PCA Forums

I was given a SMC EZ Connect Wireless PCMCIA Card...
Model number: SMC2632W

My question is:
Do I have to by a SMC brand router or point?
I currently have a netgear router and it works great.

Can I purchase other brands?
Im old to Networking but new to wireless.

If you already have a router then you don't need a router/access point - all you need is an access point.

On the other hand, it's nice to have one box instead of two and you could always sell the old router.

No, you don't necessarily need the same brand wireless AP as the wireless NIC you have. They SHOULD all be inter-compatible, assuming it's a standard 802.11b (which it is - I just checked) any 802.11b compatible router should work.

Occasionally there are compatibility problems, but that's pretty rare nowadays.

Lots of info on wireless available here: http://www.practicallynetworked.com/

coolio...thanks
Looks like Belkin sells an access point for cheap

Sorry to poop on your thread RubberDuckie, but what is an "access point", and how well to wireless netowrks work?

I currently have 5 pc's hooked up at the house, but I'm using 10base2 (coax cable) with all the pc's running Win98. Everything works fine, but every now and then, I get a cable clitch with the setup, and then I have to trouble shoot to figure out what happened. I can always trace it back to a cable connector, as I'm using the screw on type that don't require soldering or crimping.

EXEC: Wireless can work very well, but it varies. They use unlicensed radio spectrum so it's always possible to get some interference (I've heard of one case where someone's wireless phone would interfere with his network until he bought another).

I have several clients using them and they work well, but I live in a rural area. In a metropolitan area you're more prone to interference.

Range is another issue. You need to place the AP (Access point - this is the box that communicates with all the wireless NICs and interfaces to your switch/hub/router) in a central location in the house - preferably high up (like on top of a bookcase) to get the best range.

Your data transfer rate is dependent on signal strength. If you have a strong signal you'll be able to get 10Mbit of bandwidth, but if the signal degrades so will the bandwidth. However, for Internet access you don't need more than 512Kbit anyway (more of a concern for printing or file transfers). Still, you want to try to keep all your workstations in the green with signal strength.

Security is another issue. If you don't use a cypher code, someone parked in the street could access you network from a laptop with a wireless NIC, or your neighbor's kid could steal your Internet bandwidth. You can set a cypher code number on all your NICs and your AP to keep the network secure (not unbeatable, but more than secure enough for residential use).

You can find more info here: http://www.practicallynetworked.com/net ... reless.htm


How hard is it to re-run cables in your house? I'd consider running CAT-5 and replacing that old coax.

Even the cypher code stuff is pretty much worthless because the encryption codes have a sizeable whole in them. More than a few people have posted programs on the net to "break" these encryption codes, thus making all your network traffic readable.

Story: Best Buy incorporated wireless networks into the registers in several of their new stores. The registers would validate CCs, etc. through a central server linked to all the registers via the wirelss network. It turns out that people were just driving by the front of one of these stores with their laptop, a wireless NIC, and a packet sniffer to steal all the CC numbers they wanted. Worst part was that Best Buy wasn't even trying to encrypt the info. Funny part was that when this came out, BB corporate said that effective immediately, no more wireless would be used on registers. So unless they managed to string Cat5 through all the stores overnight... you can see where this is going.

So my advice is to avooid wireless altogether. Yes, you not be able to surf the net while watching TV, but the exercise will do you good.

How hard is it to re-run cables in your house? I'd consider running CAT-5 and replacing that old coax.

FP: I would love to install cat5 cable and use a hub, but I don't want to rip up the walls to install the cables. I'm a perfectionist, and to me, the best way would be to rip the walls and install the wire inside the walls with an outlet at each station. Since I can't do this myself, and I don't want to spend a lot of money ripping up the walls, patching & painting, so I've learned to live with coax. The walls are drywall, and I'm not an expert at cutting and patching this stuff. I'll probably have to wait till I get some money and have it done by a professional (the drywall). I can do the rest myself.

EXEC: You shouldn't have to tear up the walls - I do this all the time.

Depending on your home you may have a crawl space under it, or a crawl space in the attic.

Home walls are designed so there's no cross pieces in any internal wall. You drill a hole between a pair of studs (preferably where there is no existing electrical outlet so your wire won't snag anything) in the 2x4 that either caps (if coming from the attic) or foots (if working from under the house) and snake a wire down or up behind the drywall with a fishtape.

Then you cut a hole in the wall the size of a standard single-gang 1900 electical box. You can buy an electrical box at Home Depot called a "GEM Box" ask for it by that name. It's designed to be mounted into a hole in drywall without being nailed to a stud (there's little butterfly wings that anchor it in the drywall).

You fish your cable through the hole and mount the box, then you put an RJ-45 wallplate and jack on it (wall plate and jack are also available from Home Depot, although in large quantities they're cheaper to mail order. Home Depot also has CAT5 for a reasonable price). There's no crimping - the wall plate jacks can easily be wired using a tool that comes with the jack.

Not too hard to do, except that this time of year working in the attic or crawl space is a bitch - better to wait for fall.

You can hire someone to do it if you're not up to it - may not be very expensive. It's easy work for pros. I wouldn't hire an electrician - believe it or not the best people to do this are alarm system installers. They're VERY good at running wiring without damaging walls. Also phone installers. See if you can find one of these guys to do it on his own time.

As you can see I currently run a fully wired house...
I just came across a free wireless nic and would like to try it out in the cheapest manner.
I found a Belkin one on egay for $50 +- So Im going to give that a try. Sounds like fun to be able to sit on the back patio with net access.
My father uses a wireless for his laptop and it works great...of course most of the time he is in the same room as the transmitter.

FP: "Your data transfer rate is dependent on signal strength."
This is so true...and with distance your strength gets weaker...you can take the laptop and walk away and see the bandwidth go down while transfering.