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I would like to go all wireless, my computer, and my xbox live. What better advice than somewhere everyone is using the internet? Do you have or have had a wireless set up, what are your thoughts. Right now I just have a simple phone line connected to modem, connected to computer set up.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Originally Posted by Everest209
I would like to go all wireless, my computer, and my xbox live. What better advice than somewhere everyone is using the internet? Do you have or have had a wireless set up, what are your thoughts. Right now I just have a simple phone line connected to modem, connected to computer set up.
Wireless is a nice, flexible, and reliable way to network things together.
I have two laptops and two web tablets using my LAN wirelessly, along with a half-dozen PCs and other devices using 100BaseTX ethernet, and it all seems to work together smoothly.
The key piece in my LAN is the Linksys WRT54G wireless router that I have connected to my cablemodem and to a 16-port 100BaseTX switch. It acts as a firewall, and lets everyone connect to the internet via a single point.
The main "risk" of having a wireless network is the fact that people can see the signal from outside. For older 802.11a/b and 802.11g wifi, people can only detect your wifi network a few hundred yards away; I believe newer 802.11n wifi networks are visible somewhat further away.
It's relatively easy to keep your wifi network safer from intrusion, however.
(1) Turn off SSID broadcasting. This means Windows boxes won't see your wireless LAN by default because it isn't announcing itself (or its name, at least) to everyone. Anyone who knows the name can still log in.
(2) Use some form of passphrase/password and encyption to protect your wifi network. An older less secure means of doing this is called WEP. Newer methods are called WPA and WPA2. Any of those is better than leaving it wide open for anyone to share, which could open you up to legal liabilities or worse.
(3) If you're lucky, you might be able to position your wifi router in the basement so the signals are blocked by dirt most of the way around, meaning you can link to it easily from the same floor or the floors above, but not so easily from the street in front of the house. I do this.
Just a few thoughts. I avoided using wifi at home for the longest time, but after I started playing with it, I've never regretted it. It's easy to add new devices, and it's nice to not have to run CAT5 cable all over the place anymore...
One thing to remember, don't switch something to wireless just to do it, if it's close to the DSL modem and wireless router keep it wired (like your computer), wireless is to connect devices that aren't near the router.
I would like to go all wireless, my computer, and my xbox live. What better advice than somewhere everyone is using the internet? Do you have or have had a wireless set up, what are your thoughts. Right now I just have a simple phone line connected to modem, connected to computer set up.
Mostly very convenient, although the configuration/setup can be a pain for PCs - after that, it works pretty well. And I agree with the previous poster about getting password access to your wireless network.
One thing to remember, don't switch something to wireless just to do it, if it's close to the DSL modem and wireless router keep it wired (like your computer), wireless is to connect devices that aren't near the router.
My main issue is I have my computer is 2 rooms over from my Xbox Live, I'd have to run a wire through the house which would either look tacky, or difficult to hide, run through the attic etc. Right now when I want to use my Xbox Live, i have to unplug my modem from my computer. So both can't have internet at the same time. If the performance is the same, I'll do it in a second, but I've heard so many mixed reviews.
My main issue is I have my computer is 2 rooms over from my Xbox Live, I'd have to run a wire through the house which would either look tacky, or difficult to hide, run through the attic etc. Right now when I want to use my Xbox Live, i have to unplug my modem from my computer. So both can't have internet at the same time. If the performance is the same, I'll do it in a second, but I've heard so many mixed reviews.
As long as you have a good wireless signal it works very well, I don't have an xbox but I set up a friends wifi router and configured his xbox 360 and it works just fine.
The only thing I would add is that it's important to get the router set up properly. I switched from cable to DSL without changing any router settings, and had constant problems until I finally realized I needed to switch the router settings to pppoe for the DSL connection. After that it was fine. You may still have to reboot the modem and router once in a while if you lose your connection, but it just takes a couple of minutes to do so.
My main issue is I have my computer is 2 rooms over from my Xbox Live, I'd have to run a wire through the house which would either look tacky, or difficult to hide, run through the attic etc. Right now when I want to use my Xbox Live, i have to unplug my modem from my computer.So both can't have internet at the same time. If the performance is the same, I'll do it in a second, but I've heard so many mixed reviews.
This confuses me.
Is your Xbox currently in the same room as the PC? That's the only way I can figure you are having to unplug one from the modem to use the other since you said you would have to run a cable across the house (which implies you haven't) to use the Xbox.
If this is the case buy a router. You can then plug the PC and the Xbox in at the same time.
In a different thread here there is a discussion about the hardware you plug into the house wiring to connect computers in different rooms. You might look into that option as well.
BTW, if you have Netflix, and have heard about the ability to view movies through the Xbox, we have done this and it works great. Set up is easy and it allowed us to remove a PC from our entertainment center and place the Xbox there instead of on the floor under it.
Is your Xbox currently in the same room as the PC? That's the only way I can figure you are having to unplug one from the modem to use the other since you said you would have to run a cable across the house (which implies you haven't) to use the Xbox.
If this is the case buy a router. You can then plug the PC and the Xbox in at the same time.
In a different thread here there is a discussion about the hardware you plug into the house wiring to connect computers in different rooms. You might look into that option as well.
BTW, if you have Netflix, and have heard about the ability to view movies through the Xbox, we have done this and it works great. Set up is easy and it allowed us to remove a PC from our entertainment center and place the Xbox there instead of on the floor under it.
You confused me back lol.
Basically, here's the deal right now, my computer is in our bedroom, 2 rooms over in our living room is my computer. I only have a modem. So when I want to use Xbox Live, I unplug the modem from my computer, hook it up to the Xbox, and have to run a telephone wire to connect.
My two options are get a router for my computer, and a wireless adapter for my Xbox, which is atleast $200, and I don't know if it will be as effective as a wired connection. My other option is running cable, which sucks too, lol. So I've been going back and forth. If I knew the wireless adapter for the Xbox was fullproof, I'd go for it in a heartbeat.
The slowest wireless network is faster than your Internet connection so thats that. I know nothing about XBoxes but if wireless adapters for them are $200 why not switch and wire the Xbox and geta $39.00 wireless card for your desktop. Do Xboxes have USB ports? Somebody must make a USB Wireless card that does not cost $200.
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