Router Help

S

Smyddy

Geek Trainee
Good-day Guys

Looking for a little advice on routers. At present I have 2 pc’s both running windows xp and both broadband running through a Belkin 4 port cable/dsl gateway router. I have just inherited a laptop Mac-Book Pro OS X (leopard) and would like to run with wireless so I can use the laptop wherever.
Can I simple change the existing router for a wireless version with a couple of cable ports so I can retain my existing pc’s wired.
I had considered the Belkin N1 wireless router – is it just a simple change over as my computer tech level is not quite the numptie standard - - but not too far above :O
 
there are two main ways to go, either (as you suggested) or you can simply add a wireless AP like this but it is probably cheaper to just get a new router, because, your current router may need upgrading anyway

BTW: what is your budget ?
 
Hi Donkey 42

Don't actually have a budget - - it's on the company, although it's at home I use it for company stuff also ;)
The reason I quoted the Belkin is I have had no problems with the existing ethernet one and always go by the evil one knows
 
I'd say it depends on whether or not this is for corporate/office use, or for home use. If it's for home use, any router that supports WPA2 will be fine, IMHO. If for office use, I'd say the best scenario from a security perspective is to segment off the wireless network so that wireless access doesn't gain you LAN access to potentially vulnerable Windows boxes. That probably means building or buying a router with a segmented DMZ, then putting the WAP on that segment.
 
In short, yes, you can simply get a new router that is wireless. Yes, the wireless router will also have ports (almost always 4) for wired connection. So you will be able to have your other computers hooked up just as you do now, AND you'll be able to use your laptop wherever the wireless signal can reach.

However, it might not necessarily be a simple changeover, as routers are a rather difficult topic, IMO. With a wireless router, you have to worry about the additional setup of the wireless network. Router manuals also seem to often be rather skimpy on information. Therefore, it might be somewhat of a hassle setting one up and getting it to work. It depends. Maybe it will be easy if you set it up with all the minimal/default settings and don't worry about understanding everything.
 
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