Home wireless question

Skipjacks · 01-22-2006, 11:03 PM

I need help setting up a home wireless network.

I just bought a D Link wireless router complete with one of those USB bluetooth devices to link a second computer to the wireless network. The idea was to put the USB thing in my car and...well you get the idea.

Anyway I had the thing a whole day before I got ****ed at it and boxed it back up so I can return it to the store tommorow because it's a peice of crap. Doesn't have an instruction manual, didn't come with all the parts it was supposed to, the software that's included didn't work, my wireless notebook couldnt' connect to it.....just an endless list of problems.

What I'm wondering now is what wireless router I should buy. I want one that I can pick up at Best Buy, bring home and just have work quickly and easily. Forget about the internet in the car for right now. I acn figure that junk out later. I just need a wireless router I don't have to fight with that I can just bring home, plug in, and be able to get on with my laptop.

Any brand or model name suggestions?

CapitaineFritz · 01-22-2006, 11:08 PM

Hi,
Don't want to mess your fun but bluetooth isn't compatible with a WiFi router

What you need is a USB WiFi Adapter (or 802.11G adapter).

Bluetooth and WiFi are two completly different things.

Once you have installed the adapter's drivers, Windows is going to recognize a new wireless network peripheral and you are going to have a new Local Network Connection. You should be able to find your new D-Link router then (the default name is "default" for this model.)

Bugbyte · 01-22-2006, 11:10 PM

Bluetooth is designed for connecting things at very very short range, like a mouse or a headset or a keyboard or a phone.

WiFi is somewhat longer range and is designed for networking your computers together.

CapitaineFritz · 01-22-2006, 11:11 PM

And sorry for your other question.

What model did you bought ? DI-524? DI-624? They are really easy to start with... just power them up and voilà you'll be able to find the wireless networks on your wireless computers if they are set up correctly. Just be sure WiFi is enabled on your notebook (there is often a small switch on the side of the laptop).

If you really want to change the model, go for the Linksys WRT54G, it's a really good buy !

Skipjacks · 01-22-2006, 11:21 PM

Yeah it actually wasn't a blue tooth to begin with now that I look at it. It is a USB WiFi Adapter. But that's besides the point.

The point is that the whole set up doesn't work and didnt' come complete with all the parts it was supposed to.

Forget the USB adapter for a minute, the router itself wasn't doing it's job. Everything else was set up right.

I think I'll take the advice on the linksys. We had one of those before and everything worked wonderfully. I lost the device when my old roomate moved out. That's why I'm looking to get a new one.

Back to teh USB WiFi gadet for a second though, is that a viable means of connecting to wireless networks form the car? I had it installed in the car earlier but it wouldnt' connect to a signal. It gave me a list of about 10 wireless access points to choose from, but wouldn't actually connect to any of them. (No it didn't appear that any of them were password protected)

I wondering if that's just a bad way to go when I try that again or if the unit might be faulty.

CapitaineFritz · 01-22-2006, 11:55 PM

Did you try to connect to the unit with a network cable ? Just connect a cable and try to open http://192.168.0.1 on a web browser, login:admin pass: "let this blank"

If that doesn't work, your router may be faulty...

Did you try to connect to the networks while driving or stopped ? If the networks are protected by MAC address filtering, they are not neccesarely "password protected" but you won't be able to connect to them neither.

Skipjacks · 01-23-2006, 02:43 PM

I must have tried to connect to 15 different networks from the parking lot last night. I highly dougbt that everyone with a wireless router in that apartment building has secured their network. A couple of them sure, but not all of them. That's why I figured it was an equipment error. Also because I couldn't get another computer to work with the USB thing trying to link to my own router in the room, and I know for a fact my network wasn't protected in any way shape or form when I tried to do it.

I'm going with the LinkSys brand tonight when I exchange the routers. I figure it's the easiest route just to replace this with one I know has worked for me in the past.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this.

I'm going to fix up the home network for now and worry about the mobile network war driving stuff later on.

mbayers · 01-23-2006, 03:23 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Skipjacks

. . . .

I think I'll take the advice on the linksys. We had one of those before and everything worked wonderfully. I lost the device when my old roomate moved out. That's why I'm looking to get a new one.

Back to teh USB WiFi gadet for a second though, is that a viable means of connecting to wireless networks form the car? I had it installed in the car earlier but it wouldnt' connect to a signal. It gave me a list of about 10 wireless access points to choose from, but wouldn't actually connect to any of them. (No it didn't appear that any of them were password protected)
. . . .

All my network equipment (wired/wireless router, USB adapters for TiVo, PCI card, range extender, even some network cameras) is Linksys, except for the on-board stuff that came with the PCs I use. I'm generally very pleased with it all.

I have a Wireless G USB adapter that I use with my car PC. I have only used it in my driveway to connect to my home network so far, and it works fine. Not an overly strong signal, but it definitely works. I have to remember to plug it into the same USB port each time so it won't make me re-enter the WEP key, but otherwise it connects easily.

MBA

mbayers · 01-23-2006, 03:26 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Skipjacks

I must have tried to connect to 15 different networks from the parking lot last night. I highly dougbt that everyone with a wireless router in that apartment building has secured their network. A couple of them sure, but not all of them. That's why I figured it was an equipment error.

. . . .

One thing to be aware of is that you might see a bunch of "networks" which are not actually access points. They're somebody's laptop or something. I attend meetings where lots of people bring laptops to connect to the hotel wireless network. When you look for open networks, there will often be several of the other participants' PCs showing up, in addition to whatever real access points there may be.

MBA

Skipjacks · 01-23-2006, 04:30 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by mbayers

One thing to be aware of is that you might see a bunch of "networks" which are not actually access points. They're somebody's laptop or something. I attend meetings where lots of people bring laptops to connect to the hotel wireless network. When you look for open networks, there will often be several of the other participants' PCs showing up, in addition to whatever real access points there may be.

MBA

Wow....

That never even occured to me. I figured only the router would be outputting a signal that gave the name of the network. I guess what I thought were network names were actually individual computer names. That makes sense. There would be a lot more wireless users than access points. Thanks for the tip!

Still doesn't explain why I couldn't get onto my own network though.

Whatever...I'll just get Linksys stuff and everything will work out perfectly.

CapitaineFritz · 01-24-2006, 12:08 AM

Well single computers can show up there only if they are in ad hoc mode... and you'll see the little "computer-to-computer" icon in Windows XP.