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stn0091
12-31-2006, 04:33 AM
My sister got a laptop for Christmas and she's been using a ethernet cable to hook up to my router to connect to the internet. That keeps her limited to a certain distance of my room and I'd rather her sit around some other place where she's out of my sight so I want to figure out how to connect her laptop to the internet wirelessly.

Since my router is wired, would I have to buy a new wireless one? Is there anyway I can connect the laptop to it wirelessly? If I put one of these PCI cards (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833127145) into my computer, would her laptop's wireless LAN be able to connect to it?

So what I'm trying to do is pretty much connect her laptop to my desktop's internet wirelessly.

DSL--->wired--->My Desktop--->wireless--->laptop
Rick
12-31-2006, 06:37 AM
That would require you to setup internet sharing
it would also require your system to be running any time she is on line

It would be just as easy to add a router that supports wired and wireless
Unless you already have a wired multi port router

In that case just add an access point to one or the router ports
It should be already marked WAN ( Wide area network)

Like this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124012
Erik
12-31-2006, 01:21 PM
You really have two options:
1) Buy a wireless router and replace the one you currently have
2) Buy a wireless Access Apoint (WAP) and add it into your current setup

The router is probably the cheaper option, and should work just fine. The WAP might handle a bit more traffic as it won't need to deal with the other fuinctions of the router.
Whyzman
12-31-2006, 01:43 PM
One other question is whether her laptop has built-in wireless, or is she going to also need a wireless adapter card?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124010

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124110

Looks like around $100 to get her out of sight... :D
Erik
12-31-2006, 06:05 PM
One other question is whether her laptop has built-in wireless, or is she going to also need a wireless adapter card?


Good point. That is easy to forget today when all but the bottom of the barrel laptops have built in WiFi. Even then some have it.

Another option would be to just run a CAT 5 cable to some other location for her. Though really the whole point of a laptop is kind of to be able to work anywhere (and that means wireless).