaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Thanks to all who responded.
>
> I bought a D-Link Wireless Router... DI-514.
>
> I was losing the connection constantly and found out that Windows XP
> has something called Wireless Zero Configuration which can be the
> cause. I stopped this (fixed the problem) but will have to start it to
> connect then stop it again each time. Does anyone know if there is
> another way to solve the constant dropping of the connection?

download the odyssey utility, worked for me.
http://www.funk.com/



"MakiYaker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Thanks to all who responded.
>
> I bought a D-Link Wireless Router... DI-514.
>
> I was losing the connection constantly and found out that Windows XP
> has something called Wireless Zero Configuration which can be the
> cause. I stopped this (fixed the problem) but will have to start it to
> connect then stop it again each time. Does anyone know if there is
> another way to solve the constant dropping of the connection?

(E-Mail Removed) (MakiYaker) wrote:

>Just signed up for Cable Internet and got a Modem to use for free.
>It's a Motorola SURFboard SB-5100.
>
>I'd like to set up a wireless system so that I can use my Laptop to
>get online around the house (one story) and outside. The laptop has
>built in 802.11b.
>
>What do I need on the cheap? - I have a very thin wallet after
>Christmas

Uniden WNR2004 wireless router, $19.99 (US) after $20.00 rebate:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3907228

Shipping would be $4.00 (ground) to $8.00 (overnight) and there will be
sales tax if shipped to certain states.

>And what about encription? How is this achieved? I'm a teensy bit
>concerned about neighbors getting access.

Non-useless encryption is available, either 64-bit or 128-bit WEP. I don't
know if WPA upgrades will be available anytime soon, if ever, for this
hardware.

I bought one of these and it works fine so far, so far as I can tell.

--

John Briggs ((E-Mail Removed) Phoenix, Arizona, USA)