[mikewazowski]

Hello there, can anybody please spare some patience for an IT novice ?

Basically I currently have a 1MB Blueyonder broadband account. The modem runs from their cable box and is plugged into the back of my PC via USB. This is the only connection at the moment.
However, I am soon to be moving into a house with 2 friends that will also need to use the same Blueyonder account. So we will need to be running 2 PCs and 1 laptop off the same connection. The rooms that the computers will be in are spaced over 3 storeys so no cables are the better option.

What do I need to be able to do this ? Will a wireless router suffice ? And if so, what do I do - do I plug that into the Blueyonder modem and have a receiver in each of the computers to transmit and receive signals ? Or is it the other way around - do I plug the router into a computer and so on ?

If somebody could offer assistance or point me in the right direction of some hardware which will alow us to do this, that isn't too expensive, I would be most grateful.


Thanks for your time.

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Does your modem have an ethernet port (RJ45)? If yes, buy yourself a wireless router and 3 wireless cards - one for each device unless the laptop already has wireless capabilities. My recommendation would be an 802.11G Router and two PCI G cards with antennas. Then pick up a wireless G PCMCIA card for the laptop. Now, depending on where the modem and router are located in the house, you may also need some type of high-gain antenna for the router or a signal repeater.

[Rockster2U]

Does your modem have an ethernet port (RJ45)? If yes, buy yourself a wireless router and 3 wireless cards - one for each device unless the laptop already has wireless capabilities. My recommendation would be an 802.11G Router and two PCI G cards with antennas. Then pick up a wireless G PCMCIA card for the laptop. Now, depending on where the modem and router are located in the house, you may also need some type of high-gain antenna for the router or a signal repeater.

[ThunderT]

Just to tack onto those great suggestions above, you'll probably want to place the wireless router in the middle floor of the 3 storey house if you have the option. Also, what you may want to do is set up 1 of the computers as wired to the router and then make the other 2 wireless...since that might allow you to save some money (if one of the two computers already has an ethernet card or LAN connection on the motherboard, you wouldn't need to buy 3 wireless add-on cards).

[Rockster2U]

ThunderT

Brain cramp on my part - most definately set up one machine with hard wiring.

[mikewazowski]

Thanks for your replies guys, you have helped me a lot.

Nice one. Cheers