Making my computer wireless?

[GrandeGuy]

I want to move my computer across my living room but don't want wire's laying around,
I know there must be a way of doing it, because when my wife is on her
iPhone it keeps coming up with "sky ***** when we click on the number it Say's enter pass code.
So i know our router can do wireless but i need to know what to do or add to my computer to make it wireless.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

(PS i am a computer noob and they scare me more than stripping an auto gearbox down)

 

[custard]

so you have a sky router now?
what PC do you have?
easiest way is a USB wifi dongle,or a PCI wifi card

edit: if your sky router is still in its default settings(eg you havent changed it) then you should change that
i think its admin and sky to log into the router on 192.168.0.1

 

[GrandeGuy]

so you have a sky router now?
what PC do you have?
easiest way is a USB wifi dongle,or a PCI wifi card

edit: if your sky router is still in its default settings(eg you havent changed it) then you should change that
i think its admin and sky to log into the router on 192.168.0.1

I've had this router since we got the computer about 4years now, got it from sky.
I've always wanted to move the computer but wasn't until my wife's iPhone kept trying to connect to the sky router that made me think can i make my desktop wireless?
I've been hearing "dongles" mentioned, also I've got the chance of a wireless hardboard (think thats what it's called) for free?
But i have no idea where is goes or how to change the settings

 

[Shadeyman]

I want to move my computer across my living room but don't want wire's laying around,
I know there must be a way of doing it, because when my wife is on her
iPhone it keeps coming up with "sky ***** when we click on the number it Say's enter pass code.
So i know our router can do wireless but i need to know what to do or add to my computer to make it wireless.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

(PS i am a computer noob and they scare me more than stripping an auto gearbox down)

The pass code(network key) is printed on the label on the bottom of you Sky router.

Buy a Wireless dongle from PC world.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/netgear-wna3100-wireless-usb-adapter-802-11-b-g-n-06898047-pdt.html

Plug it into your PC and enter the pass code when asked.

 

[GrandeGuy]

So dongle is the way to go then? Not actually fitting an extra board?
Also wireless wont ruin my upload/down load+PING numbers will it?
It's slow enough as it is

 

[NachtDerUntoten]

Evening fellow cumbrian :wave:

If you're technically minded a PCI card is the way to go, however it's easier to install a USB dongle.

Upload/download may be slower if you're quite some distance from the router and/or you have alot of walls between the router and the PC.

 

[GrandeGuy]

Evening fellow cumbrian :wave:

If you're technically minded a PCI card is the way to go, however it's easier to install a USB dongle.

Upload/download may be slower if you're quite some distance from the router and/or you have alot of walls between the router and the PC.

Someone mentioned about a spare card one they had laying around i could have,
so if i can persuade him to fit it that would be a better idea?

 

[cainy1989]

if its just overa short distance then USB is the easier way to go, as for the wifi pass it should be printed on a card they sent out with the router and on the base of the router

as for purchasing on id use a site called scan.co.uk there just a tad cheaper than PC word

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/dynamode-wl-700n-mini-11n-150mbps-usb-wireless-adapter

 

[Stu DemonD]

as for purchasing on id use a site called scan.co.uk there just a tad cheaper than PC word

Just about every PC site on the net is cheaper than PC World... (unless of course they are doing a special).

I use a mix n match of Scan, eBuyer, Novatech, Dabs - all depends on the build I am doing, eBuyer tends to be my fave.

 

[Eklipze3k]

I find with the Sky router (if it's the same Sagem one I've got) the wireless is pants as it doesnt use an antenna, very slow for gaming (if that's your plan) but OK for surfing/email.

 

[Stu DemonD]

I actually use four 200Mb Powerline adaptors around the house - one at the main BT socket with the router, one near the TV into an 8 point Gigabit switch (so connect up all the consoles, etc under there), one in my study into a 5 point Gigabit switch (for my main PC, network printers) and finally one in the spare PC / playroom upstairs.

They work really well and no wireless dropouts, obviously.

 

[Eklipze3k]

I've always been curious about the powerline doodads, but at the price they were when I was looking (not sure if they're cheaper now) it just wasn't worth it.

 

[Stu DemonD]

I got 2 sets of these at the time: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/160665

But I paid £34.03 NET for each set (I am VAT regged!) - so not that bad. Other choice was to have wireless bridges everywhere!

 

[custard]

I've always been curious about the powerline doodads, but at the price they were when I was looking (not sure if they're cheaper now) it just wasn't worth it.

cheaper now

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=110816&source=webgains&siteid=20363

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/pro...ins&siteid=20363&source=webgains&siteid=20363

 

[Stu DemonD]

I would say go for the fatest ones - I don't get 200Mb in this house, but it just means they drop down to something that is still useable.

Whereas if I got the 85Mb ones, it may be too slow.

I will try and run a few speedtests if possible, will FTP a few files around the network.

But I do use this PC for gaming AND both the 360 and PS3 are live as well and I never have any issues. I presume it depends on your wiring, this house is only 8 years old.

 

[Stu DemonD]

Right, just moved 8 files from my D drive in this PC across via CuteFTP to a 1TB drive in my Popcorn Hour sitting under the TV. It was averaging out at 50Mb.

Of course, I presume that depends on other variables like drive speeds.

 

[garlicbread22]

I would suggest one of these. I have one and the range and signal strength is amazing! where my usb dongle was getting no signal, this is almost full

Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW 1W 802.11b: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

[ChrisUK]

No wireless drop-outs although quite ironically they work very similar to WIFI access points in the way the data is framed. Probably because they need to be encrypted and it's much easier to adopt the standards used for Wifi than start again. This coupled with noise and interference means throughput will vary massively on environment.

I too wanted to try them in my house but I chickened out and ran some Cat 5e .

 

[GrandeGuy]

I find with the Sky router (if it's the same Sagem one I've got) the wireless is pants as it doesnt use an antenna, very slow for gaming (if that's your plan) but OK for surfing/email.

Im lucky because i can run a wire to the Xbox where it stands but for the computer it'll be 3meters away across the room so should have good signal
Also it might improve things because I've got 6 metres of cable running to the router now, so i will be able to run some very short bad ass cable to the router instead

 

[Shadeyman]

I have 3 PS3's, 1 wired and 2 wireless. 2 laptops both wireless and 2 desktop PCs both wired. They all link to my Sky router(the one that looks like a small Sky HD box) and I have no problems at all.

Sitting in the garage at the moment so the WiFi signal has to travel through 4 walls in the house plus the garage wall, a total distance of about 20 meters.

Here's the results of a speed test I just did.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/1171702586.png

Here's the results of a Ping test I just did.
http://www.pingtest.net/result/35365269.png