Ms

[Cooks]

well we currently have a home pc and two ps3's running through our router which is a D-Link DIR-635. Hubby has said he will buy me an early birthday/christmas pressie and I want a laptop so my query is will this router be strong enough to cope with me running the laptop wireless from downstairs? I would hate to buy it and not be able to get internet on it.

Any advice welcomed

[Space Chick]

Just run this past my techy OH and he reckons that it should be fine, our router isn't as good as yours and we run 2 laptops, 2 iPhones and a PC anywhere in the house (not all at the same time though but OH reckons the number of devices wont be an issue)

[littlecrow]

It should do ...

we have 3 sometimes 4 laptops running through ours.

[Cooks]

thanks Debs, the reason I was thinking there might be a problem is becuase when both boys were playing on the PS3's wireless their connection was pants so they are now wired through the router rather than wireless.

I am trying to to think if there is someone with a laptop I know that could come round and try to connect to the internet through their lappy from here to see what the connection is like.

 

edited to add...thanks also to littlecrow

[Space Chick]

If I was closer I would oblige

[Cooks]

your not THAT far..

[Geoid]

It should connect fine, but if everyone is using the net at once, your connection will be slower.

[Cooks]

thanks Fred, I think the problem occurs becuase of the PS3's and them going on these powerfull games..

 

also whilst your about do you know how I can stop people hacking my wireless account.. I ahve tried doing a pin etc.... I am a little lost by it all, but I had someones ipod connected to it.... cheeky blighters.

[Geoid]

Somewhere in the router settings there will be a security tab/link/button etc. Go on that, you then will be given options of security - None, WEP, WPA and WPA 2. Choose WPA, then set a password, make sure it is a good mix of numbers and letters. Press confirm/save etc. Then, on your laptops/ps3 re connect to the network and enter the password.

[majorbloodnock]

Good advice from Fred, and kept straightforward despite wireless security being a potentially complex subject. However, I will add just one other point to it, and that is that your router's wireless settings will also allow you to stop the router advertising the wireless network. That's worth doing in combination with setting a WPA password, since that setting simply means that, if a laptop browses for available networks, yours won't appear in the list. However, if you have a connection already set up with the correct wireless network name, your laptop will connect fine. In short, a password is sensible for barring access, but not telling the world there's something to hack into is even better.

 

On the subject of connection speeds (to the router) and wireless signal strength, it's also worth bearing in mind that bluetooth devices talk with each other using the same frequencies as wireless networks. For that reason, bluetooth devices running at the same time as stuff attached to a wireless network can sometimes degrade each others' performance a little. It's not in practice a particularly marked effect, but it costs nothing to switch bluetooth off on your mobile phone (the most likely device to have it running) when you're not using it.

 

As far as wireless range is concerned, about 30 metres is pretty much your limit. The signal isn't greatly affected by walls, but hates travelling through metal, so you'll not have a problem connecting upstairs to a router downstairs, but if you've any metal shelving that might reduce the signal in that direction.

[Falkor]

Hey Cookie,

 

(can you get on here please i have some very exciting news!!!!)

 

But...back to your thread....if jus is not using it for appointmnents on Tuesday evening I will bring his lappy with me

 

My laptop has gone to sleep------forever!

[Cooks]

Somewhere in the router settings there will be a security tab/link/button etc. Go on that, you then will be given options of security - None, WEP, WPA and WPA 2. Choose WPA, then set a password, make sure it is a good mix of numbers and letters. Press confirm/save etc. Then, on your laptops/ps3 re connect to the network and enter the password.

tried all this even with an encrypted type password... they still get in. I will try again... oooh Em that would be great if he's not using it! I am here now!!! tried calling you!

 

thanks majorbloodnock, that makes sense I have now made it invisible and am thinking of where I can resite my router, as it against a wall where the other side is my boiler, so I think it might not like travelling through that..

 

Let's see if the cheeky blighters get in now.

[Leicester_H]

make sure it is a good mix of numbers and letters.

I use car number plates of cars we USED to own (not current) - sometimes with extra letters at end - virtually un-guessable - can make a note eg. volvo# meaning the number plate of the volvo (or whatever) we had.

H

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I had a terrible time getting a decent connection to my laptop despite it being only a few feet from my router. Turned out the fridge was swallowing the signal . I put the router on a very high bookcase and it's fine now .

[Cooks]

thanks for that ANH I am wondering where I can put this router, due to the fact of how close to my computer it needs to be for wiring...

[Geoid]

I have these: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/110264

 

"Turns Any Electrical Outlet into a Home Network Connection"

[Cooks]

I never knew such a thing existed, how clever!

[Cooks]

ok I am on new laptop now with lireless connection, but only query I have is that when my router is invisible lappy cannot find it obviously so I made it visible, connected with code etc, asked to save for future and set router back to invisible, but when I discconnected and tried again it didn't see it again.

 

where am I going wrong?? theres a good wireless connection in this spot haven't tried in the kitchen yet until battery is fully charged up.

[Geoid]

There should be some option that says connect to other (or something), then you just type in what your router is called, and it should work.

 

What is your computer running? XP, Vista, OS X?

[Cooks]

vista, and I think I have sorted it now... apparantly I can connect to about 3 different routers... mine is better though...

[Cooks]

thabks for all your help, I seem to have a great connection here in the loiving room, less by a tiny bit in the kitchen but still good so I am a happy bunny. I love my new lappy