ok, all you broadband geeks, i need help!

[danny_galaga]

my housemate recently went to broadband after being convinced that she would receive one of those modems that allow several computers to hook up. she only receivced a regular dsl modem though and now i have no interenet access at home  .and its costing me at least 10 bucks a week to go to cafes. i know it will take forever for her to sort something out so my queastion is:

what is the cheapest way for me to get hooked up on her connection? is there adapter for the existing modem? some cheap wireless set up maybe? (although from my brief foray ionto that possibilty wireless doesnt seem that cheap).  if its cheap i can live with that...

[AtomSmasher]

all you need is a router which you can get for $20-30

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=28

[Jabba]

Danny, I have an old router in my basement I haven't touched in years. I think its a linksys. You can have it for the price of shipping.

You might be able to find a used one for less than it would be to ship one to down under though. Try a pawn shop, maybe even post an ad in Freecycle if you have one over there.

Make sure you get one that has an "Internet" port on it.

[danny_galaga]

20-30 bucks is certainly in my ball park! ill check it out at our local equivcalent of radio shack. the only drawback being there s no point asking questions in a place like that so ill make sure i know what to get...

edit: oh, and just to be sure. i just hook up the router to the existing dsl modem, right? and then a cable each for our computers exits the router?

[Jabba]

That should pretty well do it. Make sure to reboot both computers after you've plugged them into the router.

And one more thing, if you're buying used, I would push abd hold the reset button for 30 seconds in case someone messed with th default IP settings. New out of the box IP is usually set to 192.168.0.1 and the subnet mask at 255.255.255.0.

[SithMaster]

and use straight through cables for the pc to router connection

but maybe use the wep encryption so others cant steal your ghz

[AtomSmasher]

but maybe use the wep encryption so others cant steal your ghz

since he's going to buy the cheapest router he can find, I doubt he'll get one that supports wireless.

[lokki]

You could get a wireless router for $25. (was at $1.00 not too long ago)

http://en.fon.com/

http://en.fon.com/shop-us/product_info.php?products_id=28

[Spaz Monkey]

connection should be Wall > dsl filter > dsl modem > router > computer(s)

I've heard that if your housemate has a wireless card as well as a wired card, you could hook up wirelessly to his/her computer.  Not sure if that is true or not.

[SirPeale]

You could get a wireless router for $25. (was at $1.00 not too long ago)

http://en.fon.com/

http://en.fon.com/shop-us/product_info.php?products_id=28

Hm...$5.00 now.

Pricing looks like it's not for the US though...and you HAVE to share your bandwidth.

[lokki]

You could get a wireless router for $25. (was at $1.00 not too long ago)

http://en.fon.com/

http://en.fon.com/shop-us/product_info.php?products_id=28

Hm...$5.00 now.

Pricing looks like it's not for the US though...and you HAVE to share your bandwidth.

You potentially have to share some of your bandwidht. Still not a bad deal.
You can also choose to get paid for that badwidth you share.

http://en.fon.com/info/whats_fon.php

[Harry Potter]

Yo Danny,

If it's not too late, I have a Belkin wireless router with 4 hard-wire ports I got from someone a while back. It's your for postage cost otherwise I'll let it gather dust.

[danny_galaga]

Yo Danny,

If it's not too late, I have a Belkin wireless router with 4 hard-wire ports I got from someone a while back. It's your for postage cost otherwise I'll let it gather dust.

deal! that price is righ t i n my ball park (",)

ill pm soon

youre a good man, i dojnt know WHY they say the things they say about you...

[Harry Potter]

Just realised it's not actually a Belkin but a Netgear.

Hope you won't change your mind on this deal because of the brands. 

[shmokes]

Every netgear router I have used has worked fine in the beginning, but within two weeks it manages to format the hard drives on my computers causing me to lose all of my data.  Albout half of them have caused me to piss blood if I stand close to them for more than thirty seconds at a time.  They also kill children and rape housepets.

[SOAPboy]

but maybe use the wep encryption so others cant steal your ghz

since he's going to buy the cheapest router he can find, I doubt he'll get one that supports wireless.

or support PPPOE dsl lines..

[danny_galaga]

Every netgear router I have used has worked fine in the beginning, but within two weeks it manages to format the hard drives on my computers causing me to lose all of my data.  Albout half of them have caused me to piss blood if I stand close to them for more than thirty seconds at a time.  They also kill children and rape housepets.

well, i doint have any housepets or children so i guess i can live witjh pissing blood...

[Harry Potter]

Every netgear router I have used has worked fine in the beginning, but within two weeks it manages to format the hard drives on my computers causing me to lose all of my data.  Albout half of them have caused me to piss blood if I stand close to them for more than thirty seconds at a time.  They also kill children and rape housepets.

well, i doint have any housepets or children so i guess i can live witjh pissing blood...

Make sure it all goes on the porch.

[DrewKaree]

Every netgear router I have used has worked fine in the beginning, but within two weeks it manages to format the hard drives on my computers causing me to lose all of my data.  Albout half of them have caused me to piss blood if I stand close to them for more than thirty seconds at a time.  They also kill children and rape housepets.

So what you're saying is that they work as intended.  They also give you herpes if you use them for longer than a month (but only in certain cases, such as if you have a last name).

[SOAPboy]

Every netgear router I have used has worked fine in the beginning, but within two weeks it manages to format the hard drives on my computers causing me to lose all of my data.  Albout half of them have caused me to piss blood if I stand close to them for more than thirty seconds at a time.  They also kill children and rape housepets.

Netgear routers have a sense of humor.. Thats the truth

Love mine

[Harry Potter]

Hehe. What Danny doesn't know is that I got this router given to me when I replaced it for a friend with a d-link one.
They were having heaps of problems with it so after I fixed everything, thery donated this piece of crap to me. And now it's being passed on to the next sucker....... 















Just kidding Danny. They just wanted a router with a built in print server. The netgear works fine. Honest. 

[danny_galaga]

ok, i rec eived the thingo in the mail, thanks harrypotter! havent had a chance to get cables n stuff to hook it up yet so hopefully this is my lkast day in the cafe! i can stasrt surfing for dirty girls again!

(provided that harry hasnt sent me the hardware equivalent of a lemon party link)

[Harry Potter]

You'll need some ethernet cables (standard, not cross-over) and you'll obviously need a network port on your PC.

Also make sure you encrypt the wireless function of the router so the neighbours don't end up 'borrowing' your internet connection.

If you got any problems, drop me a PM and I'll walk you through them. 

[danny_galaga]

ok, well this is the first message ive sent on my pc in months! woohoo! that manual that came with it scared the hell outta me i must say. the users guide for the piper warrior i used to fly was thinner! so for now things are working ok. ill try and figure out the wireless next so i can hook up my housemates computer using that- will be a very tidy outcome. if i cant work it out then ill use another cable.

edit: when my housemate first got broadband, i took out her wifi thingo and tried it in my computer. it made those special smells you get when something isnt right. my pc was still fine but looking closer at the wifi (and smelling it closely) it looks like its a goner. doh! but it looks like i can pick one up for ten bucks or so from ebay...

edit edit: looks like the pci is going to go for more than 20 bucks. however for 27 bucks i can get a usb one like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&item=160006238576&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

is this a good device? sounds like the shiznit to me. for you mericans, its under 20 USD. and for you poms, about 50p 



hmmm, looking at his feedback if this is a good device id better get one from someone else!

[cdbrown]

I'm not really sure about the reliability of the wireless usb adaptor.  My housemate has heaps of trouble with the Belkin one she has, takes a lot of disabling, repairing etc before it tries to connect to the router.

[Harry Potter]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

[danny_galaga]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

[cdbrown]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

I think this is directed at me?!?  It's all set up correctly, perhaps it's just a piece of crap?  Once connected it works great, but it can be a bugger to get it going, no one else has had trouble connecting to the router

[Harry Potter]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

Good god were you trying to jam it in the wrong way? (the USB connector I mean). 

[DrewKaree]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

Good god were you trying to jam it in the wrong way? (the USB connector I mean). 

If it fits, it's not the wrong hole

[Harry Potter]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

Good god were you trying to jam it in the wrong way? (the USB connector I mean). 

If it fits, it's not the wrong hole

Don't believe everything your husband tells you. 

[DrewKaree]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

Good god were you trying to jam it in the wrong way? (the USB connector I mean). 

If it fits, it's not the wrong hole

Don't believe everything your husband tells you. 

I can't believe Mrs Drew logged in under my account and posted!  I gotta start deleting cookies and force a password.....wait.....I kinda like her answer!  Where's that groucho smiley?

[danny_galaga]

I've set up a few wireless networks and only ever had a problem with one.

That was because the router was sitting in a recording studio which, among other things, had metallic foil in the walls.

Either your friend has a bad router/receiver or she didn't set it up properly. Or the walls are radioactive. 

no, no. you didnt read my last. i FRIED her old one. as an electrician i know that lovely burnt pcb smell, also two tracks on the connector are blown off. thats another clue  . so it sounds like a USB one might not be so great eh? well ill grab a pci type then...

Good god were you trying to jam it in the wrong way? (the USB connector I mean). 

no, i fried the PCI one! god knows how. when i put it in my pc i thought it was my MOTHERBOARD that was frying. scaered the crap outta me...

[Harry Potter]

Probably just a defective card. Wouldn't worry about it too much.

But next time, make sure someone else is holding your beer while you install computer components.