Can a wireless network be totally wireless?

[xenolith]

OK, I've installed several simple wired networks in my home and in other people's homes. But I have never installed a wireless network. It looks like it's as easy as a wired LAN, but I have a question.

I have someone who wants to connect 2 computers and 2 laptops to the internet thru a wireless router and doesn't want to be tied down with any cables at all. So, that means I have to get two wireless LAN adapters (for the PC's) and two wireless bus cards (for the lappys) with only one cat cable obviously going to the router from the modem. And, no cables going to any PC or lappy. Can this be done? Or, do I have to have at least one PC or lappy wired to the router?

I ask because most manufactures show at least one PC wired to the router in all the instructions I've seen.

 

[AFB]

No, you can be completely wireless. They do that to show you that it also has ports for wired computers. I do however recomend that you connect using a cable if you are upgrading the router's firmware.

 

[xenolith]

Thanks. I thought so. Just thought I'd ask to make sure first.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Note that with multiple clients connected to a single wireless access point or router, you'll be dividing the available bandwidth between all of them. Also, if you are using WEP or WPA encryption, it will further slow things down. The typical 802.11b connection with 128 bit WEP enabled will barely keep up with a 3mbit connection in the real world, and four systems sharing that bandwidth would be pretty slow.

 

[Boscoh]

Until wireless power exists, you'll never be completely wireless...or you will until the laptop battery goes out!

Note: with wireless power, you'll have to be extremely careful about where you walk in your house.
And you thought stepping in front a high-power microwave dish was risky. Yikes!

Sorry...I couldn't resist.

 

[xenolith]

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
Note that with multiple clients connected to a single wireless access point or router, you'll be dividing the available bandwidth between all of them. Also, if you are using WEP or WPA encryption, it will further slow things down. The typical 802.11b connection with 128 bit WEP enabled will barely keep up with a 3mbit connection in the real world, and four systems sharing that bandwidth would be pretty slow.

I was thinking more along the lines of 3.5Mb to 4Mb "real world" connection with 802.11b. 1Mb average connection speed for each computer would be adequate for the purposes of this user (basically just web surfing, emailing, lite file downloading, online gaming, and no file sharing).

Also, an unrelated question. The user just hit me with this, he plans on using one lappy in a camp 100ft away from his house. So I plan on placing the router near an exterior wall in the house (on the camp side) and told him to only use his camp's lappy near an exterior wall (on the house side). There shouldn't be a problem with that, should there?

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: xenolith

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
Note that with multiple clients connected to a single wireless access point or router, you'll be dividing the available bandwidth between all of them. Also, if you are using WEP or WPA encryption, it will further slow things down. The typical 802.11b connection with 128 bit WEP enabled will barely keep up with a 3mbit connection in the real world, and four systems sharing that bandwidth would be pretty slow.

I was thinking more along the lines of 3.5Mb to 4Mb "real world" connection with 802.11b. 1Mb average connection speed for each computer would be adequate for the purposes of this user (basically just web surfing, emailing, lite file downloading, online gaming, and no file sharing).

Also, an unrelated question. The user just hit me with this, he plans on using one lappy in a camp 100ft away from his house. So I plan on placing the router near an exterior wall in the house (on the camp side) and told him to only use his camp's lappy near an exterior wall (on the house side). There shouldn't be a problem with that, should there?

You might be able to get away with it if you used a directional antenna.

 

[xenolith]

Originally posted by: amdfanboy

You might be able to get away with it if you used a directional antenna.

Is that something that's hooked up to the router or client, or both? And where can I get one?

 

[xenolith]

nm...

I found one here.

 

[JackMDS]

Entry Level hardware, Two wall 100?, even with a Directional Antenna it will not work.

The Antenna has to Out side facing one the other in order to work.

:sun:

 

[xenolith]

What if I did this, put an AP (another wireless router) in the camp's window, and then put a more powerful directional antenna in a upstairs window of the house? I mean we're talking only 100 feet with clear line of sight here. I thought that entry level 802.11b wireless routers were rated at 150 to 300 feet, depending upon how many walls, wall thickness, and wall angles.

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: xenolith
What if I did this, put an AP (another wireless router) in the camp's window, and then put a more powerful directional antenna in a upstairs window of the house? I mean we're talking only 100 feet with clear line of sight here. I thought that entry level 802.11b wireless routers were rated at 150 to 300 feet, depending upon how many walls, wall thickness, and wall angles.

*actual distance may vary

You have a pretty low chance of getting it to work, but maybe.

 

[xenolith]

Nah, I'll take your word for it guy's and tell him it can't be done with such entry level equipment.

Thanks for the help folks.

 

[ktwebb]

Oh it can be done, you might just have to be creative.

In answer to your original question, if you understand that there will be a wire to the router/AP, then yes you can be completely wireless. Power and the broadband connection will be cord/cabled to the router. From there you can go wireless the rest of the way. All clients can be wireless in other words. Many AP's will be setup to send SSID and IP's to associating clients out of the box however it's usually preferable to setup the security features with a wired machine. Laptop or whatever, then deploy the wireless clients.

 

[xenolith]

Originally posted by: ktwebb
Oh it can be done, you might just have to be creative.

Yeah, I'll say. I also realized, if I put in a directional antenna facing out toward the camp, all the other clients in the house would get no signal.

Anyway, I told my friend, with the amount of money he wanted to spend, it couldn't be done. He took it rather well. :beer: