Wireless problems with PC tower?

Hello

I have a normal network card in a desktop which is not in use - the PC is in
a room of its own and not connected to the Internet at the moment.

My partner, in another room, uses a laptop connected with a cable to a
router in order to connect to the Internet and that works fine.

I aim to buy a PCI wireless card for the tower and hope to use the ariel on
my partner's router (the router can connect using cables and/or wireless) and
wonder what kind of problems, if any, I can expect to encounter.

Many thanks.

Steve

SteveH wrote:
> Hello
>
> I have a normal network card in a desktop which is not in use - the PC is in
> a room of its own and not connected to the Internet at the moment.
>
> My partner, in another room, uses a laptop connected with a cable to a
> router in order to connect to the Internet and that works fine.
>
> I aim to buy a PCI wireless card for the tower and hope to use the ariel on
> my partner's router (the router can connect using cables and/or wireless) and
> wonder what kind of problems, if any, I can expect to encounter.
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Steve

You didn't say what version of Windows is installed on the desktop or
how old it is. If you have Windows XP, because this computer is not now
connected to the Internet, there's a fair chance that you haven't
installed the *many* updates and security patches that may have been
released since Windows was installed. Vista also has had a recent
service pack update, but that's less critical as far as wireless
networking is concerned.

On the plus side, because you haven't been connected to the Internet,
the computer most likely is not infested with malware.

As far as physical problems you may encounter, there are three standards
for home wireless equipment that you are likely to see: Wireless-B,
Wireless-G, and Wireless-N (aka 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n). B is
rather old and slow by today's standards. N, although the fastest and
with the best range, is not yet an official standard. If the router is
B-only, you must get a B card (although these are increasingly hard to
find). If the router is G, get a G card. N routers can work with either
N or G cards.

Depending on the construction of the building, either N or G
cards/router should work for up to 30 to 35 meters. Heavy construction
or lots of metal in walls and/or floors may reduce the range.

Back up your system (or at least make a System Restore point). Run Disk
Cleanup. With respect to Windows XP Service Pack 3, see
http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron...tallation.aspx

I suggest that you first set up your wireless network with no
encryption. Go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and select CUSTOM
and scan. Select and install any critical or security updates. Follow
all prompts. Do NOT install any optional updates or any driver updates.
Do not install IE7. Depending on how out-of-date your system is, this
may take several reboots (reboot at least twice after installing sp3)
and re-visits to Windows Update. After you're done, make sure that
Automatic Updates is enabled and configured as desired:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

Install and update an anti-virus application. NOD32 Antivirus from
http://www.eset.com/ is good but not free. Avast! and Avira have free
versions and are often mentioned in this newsgroup. I suggest not
getting a "security suite."
http://www.avast.com/
http://www.free-av.com/en/products/index.html

Once your system is updated, reconfigure your router to use WPA2
encryption (if your router can do this) or WPA. You want the "PSK" or
"Personal" version of these (WPA2-PSK or WPA_PSK).

Setting up a wireless network:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u.../wireless.mspx

Wireless Networking
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/n.../bb530679.aspx

General networking advice
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...p/default.mspx

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

Many thanks to you both.

I think I might check the signal once I have installed the wireless card
without the case.

I'm using XP and yes, I iamgine I'll be waiting half the night - even if I
am successful in getting a connection - for the updates to download!

OK, I'll go for the TP-Link Super G & eXtended Range 108M Wireless PCI
Adaptor (I presume this is the 'G' series you refer to, Lem) and 108m is
about 300 feet so that sounds fine. (I only need about 30-feet). At £8 each
that's not too bad! I just need to check that the router is G (or N).

It's a Victorian house - they made things to last then! - and I'll be in a
different room to where the router is located, but we'll see.

Thanks agin for all your advice.

Steve



"Lem" wrote:

> SteveH wrote:
> > Hello
> >
> > I have a normal network card in a desktop which is not in use - the PC is in
> > a room of its own and not connected to the Internet at the moment.
> >
> > My partner, in another room, uses a laptop connected with a cable to a
> > router in order to connect to the Internet and that works fine.
> >
> > I aim to buy a PCI wireless card for the tower and hope to use the ariel on
> > my partner's router (the router can connect using cables and/or wireless) and
> > wonder what kind of problems, if any, I can expect to encounter.
> >
> > Many thanks.
> >
> > Steve
>
> You didn't say what version of Windows is installed on the desktop or
> how old it is. If you have Windows XP, because this computer is not now
> connected to the Internet, there's a fair chance that you haven't
> installed the *many* updates and security patches that may have been
> released since Windows was installed. Vista also has had a recent
> service pack update, but that's less critical as far as wireless
> networking is concerned.
>
> On the plus side, because you haven't been connected to the Internet,
> the computer most likely is not infested with malware.
>
> As far as physical problems you may encounter, there are three standards
> for home wireless equipment that you are likely to see: Wireless-B,
> Wireless-G, and Wireless-N (aka 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n). B is
> rather old and slow by today's standards. N, although the fastest and
> with the best range, is not yet an official standard. If the router is
> B-only, you must get a B card (although these are increasingly hard to
> find). If the router is G, get a G card. N routers can work with either
> N or G cards.
>
> Depending on the construction of the building, either N or G
> cards/router should work for up to 30 to 35 meters. Heavy construction
> or lots of metal in walls and/or floors may reduce the range.
>
> Back up your system (or at least make a System Restore point). Run Disk
> Cleanup. With respect to Windows XP Service Pack 3, see
> http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron...tallation.aspx
>
> I suggest that you first set up your wireless network with no
> encryption. Go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and select CUSTOM
> and scan. Select and install any critical or security updates. Follow
> all prompts. Do NOT install any optional updates or any driver updates.
> Do not install IE7. Depending on how out-of-date your system is, this
> may take several reboots (reboot at least twice after installing sp3)
> and re-visits to Windows Update. After you're done, make sure that
> Automatic Updates is enabled and configured as desired:
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525
>
> Install and update an anti-virus application. NOD32 Antivirus from
> http://www.eset.com/ is good but not free. Avast! and Avira have free
> versions and are often mentioned in this newsgroup. I suggest not
> getting a "security suite."
> http://www.avast.com/
> http://www.free-av.com/en/products/index.html
>
> Once your system is updated, reconfigure your router to use WPA2
> encryption (if your router can do this) or WPA. You want the "PSK" or
> "Personal" version of these (WPA2-PSK or WPA_PSK).
>
> Setting up a wireless network:
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u.../wireless.mspx
>
> Wireless Networking
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/n.../bb530679.aspx
>
> General networking advice
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...p/default.mspx
>
> --
> Lem -- MS-MVP
>
> To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
> http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm
>

Hello

Thanks for your message.

This is what I have just received from my ISP (02):

"Thanks for your email. It's not correct that you need to have specifically
an N or G wireless router, simply because having G or N simply improves the
amount of data that can be sent over a wireless network, and the speed it
sends, but it doesn't make that much difference in terms of distance. It
certainly doesn't make any difference in the type of wireless adaptor it's
connecting to".

"If you're talking about something around 30 years, your best bet is to get
a wireless repeater, esp if your signal is going through thicker walls. This
will pick up your wireless signal about halfway (or wherever you place it
really) and re-send the signal. It's going to make little difference wether
the router is B, N or G, however the O2 Router supports B and G".

Should I therefore stick to the TP-Link Super G & eXtended Range 108M
Wireless PCI Adapter I was planning to install, despite the 54.0Mbps which
smlunatick mentions?

Cheers

Steve




"smlunatick" wrote:

> On Nov 6, 2:50 pm, SteveH <Ste...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> > Many thanks to you both.
> >
> > I think I might check the signal once I have installed the wireless card
> > without the case.
> >
> > I'm using XP and yes, I iamgine I'll be waiting half the night - even if I
> > am successful in getting a connection - for the updates to download!
> >
> > OK, I'll go for the TP-Link Super G & eXtended Range 108M Wireless PCI
> > Adaptor (I presume this is the 'G' series you refer to, Lem) and 108m is
> > about 300 feet so that sounds fine. (I only need about 30-feet). At £8 each
> > that's not too bad! I just need to check that the router is G (or N).
> >
> > It's a Victorian house - they made things to last then! - and I'll be in a
> > different room to where the router is located, but we'll see.
> >
> > Thanks agin for all your advice.
> >
> > Steve
> >
> > "Lem" wrote:
> > > SteveH wrote:
> > > > Hello
> >
> > > > I have a normal network card in a desktop which is not in use - the PC is in
> > > > a room of its own and not connected to the Internet at the moment.
> >
> > > > My partner, in another room, uses a laptop connected with a cable to a
> > > > router in order to connect to the Internet and that works fine.
> >
> > > > I aim to buy a PCI wireless card for the tower and hope to use the ariel on
> > > > my partner's router (the router can connect using cables and/or wireless) and
> > > > wonder what kind of problems, if any, I can expect to encounter.
> >
> > > > Many thanks.
> >
> > > > Steve
> >
> > > You didn't say what version of Windows is installed on the desktop or
> > > how old it is. If you have Windows XP, because this computer is not now
> > > connected to the Internet, there's a fair chance that you haven't
> > > installed the *many* updates and security patches that may have been
> > > released since Windows was installed. Vista also has had a recent
> > > service pack update, but that's less critical as far as wireless
> > > networking is concerned.
> >
> > > On the plus side, because you haven't been connected to the Internet,
> > > the computer most likely is not infested with malware.
> >
> > > As far as physical problems you may encounter, there are three standards
> > > for home wireless equipment that you are likely to see: Wireless-B,
> > > Wireless-G, and Wireless-N (aka 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n). B is
> > > rather old and slow by today's standards. N, although the fastest and
> > > with the best range, is not yet an official standard. If the router is
> > > B-only, you must get a B card (although these are increasingly hard to
> > > find). If the router is G, get a G card. N routers can work with either
> > > N or G cards.
> >
> > > Depending on the construction of the building, either N or G
> > > cards/router should work for up to 30 to 35 meters. Heavy construction
> > > or lots of metal in walls and/or floors may reduce the range.
> >
> > > Back up your system (or at least make a System Restore point). Run Disk
> > > Cleanup. With respect to Windows XP Service Pack 3, see
> > >http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron.../windows-xp-sp...
> >
> > > I suggest that you first set up your wireless network with no
> > > encryption. Go tohttp://windowsupdate.microsoft.comand select CUSTOM
> > > and scan. Select and install any critical or security updates. Follow
> > > all prompts. Do NOT install any optional updates or any driver updates.
> > > Do not install IE7. Depending on how out-of-date your system is, this
> > > may take several reboots (reboot at least twice after installing sp3)
> > > and re-visits to Windows Update. After you're done, make sure that
> > > Automatic Updates is enabled and configured as desired:
> > >http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525
> >
> > > Install and update an anti-virus application. NOD32 Antivirus from
> > >http://www.eset.com/is good but not free. Avast! and Avira have free
> > > versions and are often mentioned in this newsgroup. I suggest not
> > > getting a "security suite."
> > >http://www.avast.com/
> > >http://www.free-av.com/en/products/index.html
> >
> > > Once your system is updated, reconfigure your router to use WPA2
> > > encryption (if your router can do this) or WPA. You want the "PSK" or
> > > "Personal" version of these (WPA2-PSK or WPA_PSK).
> >
> > > Setting up a wireless network:
> > >http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u.../wireless.mspx
> >
> > > Wireless Networking
> > >http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/n.../bb530679.aspx
> >
> > > General networking advice
> > >http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...p/default.mspx
> >
> > > --
> > > Lem -- MS-MVP
> >
> > > To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
> > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
> > >http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm
>
> You must note that the G level wireless network speeds is officiallt
> 54.0Mbps. Network part manufacturers have made enhancements to this
> speed so as to get 108 Mbps or 240 Mbps.
>

SteveH wrote:
> Hello
>
> Thanks for your message.
>
> This is what I have just received from my ISP (02):
>
> "Thanks for your email. It's not correct that you need to have specifically
> an N or G wireless router, simply because having G or N simply improves the
> amount of data that can be sent over a wireless network, and the speed it
> sends, but it doesn't make that much difference in terms of distance. It
> certainly doesn't make any difference in the type of wireless adaptor it's
> connecting to".
>
> "If you're talking about something around 30 years, your best bet is to get
> a wireless repeater, esp if your signal is going through thicker walls. This
> will pick up your wireless signal about halfway (or wherever you place it
> really) and re-send the signal. It's going to make little difference wether
> the router is B, N or G, however the O2 Router supports B and G".
>
> Should I therefore stick to the TP-Link Super G & eXtended Range 108M
> Wireless PCI Adapter I was planning to install, despite the 54.0Mbps which
> smlunatick mentions?
>
> Cheers
>
> Steve
>
>

I'm not familiar with the TP-Link Super G & eXtended Range 108M Wireless
PCI Adapter. If your O2 router supports wireless-G (which your ISP says
it does), then this adapter will (should) work with it. However, almost
all (if not all) wireless-G products that advertise themselves as "super
G" or "Turbo" or "extended range" or "108" or any similar characteristic
will only give any increased range and/or speed if they are paired with
a product from the same manufacturer and of the same "family."

Thus, do not expect that you will get any extended range or higher speed
than using a standard wireless-G adapter. That is, you will have a
(theoretical) maximum data rate of 54 Mbps rather than 108 Mbps
(although you will not actually reach this speed).

The most important thing, especially with a tower and an internal wifi
adapter (which is what you are talking about) is to get make sure that
the antenna is detachable (many are) so that you can get a short antenna
extension cord and position the antenna out from behind the tower case.
The alternative is to forget the internal adapter and get a USB
adapter that comes with a USB cord. For example only, this is what I mean:
USB: http://tinyurl.com/6pz96t


The bottom line is that you can use the adapter you intend to use and it
probably will work just fine. You may, however, want to get a cheaper
one or a USB one.

Before you go out and buy a wireless repeater or any other additional
equipment beyond the basic wifi adapter, install and try the adapter and
see how it works.

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm