Help needed finding the right wireless router/hub (???)?

Question

My PC is about 10 metres from my phone socket so I've been told that I need to go wireless or I'll get an even slower ADSL connection than I'm currently being offered. Exactly what do I need (I will need a USB thingy too I'm told) and where can I get the best online deal for one?

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

10 meters shouldn't be enough to weaken the signal too much. For a while, I was running a very long phone cord to my ADSL modem with no noticeable decrease in speed. The cheapest solution is probably the long phone cord. You could also get a longer ethernet cable (these are more robust than phone wires) to put between the modem and the PC and use a short wire between the modem and phone jack. Either way, there should be plenty of signal strength left to maintain a very fast internet connection. In fact, wireless links are usually slower than wired links. The standard maximum bandwidth for most wireless network hardware is 54 megabits per second, compared to the standard ethernet (wired) speed of 100 mbps. Wireless networks are also susceptible to interference from microwave ovens and other devices such as cordless phones that operate in the same frequency range. When you've got a lot of computers on your network, including laptops, wireless is a no-brainer. If you only have one PC on the internet, a wired link will usually be more reliable (and cheaper), even if you have to run a cable all the way across your house. As far as finding cheap hardware goes, I find pricewatch.com to be a great resource for finding the lowest price on any given item. NewEgg.com is a great merchant too. You can save a fortune ordering your hardware online. If you do want to go wireless, all you need is the aforesaid wireless router and a wireless adapter for your PC. These can be devices that plug into your USB port or that you install inside your computer's tower. I've found the latter to work better, and they most often come with an external antenna. If your computer is 10 meters away from where the modem will be, you'll probably want a better antenna than what comes with the router too. All of these items can be found on said websites. I've gotten several antennas for wireless networking, cheaply on Ebay. Good luck.

Answer 2

You have been completely misinformed, I'm afraid. 10 metres will not make any difference.

Whether or not you go wireless, I would advise getting a modem/router rather than a plain modem. This plugs into the phone socket, and you can then connect your computer to the router either via a network cable (almost all modern computers have an ethernet socket) or wirelessly.

Have a look at http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk for a lot of good deals on equipment.