questions about wireless networking

[longhorn88]

Hi

I'm thinking of buying a wireless router and a wireless PCI card (MSI RG54G2 54M router and MSI Wireless-G 54M PCI adapter).
If I install them to my computers, would I be able to share the the
printer, share files and play LAN games just like other wired
networking allows you to?
and also, the second computer is in the next room of mine and we have a thick concrete or brick wall (around 50cm thick) that is dividing the two room. Will the signal be able to pernertrate that wall?
Thanks

i'm such a newb....

 

[Asus]

Yep, you sure can. Just think of it as radio antenna to antenna instead of a wire transfering the same data.

 

[Hells Angel]

Just keep in mind that it cuts your internet connection almost in half (well it has for me :'( )

 

[duffers20]

Just keep in mind that it cuts your internet connection almost in half (well it has for me :'( )

Is that because you and someone else share teh connection so it allocates half the connection speed to you and the other half to teh other pc? If thats what you mean, then its kinda strange, because my wireless router only allocates what the pc demands if you know what I mean.

 

[slicktick]

i have never had problems with connection speed on the internet unless i have a poor signal from the router. I think they are magnificent, although im on a laptop and it makes it worth it so much.

 

[WhiteZero]

100mbit wireless technology will be out soon, which matches your typical 10/100 ethernet that 99% of households with a wired network use.

 

[Asus]

Wireless gets slower as you move away from the wireless router. So if you have a 54Mbps rated wireless and you are sitting near it you might be getting 40Mbps. If you move to a different room far down the hall then you might be looking at 25Mbps.

The thing is that most internet connections are not that fast at all. My cable is 3Mbps so I wouldn't notice any difference surfing the web. Transfering files from PC to PC would be a big difference though compared to wired.

 

[giant384]

100mbit wireless technology will be out soon, which matches your typical 10/100 ethernet that 99% of households with a wired network use.

they have 108mb routers

 

[holydeadpenguins]

they have 108mb routers

The real world bandwidth on those is really only around 22mbps. Pre-n routers have a lot more bandwidth than that, though they dont get near their advertised speeds.

 

[duffers20]

I havent had any problems with bandwidth issues when it comes to pc to pc related networking. My music is on a 2nd drive on my pc, and my sister(s) will listen to it totally fine as if it were on that pc. Also if they have a problem, sometimes, if I'm feeling lazy, then I will remote desktop across and try and fix any problems, which is also very smooth, no lag at all with that.

EDIT: Just to say that I have a linksys 54mbit wireless-g router

 

[Link]

54g wireless here, absolutly stunning. Utterly recommended.

 

[holydeadpenguins]

Stock linksys firmware isn't too great, a lot of people i know have had lots of connection problems. But if you get a wrt54g or 54gs, you can get 3rd party firmware and do all kinds of things, boost the signal strenght play around with the linux shell etc. These routers aren't too expensive anymore. I hate my dlink 108mbps router though ;-)

 

[duffers20]

Stock linksys firmware isn't too great, a lot of people i know have had lots of connection problems. But if you get a wrt54g or 54gs, you can get 3rd party firmware and do all kinds of things, boost the signal strenght play around with the linux shell etc. These routers aren't too expensive anymore. I hate my dlink 108mbps router though ;-)

I was thinking about doing this, although, I have heard people having to get new routers because they somehow bugger up the flashing process, which I don't want to do as its working fine now, and if it ain't broke..

 

[3ssence]

I have dabbled in the world of wireless, only to go back to wired. But not because wireless isn't good. My problem was that i play css competitively, and in the middle of maches sometimes my connection to the network would drop, albeit very briefly, but long enough to disconnect you from a match, which isn't particularly helpful.

Apart from this i think wireless is great, tidy, the speed difference especially when surfing as asus says is unnoticeable. And if you have a laptop then it is even better, because of the freedom of being able to move around the house, lounge in the garden, whilst surfing the net.

Netgear wireless equipment is of particularly good quality and definitely worth a look.