Wireless PCI

[Fancy Pants]

For the past couple of years whenever we wanted to get on the internet we needed to run a phone cord into the next room. I've just ordered DSL and I was wondering if I have to run a cord to my PC from the phone jack or if there's a wireless antenna of some sort I can just hook into my 10/100 ethernet card.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

you'll need a wireless router before you'll be able to pick up anything.

 

[EEE]

you could drop another phone line into the room yourself, or you could have sbc do it for a fee. i think time warner charges $75 for extra cable drops, so the phone company probably charges about the same. maybe they include it with the installation. call them and ask.

 

[KMcCoy33]

They make wireless adapters that you can use that way with your existing NIC card, but it is usually the same price or cheaper even to just buy a wireless PCI card. Like mentioned above, you will need a wireless router also. The best deal this week in stores is the D-Link wireless G router and PCI card (DI-524 and DWL-G510). I think Best Buy has each for $20 after rebate.
Last week CompUSA had all their wireless G network stuff for $10 each after rebate so if you just look in the weekly ads, you should be able to find everything you need for pretty cheap.

 

[idigTexas]

Your DSL modem will have at least one ethernet port. I would go with a direct connection from the modem to the PC. To avoid cable in the hallway, and assuming that the room with the phone jack shares a common wall with the computer room, I would install a jack in each of the rooms on the common wall, and connect them with a small lenghth of CAT5e. Connect patch cables from the computer and modem to their respective jacks, and you are good to go. You can get everything you need (jacks, faceplates, drywall inserts, cables) at Altex for a lot less than a wireless router and PCI card. It sounds like a lot more trouble than it really is. If you have a drywall saw and a screwdriver, you can do this task faster than getting wireless properly configured, and you don't have to worry about the neighbor's kid trying to hack your wireless connection.

 

[BA93]

Wireless connections are great for laptops that might be moved anywhere in the house, but could be more trouble for a immobile PC. Besides as nice as the current wireless connections are, they are still slower than wired.

 

[Fancy Pants]

This is the router I got.
My computer has a ethernet card, but not a wireless PCI. So as I understand it, my choice is to get a Wireless PCI card or run a new telephnoe line. Since the computer is nowhere near an existing line I would have to run a new seperate line. It will be the only computer online.

How much speed would I lose if I went to a wireless setup? I'm at 3050 kbps(?) right now. Would it slow my surfing and downloading of files a great deal? I had someone tell me at a computer store that it wouldn't, but he just seemed intent on selling me something.

 

[OrangeHair]

I think the wireless b routers transfer up to 11Mbps and the g routers up to 54 Mbps. So theoretically you shouldn't notice slower surfing for either b or g because your broadband at 3-4Mbps is slower. But keep in mind I said "up to 11 Mbps" so in practice it may be a weaker or slower connection depending on the distance between router and PC. Personally I wouldn't do wireless for a desktop if only for reliability issues (unless absolutely necessary which it may be in your case). I'm no expert on wireless though, I usually use a hardwired desktop.