Need help setting up a wifi network

[pretttt]

Hi guys,
I'm a complete noob at networking stuff, so asking for your help. If this query has been answered already, then please be kind enough to point it. I tried checking out some of the other threads, but just ended up confused.:ashamed:

So, here it goes:
1) I have 2 desktops PCs and 1 Laptop.
2) I have one BSNL internet connection, it has one ADSL modem, which has one ethernet port and one USB port.
3) I want to share this internet connection between all my 3 systems. The desktops can connections can be wired, but I should be able to wirelessly access net from Laptop.
4) Also, I want setup a LAN kind of thing between my 3 systems. Meaning, I should be able to access shared files from any of the three systems (like in office).

Now, with my very limited knowledge, I figured, I need a Wifi router. What I'm thinking is that I will connect the output of the modem to the router. From the router, I will connect the 2 desktops using lan cable (Wifi routers have ethernet ports right?). And since, my laptop already has wifi, I should be able to connect the laptop wirelessly to the router. Am I right?
Is this enough to access internet from all the 3 systems? Will it also setup up the lan functionality? Do I still need wifi adaptor cards etc? So, according to above, I need to buy wifi router and 2 lan cables only. Anything else that I need to buy?

Thanks in advance .

 

[Konquerror]

Yes, you are correct. Just connect the PCs with LAN cable and use Wi-Fi for Laptop. No special configuration is required for accessing file on computers via LAN. Just share files and type in the IP address of remote machine like \\<IP_Address> (e.g. \\192.168.2.1) in run window of local machine and you should be able to access the file.

 

[pretttt]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Well, as for the router I have budget of upto 1.5 - 2k. Can be extended if really required. In this range, I guess I'll only get G router.

If I do spend more and go for N router, it will give extended range (not important) and higher transfer speeds. The data transfer will almost exclusively be between the two desktops which are going to be connected by lan cable to router. So, will I see any difference in the transfer speed between G and N routers? Do I need to spend extra for N router? afaik, the N and G specs apply only to the wireless transfers right?

Also, would you kindly )) suggest a good wifi router in my budget as well? Some brand which has excellent after sales service.

 

[sh@sh!]

Yes N and G are Wi-fi standards, so you see the difference only when transferring files to/from your laptop, since your desktops are connected via cable you will get full 100Mbps or whatever type of adapter you have.

When sharing internet connection also, you won't see any difference at all because the bandwidth of a G network is 54MBps which is way way higher than your internet connection.

And yes you need to spend a little more if you want to buy a N type router.

For models, i can;t tell, you can choose from D-link or linksys (from cisco), i have a G type linksys at home.

 

[gatewayaman]

Hi! I was going through the conversation of both of you. I would like to add something to it.

N series router is nowadays available for as low as 1975/- (approx. +- 200/-)in the brands like Belkin, Netgear, Asus, D-Link etc. but Linksys by Cisco is a little bit expensive costing around Rs.2600/-.

N series router is definitely better for you as you have to transfer data between 2 destops and 1 laptop. Speed and coverage do matter in wi-fi.

Configuration is nowadays very simple as all the vendors supply a CD with the products and with the SETUP WIZARD it is very simple to configure the router.

Hope your problems are resolved now.

 

[pretttt]

Thanks for all the info guys!!

well, good to hear that what I had assumed was right after all. I'm not as dumb as I thought

Now, among the several brands suggested, can someone please tell me which one has good after sales service in India. This one is very important to me.

I tried doing some research on my own reg the brands on net and the general consensus regarding Belkin was very bad. Most people advised to completely stay away from it. The most preferred brand seemed to be Linksys. Also, Asus servicing is handled by Rashi or Royal Asus? If its Rashi, then that is off the list as well.

 

[Sei]

N series router is definitely better for you as you have to transfer data between 2 destops and 1 laptop. Speed and coverage do matter in wi-fi.

He's mentioned that the data transfer will be exclusively between the two desktops. So, G or N does not matter in this case. What matters is whether the router supports 100Mbps or 1000Mbps (Gigabit ethernet) (via the lan ports available on the router). And there is a tremendous speed difference.

The former is capable of speeds of around 10-12 MBps and the latter easily reaches 35-40 MBps. Yeah, with a capital B. That is almost as fast as copying from one partition to another on the same hard disk. But for this, both your desktop computers also have to Gigabit ethernet cards. Standard on the new motherboards these days, but earlier systems have 100Mbps LAN cards only.

Thanks for all the info guys!!

well, good to hear that what I had assumed was right after all. I'm not as dumb as I thought

Now, among the several brands suggested, can someone please tell me which one has good after sales service in India. This one is very important to me.

I tried doing some research on my own reg the brands on net and the general consensus regarding Belkin was very bad. Most people advised to completely stay away from it. The most preferred brand seemed to be Linksys. Also, Asus servicing is handled by Rashi or Royal Asus? If its Rashi, then that is off the list as well.

Who told you this about Belkin? In my case, I had a superb RMA experience. Read this thread for more info:

http://www.techenclave.com/pc-peripherals/belkin-surprises-with-its-s-s-145752.html

Stay away from Rashi. Those guys are really unpredictable. I had a good experience when I got my Altec Lansing speakers replaced but overall, there are more bad experiences than good.

 

[pretttt]

What matters is whether the router supports 100Mbps or 1000Mbps (Gigabit ethernet) (via the lan ports available on the router). And there is a tremendous speed difference.
The former is capable of speeds of around 10-12 MBps and the latter easily reaches 35-40 MBps. Yeah, with a capital B. That is almost as fast as copying from one partition to another on the same hard disk. But for this, both your desktop computers also have to Gigabit ethernet cards. Standard on the new motherboards these days, but earlier systems have 100Mbps LAN cards only.

checked both my motherboards, both have gigabit lan. But, how much do routers with gigabit ports cost? I tried checking in eBay, but the lowest I could find was 6k+. Really dont need anything that expensive. I think I'll with a 100Mbps G router. I think I dont even need an N router.

So, with this decided, is there any other feature that I should be looking for? BTW, I'm using Win7 64 bit in one desktop, Win 7 32 bit + WinXP 32 bit in the other desktop. Also, the laptop is WinXP 32 bit. So, I need a brand which has good driver support for all these OS.

Who told you this about Belkin? In my case, I had a superb RMA experience. Read this thread for more info:
http://www.techenclave.com/pc-peripherals/belkin-surprises-with-its-s-s-145752.html

Really, I have no personal experience. It was only that I read in some forum (AT or Toms Hardware, dont remember). But since you had a good experience, then maybe it is not that bad after all.

Stay away from Rashi. Those guys are really unpredictable. I had a good experience when I got my Altec Lansing speakers replaced but overall, there are more bad experiences than good.

Yup, not taking chance with Rashi. But dont know who handles warranty for Asus routers.

 

[Sei]

So, with this decided, is there any other feature that I should be looking for? BTW, I'm using Win7 64 bit in one desktop, Win 7 32 bit + WinXP 32 bit in the other desktop. Also, the laptop is WinXP 32 bit. So, I need a brand which has good driver support for all these OS.

Any brand you pick up is going to support these OSs without any issues because the OS will not be needing any driver support. The router is going to be treated as a switch ( and a DHCP server, if you leave the default setting of automatic IP assignment on) when it comes to the OS. That's about it.

I picked up my Belkin N router for Rs. 3900. It's much cheaper now. By the way, I would really recommend picking up an N capable router instead of a G. It should be future proof to a certain extent. The time I picked up my router, I thought the extra bucks spent by me were money down the drain.

But, now that my laptop (new Sony VPCEB14EN) supports N speeds, I get around 7-8MBps copying speeds and better coverage. With my previous Dell Inspiron, I rarely got copying speeds over 2.5MBps. That ruled out smooth HD streaming too.

Almost all the newer laptops have N capability and it would be foolish saving a few hundred bucks now and regretting later.