OK

My brother is moving back home and he has a laptop with built in wifi card (not 100% sure specs, will check soon) and parents have optus cable.

What modem do I need to get in order for him to use the net on his laptop?

Recommend any brand

thanks

wireless card is 802.11(b/g) 54Mbps number

I got my folks a Linksys WRT54G but not sure if it works w/ Optus? They have BigPond. Its an awesome device; great price and works really well.

edit: 54g, not 45g

last edited by trog at 22:36:25 22/Mar/05

i want to sniff your (or your brothers) packets heardy

last edited by Spook at 22:37:29 22/Mar/05

Linksys WRT54G

Linksys WRT54GS is even better I think, and well priced.

you want to sniff everyone's ass spook.

check out http://www.ozcableguy.com/routers.html heardy

yeah i would recommend linksys router also. they are a of set of cisco networks, there cheaper stuff.

yea you'll no doubt already have a modem so all u need is a wireless router.
pretty much any current one will work with it. 11b/54g etc.

i wanna geta lynksys, resetting the belkin every 2nd day or so is pissing me off.
where do you fellas get linksys from in brisbane?

edit:link in the router list oztech sell the Linksys WRT54GS for $148.00 cheap as fukin chips.
$11 bucks delivered aynwhere in aus :D
*ordered*

last edited by Fuknukle at 00:34:39 23/Mar/05

As much as I usually like to be an evangelist for DLink, I have to say that all the three big players for Home/SOHO wireless routers are absolute s*** (DLink, Netgear and Linksys). I would highly recommend you use an access point and router as a seperate unit, regardless of brand - not a big fan of DLink Routers, but DLink APs (go the 2100AP+, you won't be disappointed) are the s*** (in that market/range :)

Hahahah, if you think Linksys is s***, and Dlink is good, your a f***ing newb.

Dlink have had so many god damn problems with their routers, particuarly the power supplys.

Eds, learn to read. I'm not even going to bother pointing out exactly how obvious it is you didn't read a word of what I wrote.

Also, we've seen in the past you don't know what you're on about on this kind of s*** anyway :)

thanks on the ozcable guys site now

sorry for late reply, been flat with work past few nights :(

ok, now I am tired and prolly aint reading the site that well

and i am a newb

but I can't see any 'routers' that offer a cable modem/router/switch all-in-one job - someone confirm/deny?

If not, well that sux

Basically, current setup = o@h modem into 1 pc, so I want o@h into modem/router, pc 1 = wired, bro's laptop = wireless. Imo this seems easy enough, but I got no idea :(

cbf to edit

I like this one - http://www.ozcableguy.com/linksys1.html#wrt54gs

the wrt54gs anyone used it?

Put it this way Heardy - the WRTG is basically identical hardware to the DLink 624 which is quite possibly the most abysmal product DLink have ever produced - and sadly people (such as Eds) come to the misconception that because one product (which happens to also be the most widely used) sucks, so too must everything else from that company.

That said, the only difference between the two in reality is the firmware, and a slightly (well, a lot) more s*** signal reception on the Linksys. On the other hand, for some reason the Linksys doesn't get the same reports of random dropouts and lockups like the Netgears and DLinks suffer.

So while the Linksys doesn't appear to suffer the same crashes and failures, you get an all-round lower quality signal, BUT it does appear to work - but it's the same s*** hardware as is in it's two main competitors.

Also, you're right - you can get DSL+Router+AP units commonly, but not CM+Router+APs. But really, why would you want one. Like I said, imo you're better with a seperate router and AP - use whatever the hell router you want, but the 2100AP+ cains everything in that market (it's basically an enterprise product aimed at the SOHO market with not quite the signal quality of an Orinoco).

Have you even compared these products raven? or just spend your time reading reviews, because I went through about 5 differant routers and APs for a client about 2 months ago, and the Linksys won hands down for everything, including signal strength

Also, I did read your post. Maybe you should too?

Raven, where do you buy your wireless stuff from? I might go a router and an AP seperate, not sure.

Want to get it all going next week - have some time off work, so looking to buy ASAP but dont want to get ripped off :)

I think keeping your router and wireless AP seperate devices is a good idea.

Just so you can upgrade either as new standards or your situation changes.

For example...

-you and your brother move out to a non-cable area.
-a new wireless standard comes out.
-you decide to get ADSL
-one part breaks out of warrenty (the modem part or the wireless part).

That said, I like Linksys more then Dlink. Not because they are owned by Cisco, but because their products are better finished and Dlink gear just feels and looks, physically and in the menus, cheap.

I own a Dlink 302G router (don't use it anymore).
I use a Cisco 837 for adsl and a HP Procurve 420 AP for wireless.

Keeping in mind this is for the net at my parents, I can't see them moving or dropping the cable.

My brother is only moving back into their place temporarily (maybe 6 months tops) so I don't want to have to spend lots of bling, a router/ap all in one seems the cheapest - those linksys ones are ~$160 delivered, as far as I can tell, i'd need to get a router and then an AP, which will be a good few hundred more depending on what model I get etc.

I am not moving home, so I ain't going to be using it :)

altho once he moves out, I might steal it and use it at my place ;)

I like my Linksys WRT54G and hacked firmware. For people complaining about signal strength, you can just turn it up. It's a solid product with a tonne of features. Sure you can buy two devices like people are suggesting but this is so cheap and so functional why would you bother? Plus since it's for your parents one device makes more sense.

Bought mine from dsl-warehouse. Call him up when ordering and he'll probably knock it down a little more.

For info on hacked firmware checkout LinksysInfo.

***BUMPING T HIS THREAD***

Well if you think I am a n00b, then my brother is a TOTAL n00b - he can barely turn on a pc :p

So i've ordered the http://www.ozcableguy.com/linksys1.html#wrt54gs wrt54gs (108mbits) for my brother, it arrived at his work today. He showed his *IT* dude (its only a small company, so he might suck at the IT stuff too?) and he claims that my brother will need to but a linksys wireless card - my brother nearly ordered one.

I said BULLs***, its got a wireless card built into the laptop.

So I guess my question is, wireless links/connections aren't 'brand specific' are they?

He has a Dell laptop - so whatever dell install as defult - will that work with the router I bought?

I am going around to my parents place on the weekend to install/confire it, so be warned there might be more n00b type questions coming :p

Some of the 108Mbit stuff can be brand specific, but that's generally it. If you stick to standard 11g/11b features you should be fine.

awesome, that's what I thought

I'll tell my brother to punch the f***er at this work.

thanks raven :)

I said BULLs***, its got a wireless card built into the laptop.

Chances are that its a Centrio based notebook which means to get the blue and pink logo it has to have either 855xxx or 915xxx chipset built into it running an Intel 2xxx PRO/Wireless adapter to get the sticker. Which will talk to anything that has the Wi-Fi logo on it.

So I guess my question is, wireless links/connections aren't 'brand specific' are they?

Depending on whether or not it has a wi-fi cert www.wi-fi.org then chances are its pretty old and conforms to some pseudo brand- specific standard where it will only talk directly to the same brand before the IEEE could officially standardize it.

Eds is correct and dlink does have issues with their transformers in most of their 5xx and 6xx products and linksys has rotten firmware, with the latest firmware dating from 1/03/05 fixing a lot of dropout issues. Also hacked firmware will fix any issues the linksys has with signal strength.

There are some other products that are available that are pretty rock solid like the Level One WBR-3404TX but getting hold of one here in oz is an issue. I have a mate that has been running the same model with netgear wireless bridge and the thing has uptime of about a year signal strength is awesome as well about 30ft through three brick walls.

Also stay the f*** away from any channel bonding 125mb or 108mb products they are normally more trouble than they are worth.

Yep, its a Dell Inspirion 8600 with a

Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200 (802.11b/g) MiniPCI Card

So that's good it will talk to the Linksys router - it's only got a 54mbit card on the lappy, but I went the 108mbit model for future use I guess (also maybe wanke factor came into it :p)

thanks for the info herbal :)

Yeap it will have no trouble talking to it but channel bonding won't work unless you fancy getting a linksys card as well.