ozgeek Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I have three computers at home; Apple MAC Leopard, Windows XP and a Linux box. I'm thinking of getting a laptop with windows Vista and want to put in a wireless network to service all the computers.I'd appreciate some advice regarding the easiest wireless router system to buy and setup. Please feel free to tell me your experiences - both positive and negative - in setting up a wireless network and, especially, any good sites with step-by-step instructions.Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveydoom Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) My opinion is that Linksys routers are much better than D-Link. I've had nothing but headaches with D-link routers over the past 3 years. I've always been able to get Linksys routers up and running in about 10 mins or less but for some reason the D-links I've had to set up have either been a real struggle to get up and running and/or they "lose their minds" within days/weeks/months and I have to set them up all over again .Unfortunately I have no good sites with step by step instructions .Here's a link from a recent SNL thread with some info on wireless security:http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?showtopic=20111You plug the router directly into your PC (ethernet cable), enter your account name and password and then you jump right into the security settings. Sorry I can't be of more help but I'm sure someone will have more precise details once you decide on a router . Edited February 29, 2008 by daveydoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompso Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) I have had 2 Linksys routers in my lifetime and have had great experiences with them. The router was a Linksys WRT54G.I used a Westell wireless router that had a DSL modem incorporated. The Westell was garbage. It was not user friendly.Just my 2 cents,Matt Edited February 29, 2008 by mthompso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Linksys WRT54G is an awesome router:http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54G-Wirel...r/dp/B00007KDVII have also had good luck in recent past with the CG814WG -- I think that's the one, but the picture doesn't show the blue light on the side that you can turn on/off (as long as you manually set it up):http://www.netgear.com/Products/Routersand...rs/CG814WG.aspx*Note: if you have X-Box Live, you might want to stay with v1 Netgear CG814WG routers and not v2 -- apparently v2 big headaches.Personally I would stick with the WRT65G especially for multi-OS environments.In fact, most routers are much easier to setup with oddities if you set them up manually as davydoom mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I'll also pipe in for good results from Linksys.And, like daveydoom said, I've also had headaches with D-Link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveydoom Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) I have a spare PC running SmoothWall and that's my router/firewall with DHCP enabled. I then disabled DHCP on my Linksys WRT54G router and I use it as a Wireless Access Point (WAP). It's running on a different subnet than my wired computers.Proably not the easy solution you're looking for but since you're already familiar with Linux I figured I'd toss it out there as an alternative . When people ask why I bother using the SmoothWall when the Linksys can handle the entire network I just say, what fun is that? The Smoothwall is much more flexible and adds to the overall security of my network. Edited February 29, 2008 by daveydoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Many thanks, Everyone. It looks like the Linksys WRT54G is the way to go. I've read quite a few favourable comments - in addition to your own - and no negative ones. I'm now tracking down a simple step-by-step list of instructions on how to setup up my network. You wouldn't believe some of the complicated ones that there are around - Microsoft is the worst so far Once again, thanks for your advice. :thumbsup:ps. I've noted the importance of security in the wireless networking. There have been a few instances illustrated on our local TV lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Quick question, Jan. Will your Linux box be connecting wirelessly or will it be wired to the router?If you really want full control over your router (and want to totally geek out) get either a Linksys WRT54GL or WRT54GS and install DD-WRT firmware on it. That will give you options way beyond Linksys' native firmware. I've done that, so you know it's not all that difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Quick question, Jan. Will your Linux box be connecting wirelessly or will it be wired to the router?If you really want full control over your router (and want to totally geek out) get either a Linksys WRT54GL or WRT54GS and install DD-WRT firmware on it. That will give you options way beyond Linksys' native firmware. I've done that, so you know it's not all that difficult.Jeber, I'll be using the wireless connection for all my boxes, including Linux.Thanks for the advice re: DD-WRT. Sounds excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompso Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Many thanks, Everyone. It looks like the Linksys WRT54G is the way to go. I've read quite a few favourable comments - in addition to your own - and no negative ones. I'm now tracking down a simple step-by-step list of instructions on how to setup up my network. You wouldn't believe some of the complicated ones that there are around - Microsoft is the worst so far Once again, thanks for your advice. :thumbsup:ps. I've noted the importance of security in the wireless networking. There have been a few instances illustrated on our local TV lately. EZLAN.NET seems to have some of the best instructions that I've seen thus far.-Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 EZLAN.NET seems to have some of the best instructions that I've seen thus far.-MattThanks, Matt, I'll have a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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