Which Networking approach makes sense?

[jmatej]

I have a new home that was pre-wired with CAT5 cable. My office, primary computer, and cable modem are located on the third floor. I have thought about a wireless network but have read many disappointing posts regarding the range of these systems. My family room is two floors down(on the opposite side of the house). I would like to use my lap top as a second computer (mostly in the family room) but some flexibilty would be nice. Should I just get a conventional router and hard wired the laptop or should I get a wireless/wired combo router/access point.? Is the technology likely to significantly improve so that a conventional wired network is the best choice now and just "upgrade" later with wireless access point?
Any thoughts and specific suggestions (brands etc) would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Russ]

Why would you go wireless when the house is already wired? Use the existing setup. It's faster and more secure then wireless (at this point).

Russ, NCNE

 

[Schmo]

My house is wired but I like the luxury of picking up the laptop and taking it with me around the house. It would be a pain to keep unplugging it and plugging it back in. Yeah, I know... talk about lazy and spoiled.

 

[Poof]

Yeah but as Russ said, at this point, wireless might seem pretty nifty in the whiz-bang/feature dept., but the security sucks, since it is so early in the game for a RFC like 802.11. While you're walking around the house with your wireless, someone could be in the house next door or out on the sidewalk, or even faking like a repairman up on a telephone pole with a sniffer, having a ball...

I think the tech is pretty cool and is getting there, but there's ALOT that needs to happen with how it encrypts its transmissions.

Remember why the newer cordless phones have so many channels available for use nowadays? Think about that now with respect to wireless ethernet.

 

[drquest]

I'm aware of the security issues surrounding 802.11b, but I for one couldn't live without it. I only have a two story house, but having the luxury of carrying the laptop anywhere inside or outside and still being connected is well worth the risk. I've had my Orinocco (Lucent) setup for 9 months now and had reservations about it before the purchase, but it was hands down one of the most impressive hardware components I've added bar none... the cable modem probably coming in second.

I thought I'd have a hard time convincing my wife we needed it, but she uses it more than I do. We have 4 computers here, three on hard line, and one wireless laptop.

mrpeabody

 

[cipher00]

I went with both.

My router (SMC Barricade AWBR7004) is located in the basement in a corner (I know, I know). Throughput is reasonable if not great in the rest of the house and a little bit of the back yard if I don't stray too far. The neighbors' houses are far away, and otherwise there're roads, so I don't worry too much, yet, about security. I run Zonealarm on all the machines, but that does inhibit some of the LAN capability (gotta check out Zonealarm Pro or fiddle with it some more). I use SMC 2632W wireless cards. All the SMC stuff is good, with very good documentation.

Cat5e runs to several upstairs rooms, but the laptops are constantly moving, so I don't really dock them much.

Works, pretty well, IMO.

FWIW.

 

[Soulbane]

They make a wireless router that also has normal cat5 ports. Sorta a 2 in 1 router.

THis way you could use t he wireless for the laptop and still use cables for everything else.

 

[JackMDS]

If you get a Wireless Cable/DSL Router, you have three regular ports + Access point. For the Laptop, you will need Wireless Card.

Wireless Cable/DSL Router is about $120 more then regular Cable/DSL Router. Wireless Card for the Laptop is about $60 more then regular PCMCIA NIC.

So, we are talking about $180, not about big techno-philosophical issue.

 

[Poof]

I'm aware of the security issues surrounding 802.11b, but I for one couldn't live without it.

:Q

LOL!

Spoiled spoiled we are nowadays, aren't we??!!

 

[TonyRic]

I am running both ways...

Server 2nd floor (Cape style house) (Celery 466) 10/100 Wired
Server #2 Old Compaq Laptop 10/100 Wired
Sun SparcStation 20 Dually CPU 10/100 Wired
Desks for both me and my wife with docking cradles for both laptops in the same room as the server with 10/100 Wire pulled and Xircom 10/100 PCMCIA Nics sitting waiting for laptops
Son's computer on the first floor in his bedroom with Cat5e ran to the switch on the second floor
Wanted the portability that we bought the lappys for so I replaced my DLink DI-704 (Great router and it is FS right now) with an SMC Barricade
SMC Barricade Wireless Router with 3 Ports and Print Server (HP DeskJet 952C) in the approx center of the house on the 2nd floor
DLink DWL-650's for each of the 2 laptops

I have the freedom of wireless roaming all over the house and even out in the yard with no drop off in Internet speed.

If I need pure raw unadulterated network performance, I dock at my desk (Which is getting VERY dusty), plug in the Xircom and I am off to the races...

This setup works very well for my wife and I as it provides us with all kinds of options.

 

[jmatej]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!!! What in fact is a realistic range that I can expect with wireless in a new house of wooden construction? Would it make sense to place a hardwire router at the cable modem on the third floor and then use a wireless AP plugged into the CAt5 on the first or second floor to opimize location/coverage or could I place a hub/switch at the modem and a combo router/wireless on the first or second floor?