wireless connections through router at home

[Binnatics]

Hi all,

I just bought a Macbook pro 13" for my wife's birthday. Half because she needs an alternative to get on the net when I'm bussy gaming, and half because I love these toys myself.  >:D
I also ordered a wireless router that will fit for the cable-connection of my rig plus a stable and safe way to get connected to the net with the macbook. It's a "WL-342 Sitecom Wireless Router 300N X3" and I hope it will w@&k out well in both stability and safety.
Are there any of you knowing about wireless networking at home with these types of routers? I'm completely blank on that matter, except for the fact that my cablecompany recommended this router. It's more than sufficient for the cable bandwidth I'm using, that's for sure. Only I don't know if and how it's protected. Well, it says that it has a simple 'one-touch-safe-connect-button' which would make the thing encript everything that goes through, so that sounds good.
I also want to be sure that nobody can connect to the router 'from the streets'. Do you guys know anything about that kind of security?

Thanx a lot in forward.

PS. I'm looking forward to get along with the Apple technology and I wonder what OWG looks like on that shiny toy  ;)

[Art Blade]

Sorry, I have no idea let alone experience with that stuff (Apple, WLAN). Good luck with it, though :)

[JRD]

I bought a wireless router myself a couple months ago as I have my PC in the room and the modem in my living room where me and my wife connect our lap tops.  Connecting my gaming PC to the net always required passing a cable through the house, causing my beloved one to shoot  fire from her eyes and show her claws to me  ??? ::) :-[ . Now I have a USB modem connected on my PC that replaces the cable

From my experience it was pretty easy to install. Plug and play sort of thing. The installation disc did all through a wizard program and Windows 7 was pretty helpful and fast.

I was prompted to create a router password, a security key (connection password) and choose the type of netword (most secure - WPA).The USB device also asked me those passwords in order to receive the signal coming from the modem

As I switch my laptop on I am automatically connected and I can see all available networks around me, the ones my neighbors created through a similar process. If I try to connect to one of those networks - yes, I tried but just to make sure that if I can't connect to someone else's network neither can my neighbors - I'd have to enter the router and connection passwords, which I obviously don't know.

I'm pretty sure yours will w%&k just like that. What happens sometimes is a slow connection on my gaming PC at the room which I just solve by having the USB device pointing upright or just by switching the modem off and back on so the modem can read my IP and recognize my PC.

If I remember correctly you can choose not to store your passwords on your PC as an extra protection but that will cause you to enter those everytime you go online.

As a last resource you can change passwords periodically to ensure extra protection.

As a sidenote, I have a cordless 2,4GHz phone at the living room which supposedly interfere with the modem signal, but it never actually bothers me too much as sometimes the network itself gets busy and slow  ????

I can play Assassins Creed 2, which requires continuous connection at STEAM, with no problem at all  8)

I hope it helps  :-X

===========================EDIT===========================

I'm typing from my couch, watching TV, my wife is working at the desk and I could easily have my PC downloading a game at STEAM  8)

[Binnatics]

I love how one can ask for help on anything on this site, and help is what one gets :-X Cheers to you all :)

... Totally agreed Fragger, cheers to all for making life easier  :-X ^-^

@JRD: Aaahhh, PC-lovers-heaven  ^-^ Using your laptop on the caugh in chillax mode, scrolling OWG or google whatever comes to my mind, while in the mean time my system is present at the back if I feel like some serious gaming ;)

ATM, my Desktop is allready connected to the wireless router through cable. You don't note a thing. I just plugged it into "LAN1". Appart from that, I can configure the wireless connection for the laptop. That's perfect. It works with the same username and password you mentioned, but it has some difficult serial codes at the back which I need to use. I hope I can change that later, so it will be better accessable. It's got to be rememberable at least, lol  ^-^
I hope this interfering with the wireless phone won't be a problem. I have both recievers (dock-stations) close to eachother, hidden under the couch.
The router also provides a OPS button which makes it possible to skip the password connection. You'll have to configure that first. But since I like to keep the router hidden that won't be very usefull to me I guess. If I have to worm under my sofa everytime someone fires the laptop I'll get mad  :-D

[JRD]

Cool... being at the couch watching a TV show and browsing through OWG during the commercials is truly wonderful 8)

The other day my wife plugged her lap top on the modem using the cable - I don`t know why, I don`t ask why  ::) - and all other wireless connections went down. I think it recognizes the USB cable connected and kind of "deactivates" wireless for the house  ???? . All I had to do was to unplug her lap top and reboot the modem and everything went back to normal... maybe each modem is configured in a different way and yours may be able to have wireless on while also connected to a PC via USB cable  :-X

[Binnatics]

I really hope so. That was the plan...  ????
They all said to me that it should w@&k, so let's just hope it won't give any problems when trying out  :-D

[Art Blade]

I just noticed a power surge and half the city blacked out. Did you just try to connect?

[Binnatics]

hmhmhaaha... I had to locate a possible area of side-effects in case my router would overload. Thought it would be wise to choose a location where at least someone would find out and let me know  >:D

[Art Blade]

 :-()

[mandru]

I have a cable modem for my internet connection and a wireless router connected to that so that more than one device can be connected at a time but to tell you the truth even though the router is wireless our two computers (both located on our eight foot long dual w%&k station desk) are connected hard wired through the ether-net ports.  We don't use and don't plan to use wireless functionality at all.

Which is why I've not jumped in before this point to offer suggestions because I don't have a clue other than our speed's a lot better this way.   :-D

[JRD]

Indeed wired connection will have less fluctuations in signal strength as it is not subjected to environmental interference such as cordless phones, neighbors and whatnot.

Other than that, connection speed depends on your provider, obviously, and how much traffic it can handle.

You can check your connection by clicking here. Do it at different times during the day, weekends and w@&k days and see how much it can varies... and how much you think you have for what you are paying for  ;)

[PZ]

I also want to be sure that nobody can connect to the router 'from the streets'. Do you guys know anything about that kind of security?

Although I'm not familiar with the brand/model router you are using, one very safe way of connecting is via machine address.  If you look in the system information applet under Components/Network/Adapter, you'll find an entry down the page called MAC address, which is kind of like a fingerprint of your network adapter.

All routers I've used allow you to enter the specific machine addresses of computers you want to allow access to in a list of accepted computers in the router's security applet.  Any other computer is denied access.  This way you don't even need passwords or other negotiated security methods to slow your wireless connection.

There is a down side though, data transmission is not encrypted, but if all you do is surf the 'net, this is not an issue.  In reality, how often would you expect someone with a packet sniffer to be sitting outside your house.  :-()

As an aside, for anyone with large areas that they want to cover with wireless, repeaters are a way to do that relatively easily so you don't need to worry so much about weak/nonexistent wireless signals.

[Binnatics]

@all: Thanx again for the help.

@JRD: Thanx for the tip. I'll try thatone with the laptop once. I've run various speedtests on my desktop since I've installed the router (desktop is hardline connected) and it doesn't loose even a bit of speed  ^-^
I'm not sure what will be the exact speed through wireless connection with the laptop, but so far it's working pretty fine on downloading updates like flashplayer and others for Office package and so. Browsing goes like it should. No problem at all.

@PZ: It does only allow PC's when they enter the correct password. It's so damn hard to even remember that I typed it wrong 3 times before I got access, so I guess that will do the trick. Don't expect my neighbours to go hacking into my internet. They have their own wireles stuff installed.
This connection is encripted via the latest technology so even if they do sniff in a dark corner, they won't find out what youtubevideos my wife is watching  ^-^ 8-X

[Binnatics]

By the way, the Macbook pro was very much appreciated as a bithdaygift  ^-^
I like it a lot myself too; it's so damn smooth in every little detail; the functionality, the quality of graphics and programs, the design... Imagine; it has an adapter that connects with a magnet. You just hold it close to the 'plug' and it will connect the powercord automatically  :)
There are leds as small as a needletip to show how much power is still available and some really smart function keys that can adjust the brightness and the volume.
I also like the way Mac os x is organized. All programs are nicely available through a menubar at the bottom of the screen. Another good thing about the Mac system is that you will never have to worry about virusses anymore. Part because the mac-system isn't that attractive to hackers, part because they offer a free anti-virus protection. No need for norton, AVG or other bullsh*t that needs to get new licences every year or so...
Since Mac os is gaining terrain it's well possible that in the near future the system WILL get interesting for hackers, but still they offer their free protection  ;)

I allready discovered some downsides as well for the hardcore winsystem users; there's not DEL key  ????
But no worries, there's a combination possible with the 'function key' and backspace.
I also had difficulties finding the 'right mouse button'. That's done by klicking with 2 fingers instead, very clever  ;) I really like the touchpad in any manner. The way of scrolling reminds me of using an I-phone. It's very user-friendly.

Didn't have the time to check OWG so far, my wife's dived into it  :-()

[mandru]

No Del key?   :o

It would seem to me (speaking purely from the position of an anti-Apple kind of guy   >:D  ) that a chrome plated 1.36 kg ball peen hammer would fill that functional oversight and would also be sweet for directly inputting 1's and Zeros for machine language when programming.

*** Hums to self "Bang bang Maxwell's silver hammer came down - da da daaa!"   ^-^  ***

[Art Blade]

a chrome plated 1.36 kg ball peen hammer

^+-+

[PZ]

 :-X ^+-+

[Binnatics]

 ^+-+ I guess you made your point there Mandru  ^-^