Wireless Networking
Wireless Networking
Introduction
Manufacturers didn’t make it easy for
people to set up home networks. They also
assumed everyone knew as much as they
did about how to set the networks up. And
we were coming across headache -
inducing problems time and again. Less so
these days. Now the manufacturers have
finally woken up to the fact that people
would love to have a network in the home,
to get rid of the cables, and to be able to
place computers anywhere in the house -
or garden! But the difficulty and apparent
lack of security was putting people off.
Major manufacturer Belkin are in the
forefront of these efforts to simplify it all,
Home networks. All the rage, and with good reason. These days, if you have more than
one computer in the house, you may well be using an ethernet cable system to share
your net connection. But these days, there’s another way. Wireless.
HCR
and they have come up with a brand new
range of wireless routers which are based
on the now-familiar idea of ‘Apps’, such as
pioneered for mobile phones. This has
meant that it’s easier for the customer to
understand, and easier to upgrade. Also, it
comes with all the security settings already
set up in the factory (all set differently!), so
you can’t get that wrong through lack of
knowledge. There are zillions of different
products on the market, but we here are
going to go only for the very latest and best
that there is, and all of it is from Belkin,
partly because we think it’s good, but also,
getting everything from the same
manufacturer ensures compatibility.
What you need
The wireless routers below are grouped into two types: they are both wireless broadband
routers, but one has a built in adsl2+ modem, and the other doesn’t. Since you already have
an internet connection you already have a modem. If you want to keep it, then you’ll want
the router without modem. If you want to change it, then pick the router with a built-in
modem.
In either case, the computers you’re going to use also need a wifi adapter so they can talk to
the router. All modern laptops already have them built-in, but it’s easy to get one for any
computer that doesn’t. To get the best results you really want the adapter that’s designed to
go with the router, and that is what’s presented here. So, decide if you want an included
modem or not, and then go to the appropriate box below, which will have all that’s required
for your setup.
NOTE: You don’t have to get the adapter for a computer without built-in wifi straight away;
the routers both have 4 x 1 gigabit ethernet ports on them, and so you could still connect up
to 4 computers by cable as before, while still having others exclusively using wifi.
Router without Modem
Wireless Broadband Router
Wireless NN+ Adapter
This is the router. This one does
not have a modem built in.
Please make sure you have
selected the correct one!
This is the heart of your
wireless system.
If you have a computer that you
want to connect to your network
that doesn’t already have wifi,
then you need this USB adapter,
which is designed to go with the
router at left. You need 1 for each
such computer.
Router with Modem
Wireless NN+ Adapter
This is the router. This one has
a modem built in. Please make
sure you have selected the
correct one!
This is the heart of your
wireless system.
If you have a computer that you
want to connect to your network
that doesn’t already have wifi, then
you need this USB adapter, which
is designed to go with the router at
left. You need 1 for each such
computer.