Home Network: Please Help!!!

[Junior]

Ok so i was wondering if one of you very clever people could help me out a little here!

I have a desktop pc in my home office which is connected to the internet via an Orange Livebox using the Ethernet cable supplied....

(that the easy part! and all works fine!)

Now, what im stuck on is what i need to get/do to make another desktop pc connect to the livebox without using cables (the desktop is situated in another room), as this desktop doesn't have wireless internet built in.

Do i need a modem or a router or something along those lines?? ?:| ? :| ?:|

why does it have to be so confusing :_| :_|!!

Thanks in advance for any help peeps

Junior

 

[Apache]

Your Orange Livebox is the router (and a wireless one at that!)

You need a means of picking up the signal, a little USB dongle or something wired in more permanantly - it's upto you. Quite easy to do mind

or a very long ethernet cable

 

[Barx]

Like apache said. Get yourself a wireless USB dongle (NOT wireless broaband), you can get them well under

 

[Badger]

I hate wirless with a passion i really dont like it, what ive done is uised my netgear routere and installed a complete network system round the house, 1 point for the printer laptop and desktop in the office, one point for the cctv dvr, one in dining room, one in lounge, one in kitchen, and my mom and dads room also has a wired point, we can talk to all the computer devices and printers and laptops and cctv from any poiint, and can even share the music off the server anywhere in the house too.

oh and i have one in my berdroom, if if want to use the laptop when i go to bed aswell. i took me a weekend to install all of the wiring but thats 9 ethernet sockets with plugs crimped on aswell.

heres a couple of photos of where all the equipment is in our loft space really to keep i out of the way,

the blue box is a 8 way switch again netgear, but its the pro version or something from maplins...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=98065

 

[Junior]

Wow, thanks for all your help guys. Its much appreciated

I think i'l have to have one of the USB Dongle things!

Id love a setup like yours Badge if i could tuck all the cables under floorboards, but i dont have floorboards :_| . And it looks rather expensive! :_|

I'l just have do make do and play with me Dongle instead!

Bad joke?

Blushing

:coat

 

[Robojin]

Wow, thanks for all your help guys. Its much appreciated I think i'l have to have one of the USB Dongle things!

Id love a setup like yours Badge if i could tuck all the cables under floorboards, but i dont have floorboards :_| . And it looks rather expensive! :_|

I'l just have do make do and play with me Dongle instead!

Bad joke?

Blushing

:coat

Or you could use the mains as an alternative for to an eithernet wired solution, and will avoid unsightly mini trunking

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=devolo&source=15

Agreeing with Badger, I had my house CAT5'd when it was rewired 10+ years ago, but did not include the kitchen :_| , and wireless is just too temperamental, so have been using these Devolo eithernet over mains for about 3 years and the work flawlessly, buy a twin pack to start (one connected to your Orange router), with the other you can move from room to room as you wish plugging into any wall socket.

The only things to consider are bandwidth, buy the AV200 if you wish to stream AVi's (DiVX/XViD), also think about adding a router/switch at the Orange router end if multiple users start to drag the performance down

 

[ianmacd]

Wireless can be a pain with desktops as the USB cards are temperamental and you can never seem to get them far enough away from sources of interference to get a really good signal esp when there are walls too.

If you can go with the wired route, otherwise get a USB dongle that includes a stand and extension lead (like a half golf ball on a rope) as these allow the card to get further away form the desktop.

Ian.

 

[Badger]

Or you could use the mains as an alternative for to an eithernet wired solution, and will avoid unsightly mini trunkinghttp://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=devolo&source=15

Agreeing with Badger, I had my house CAT5'd when it was rewired 10+ years ago, but did not include the kitchen :_| , and wireless is just too temperamental, so have been using these Devolo eithernet over mains for about 3 years and the work flawlessly, buy a twin pack to start (one connected to your Orange router), with the other you can move from room to room as you wish plugging into any wall socket.

The only things to consider are bandwidth, buy the AV200 if you wish to stream AVi's (DiVX/XViD), also think about adding a router/switch at the Orange router end if multiple users start to drag the performance down

the trunking and netgear router and switch is in the loft i put the trunking on the beam just to stop the cat5 from getting damaged but you cant see any cables at all as i got them under the floor and through cupboard back entry in to the socket in the dining room, mind you itt helped being a dormer bungalow too

 

[Robojin]

the trunking and netgear router and switch is in the loft i put the trunking on the beam just to stop the cat5 from getting damaged but you cant see any cables at all as i got them under the floor and through cupboard back entry in to the socket in the dining room, mind you itt helped being a dormer bungalow too

As you say if you are prepared to pull up the floor you can make a neat job

Funny thing, when I had CAT5 channelled at the same time as the rewire everyone thought me mad "waste of money, you will never need networking in a home", hmm I think I have the last :^O now as these same people winge about Wireless

As I can't get cable, I got BT to move the Master Socket to the understairs larder where all of my networking terminates so I have it all at a single point to squirt it around the house

 

[Junior]

Thanks again for all your help peeps

One final question then i will shut up!!

If the Dongle's aren't so good is this a better solution: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=98053

would that be able to connect to my Livebox wirelessly from my desktop to give me an internet connection, and if so could i put the card in myself or does it have to be done by an expert? ?:| Blushing

Thanks

Junior

 

[Apache]

Junior - wireless is fine. I have never (TOUCH WOOD) had a problem with it

Just get a dongle - really

 

[Robojin]

Thanks again for all your help peeps One final question then i will shut up!!

If the Dongle's aren't so good is this a better solution: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=98053

would that be able to connect to my Livebox wirelessly from my desktop to give me an internet connection, and if so could i put the card in myself or does it have to be done by an expert? ?:| Blushing

Thanks

Junior

The product above might be overkill (and so too the mains based stuff) for now and although I personally don't like wifi, as Patch rightly points out give it a try, after all it's cheap and if it solves your problem then you're sorted

If you find that you have issues with signal strength there are solutions

 

[Badger]

The product above might be overkill (and so too the mains based stuff) for now and although I personally don't like wifi, as Patch rightly points out give it a try, after all it's cheap and if it solves your problem then you're sortedIf you find that you have issues with signal strength there are solutions

yeah cables :^O :^O:^O:coat:coat

 

[Robojin]

yeah cables :^O :^O:^O:coat:coat

Applaud Smiley:^O

Couldn't agree more with you Badger

 

[Junior]

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated.

I shall give a Dongle a try.

Guiness DrinkGuiness Drink

Junior