wireless adapter question - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

illdeviant · 03-08-2007, 12:59 PM

I was just curious as to the differences between various types of wireless adapters including the adapter cards (suckers you slide into your pci slot), usbs, and the little boxes that attach via usb with the antennas on the side.

I'm currently relocating and will be moving into a house with strangers. I do not know their router type although I would assume at least a 802.11g network.

I'm thinking that for the boxes and cards (some I saw had an antenna attached to an extension .. couple feet long) would be able to give you some more reach if you're in a high interference area although I don't think (at least hope) that this wouldn't be a problem. I believe they mostly run on 2.4ghz freq( 'a' is 5 I think) .. which if i recall correctly, a bunch of wireless phones do too. If that isn't the problem then is there a drastic difference between the three types? perhaps heating issues for the usb adapters? I plan on leaving the computer online with a powerdown perhaps once a week.

Most were typically usb 2.0 so that wasn't the problem

I saw that 55Mbps was pretty much average.. about 7megs/s right?
-I predominantly torrent stuff 24/7 and play some warcraftIII everynow and then. would this be sufficient? From glancing at craigslist I saw that many of the apts came with cox cable. I don't know if that's any indication of the bandwidth type/quality. Again, of course it would also depend on the router too.

I also saw 128/64bit wep wpa encryption.
-from my understanding wep is preferred over wpa. Is this encryption necessary? I plan on doing some banking stuff on the computer so would whoever is at the host computer the router is connected to would he be able to snoop? Naturally I'd have at least zone alarm running or something.

thanks for the help. I didn't think that pc specs were necessary but definately hit me if it is.

MikeSty · 03-08-2007, 02:18 PM

Just get a recent USB wireless adapter that runs 802.11g and it will let you run B if necessary. 54mbps is the most common wireless router speed. The speed should be fine, what might cramp you is (it sounds like) a bunch of people will be sharing your connection. You should be good though. Encryption is only doable if they have encryption on their router.

illdeviant · 03-12-2007, 03:29 PM

so basically the encryption and speed is dependent on what the router runs, eh?
bleh. I'm gonna miss my land line FIOS =*(

Dilbert1234567 · 03-12-2007, 03:44 PM

encryption and speed is base on the lowest of the 2 devices, if you have an 802.11 g router and an 802.11 wireless card, you will be stuck at 11 mb/s... don't forget you can just punch wholes in your wall and run wires. i wired my hole house for about $50, and some sweat.

MikeSty · 03-12-2007, 04:44 PM

Yeah, I have no idea why my family insists on having wires. Albeit, it's different when your house is over a century old and the wall between the router and them was once the outside wall of the house.

And.. teehee, you said wholes. Teeheeeee.

Dilbert1234567 · 03-12-2007, 06:41 PM

that was a pun, i made holes wiring my whole house.

spindles · 03-14-2007, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illdeviant

I also saw 128/64bit wep wpa encryption.
-from my understanding wep is preferred over wpa.

your understanding is incorrect

WPA is better than WEP

Dilbert1234567 · 03-14-2007, 07:14 AM

the designers of WEP were inept, they did not understand the theory of encryption and statistical analysis.

illdeviant · 03-24-2007, 03:10 PM

haha. thanks. as for the (w)holes in the wall it's not my place. I'm renting a room in a house ^^

I guess the bigger situation here is.... this lady has I guess a pretty new house where there are 2 ethernet ports in each room (it's labeled cat5 or something. one port is white the other blue). Currently, she has some crap AT&T dsl and so has a phone line hooked to a modem and an ethernet cord from the modem to her pc. Now here I come and I want to utilize the ports in the wall. How does that work?

I imagine that each port in each room is basically the output of an ethernet extension cable that feeds through the house. I would think that if there were 5 rooms with a port in each room, that at a central location in the house the 5 ethernet cables would come together and there would be 5 ports next to eaach other on the wall. Then, in order to make use of the infrastructure ( i want to avoid wireless... duno to me it's less efficient and secure.. I think cheaper too if i have to purchase a wireless router and adapter) I buy a router feed all of the 5 wires from the wall into the router then feed that to the modem? Is that a legit process or do I have the system totally backwards?

03-08-2007, 12:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
illdeviant Crazy Location: Lawn Guyland	wireless adapter question I was just curious as to the differences between various types of wireless adapters including the adapter cards (suckers you slide into your pci slot), usbs, and the little boxes that attach via usb with the antennas on the side. I'm currently relocating and will be moving into a house with strangers. I do not know their router type although I would assume at least a 802.11g network. I'm thinking that for the boxes and cards (some I saw had an antenna attached to an extension .. couple feet long) would be able to give you some more reach if you're in a high interference area although I don't think (at least hope) that this wouldn't be a problem. I believe they mostly run on 2.4ghz freq( 'a' is 5 I think) .. which if i recall correctly, a bunch of wireless phones do too. If that isn't the problem then is there a drastic difference between the three types? perhaps heating issues for the usb adapters? I plan on leaving the computer online with a powerdown perhaps once a week. Most were typically usb 2.0 so that wasn't the problem I saw that 55Mbps was pretty much average.. about 7megs/s right? -I predominantly torrent stuff 24/7 and play some warcraftIII everynow and then. would this be sufficient? From glancing at craigslist I saw that many of the apts came with cox cable. I don't know if that's any indication of the bandwidth type/quality. Again, of course it would also depend on the router too. I also saw 128/64bit wep wpa encryption. -from my understanding wep is preferred over wpa. Is this encryption necessary? I plan on doing some banking stuff on the computer so would whoever is at the host computer the router is connected to would he be able to snoop? Naturally I'd have at least zone alarm running or something. thanks for the help. I didn't think that pc specs were necessary but definately hit me if it is.

03-12-2007, 03:44 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	encryption and speed is base on the lowest of the 2 devices, if you have an 802.11 g router and an 802.11 wireless card, you will be stuck at 11 mb/s... don't forget you can just punch wholes in your wall and run wires. i wired my hole house for about $50, and some sweat. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

03-12-2007, 06:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	that was a pun, i made holes wiring my whole house. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

03-14-2007, 07:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	the designers of WEP were inept, they did not understand the theory of encryption and statistical analysis. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen Last edited by Dilbert1234567; 03-14-2007 at 07:17 AM.. Reason: wee => were

03-08-2007, 02:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
MikeSty The Computer Kid :D Location: 127.0.0.1	Just get a recent USB wireless adapter that runs 802.11g and it will let you run B if necessary. 54mbps is the most common wireless router speed. The speed should be fine, what might cramp you is (it sounds like) a bunch of people will be sharing your connection. You should be good though. Encryption is only doable if they have encryption on their router.

03-12-2007, 03:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
illdeviant Crazy Location: Lawn Guyland	so basically the encryption and speed is dependent on what the router runs, eh? bleh. I'm gonna miss my land line FIOS =*(

03-12-2007, 04:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
MikeSty The Computer Kid :D Location: 127.0.0.1	Yeah, I have no idea why my family insists on having wires. Albeit, it's different when your house is over a century old and the wall between the router and them was once the outside wall of the house. And.. teehee, you said wholes. Teeheeeee.

03-24-2007, 03:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
illdeviant Crazy Location: Lawn Guyland	haha. thanks. as for the (w)holes in the wall it's not my place. I'm renting a room in a house ^^ I guess the bigger situation here is.... this lady has I guess a pretty new house where there are 2 ethernet ports in each room (it's labeled cat5 or something. one port is white the other blue). Currently, she has some crap AT&T dsl and so has a phone line hooked to a modem and an ethernet cord from the modem to her pc. Now here I come and I want to utilize the ports in the wall. How does that work? I imagine that each port in each room is basically the output of an ethernet extension cable that feeds through the house. I would think that if there were 5 rooms with a port in each room, that at a central location in the house the 5 ethernet cables would come together and there would be 5 ports next to eaach other on the wall. Then, in order to make use of the infrastructure ( i want to avoid wireless... duno to me it's less efficient and secure.. I think cheaper too if i have to purchase a wireless router and adapter) I buy a router feed all of the 5 wires from the wall into the router then feed that to the modem? Is that a legit process or do I have the system totally backwards?