Computer question - help!

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have, what is hopefully, a simple question: I have DSL lite through AT&T for my internet provider. I pay only $14.95 per month for this service which I like and don't want to pay much more. I am happy with the service (speed etc), but I would like to be able to use my computer (laptop) anywhere in the house that I want to. How do I go wireless? Is it just a matter of buying a router? Or, does this have to be provided through AT&T? Is there a clear cut answer? :help:

[Alan]

You just need a wireless router. Plug your DSL line into it, and there ya go. (There is a little bit of setup involved with the router, but it should come with step-by-step instructions)

[Rogar]

Yes, Alan is right. I did the same thing about a month ago. Connecting the few various cables was slightly more complicated than I expected, but not difficult. I had to do a quick google search on top of the instructions that came with the router. The whole thing took about an hour.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Thanks to both of you. I am pretty good with following instructions, so will give it a try in the near future. I am assuming I can purchase a router at any electronics store?

[Alan]

Yes you can. Good brands to look for are Linksys, Netgear and D-Link (in that order in my humble opinion).

A little primer: Wireless routers come with support for different wireless protocols, namely 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. An 802.11n router is backwards compatable to the earlier protocols, as is an 802.11g. But a b or g is not forward compatible to an n.

Along the same lines, your laptop has a wireless network device built in. If it is a b or g, it will not be able to take advantage of the increased speeds available from an n router.

Also, routers are marketed by their speed capabilities. It sounds pretty impressive to read that a particular router is capable of speeds up to 54Mbs or 108Mbs. But the reality is that your internet connection is probably capped at 1 or 2Mbs as it is a 'lite' version of DSL and DSL as a technology caps out at around 7 or 8Mbs. You'll never see anything near the speeds the newer routers a capable of, therefore, they're probably not worth any extra expense.

So, if you're not completely confused by now, just remember. If you have a wireless 'g' adapter in your laptop, don't waste time looking at wireless 'n' routers unless you plan to add wireless 'n' adapters to your home network in the future.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

So, if you're not completely confused by now, just remember. If you have a wireless 'g' adapter in your laptop, don't waste time looking at wireless 'n' routers unless you plan to add wireless 'n' adapters to your home network in the future. How will I tell which adapter I have in my laptop? Where do I look?

[Alan]

How will I tell which adapter I have in my laptop? Where do I look?
If you have the original user manual for your laptop it should say there. Otherwise, if you go to Control Panel - Device Manager - Network Devices and look for a wireless adapter in the list, it may indicate whether it's 'b', 'g', or 'n', but there's no guarantee of that.

The good thing is that 802.11N routers have now been out for a while and the price disparity between them and the earlier 'G' models is not that significant (you may not even be able to find a 'G' router anymore), and if you have a 'B' or 'G' adaptor in the laptop, it will still work.