wireless internet providers...

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With me starting college, and then getting a laptop, we'll have wife's latop and mine without an internet conncetion, and as we are both in school, we'll need internet at the same time more than ever...(currently we only have dial-up on our home PC, which doesn't cut it when it comest to school work)

So we're thinking of getting wireless...who's a good/not too expensive provider? if we can't find a provider for wireless in this area, what will be the next best solution for a household with 2 laptops needing fast internet?

some advice would be very welcome.
 
get a broadband connection and use a wireless router which costs all of $50.

Am I missing something? Do you want to use it anywhere, including far away from home? If so, you will pay dearly for it.

JMH
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

Dang! I need to get informed about this stuff...we will only need the wireless INside the house.
What level of technical know-how does one need for setting a router up, and securing it, after getting a DSL connection to the main PC? or is it better to let the DSL provider do the rest (setting up the router, etc?)

As far as I know our laptops both have wireless receivers (we get wireless when we are at school): (so we don't need adapters, only the router, right?)
 
Don't hook your computer directly to the web for even 2 minutes without at least firewall software in operation.

Setting up a wireles router is pretty much just amatter of reading the instructions and doing it. It's not very complicated.

Keep on computer wired directly to the router, or at least set up to directly plug it into the router when you want to. It can be really handy if your sireless system ever gives you aproblem.
 
quote:

Originally posted by XS650:
Don't hook your computer directly to the web for even 2 minutes without at least firewall software in operation...

Clarify that with: don't hookup your Windows-based PC...
Other OSes don't have that issue to the same level - not even close.

Scott
 
there is no technical need at all.

Go to best buy, staples, circuit city or equivalent. But the shortest cat 5e patch cable that you can buy. Buy a linksys wireless/wired router. connect the patch cable from a dsl or cable modem (cat 5e) to the router. Connect the wire from the wireless/wired router to a desktop computer or when you want the most security... follow the directiomns to set up wireless security.

JMH
 
quote:

Originally posted by XS650:
Don't hook your computer directly to the web for even 2 minutes without at least firewall software in operation.


Nearly all cable or dsl modems/routers have a hardware based firewall installed. I agree with your statement on plugging directly into a cable or dsl modem.
 
If you have cable internet available, look into Voip. Using Vonage for telephone service, I save almost enough on my phone bill to pay for cable internet. It keeps going up. When I started 3 years ago, the states and feds hardly realized VOIP existed and weren't taxing it like regular phone service. They are now correcting that oversight. The latest tax will put me over $30 for complete, full featured local service plus unlimited long distance for USA, Canada, and much of Europe.

Save even more money and dump the land line. My son and daughter haven't had anything but cell for a long time. Great for young people that move frequently.

You might want a hard wired router for the phone. When my daughter comes, they plug their wireless router into my spare port and use my connection for their laptops.

And yes, setting up a router is very easy, The Bright House tech installed the cable modem and connected it to my pc. After he left, I connected it to the router, and the router to the phone adapter and pc. Both worked fine.
 
quote:

Originally posted by labman:
If you have cable internet available, look into Voip. Using Vonage for telephone service, I save almost enough on my phone bill to pay for cable internet.

Have they got the local 911 service problem solved yet?
 
I considered wireless, but, it's about $50.00 plus around $200.00 for equipment and connection fee for 128/256 service. I pay about the same for cable. There was no connection fee for cable. I also have enough speed to connect using Voip for phone service.
 
quote:

Originally posted by XS650:
Have they got the local 911 service problem solved yet?

Yes, they have.

quote:

Originally posted by rjundi:
Vonage customer/technical service is a complete disaster. DO NOT DO IT.

Hmm, they have fixed the few glitches I initially had rather quickly (voice mail indicator would not turn off even after messages deleted and original # I picked (my old # would not transfer over)was long distance for some people around me (my fault when I poicked the #)).
I have been very happy with it. As said above, it is only $5 more a month for my highspeed and Vonage than it was for dial-up and land line, and I now have free long distance and can be online and on the phone at the same time.


As for the original post, I got a free Vonage wireless router from Best Buy after rebates, took me about an hour to figure out how to set up my desktop (hardwired) my kids desktop and my laptop on the wireless. The booklet was pretty straightforward and the software that came with it pretty much walked me through it. I would say I am an average/ slightly above average computer user.
 
I just saw that our home-phone (land line) provider (Sprint or now Embarq) has DSL/Broadband offers for $32 a month, and they also have home-networking "bundles" where they provide all the hardware and set it up, etc...will contact them for more info in the next few days about charges, etc.
 
yeah but they very well might charge you $5/month indefinitely fora router that costs $50 retail and can be had for much less with rebates...

Have to watch those bundles, which take advantage of people that are intimidated by modern technology...

Good luck!

JMH
 
You people with broadband competition feel fortunate. Cable, along with wireless, are my only options vs. dial-up. My dial-up wouldn't even get me 28.8kps. On good days I could get around 26k. And I had to pay for a second phone line so our regular phone service would not be interrupted. I had a 56k modem and gave it away. What was the use having a 56k modem when no one offered the service.
 
so you can get broadband wireless that actually has decent speed at a decent price???

Nice if its available...

JMH
 
Come on, Brian. I run a Linux box and four Macs at home and not ONE single virus/spyware/rootkit violation ever.
You can't with a straight face say that they're even close.
The intelligence needed on the one end needs to be coupled with stupidity on the other to even have a chance.
Windows is quite simply a security disaster.

Anyway. I just installed Earthlink's new VOIP at home ($29/MO)
It's pretty good.
I don't use the phone much, but my family likes it and one cool thing is getting voice-mails on my laptop wherever I am.
I save about $40 a month I'd guess over the other plans we've tried.
I just popped the Cisco box into my wireless hub and the phone into that. No issues so far, but they do include stickers that warn 911 calls may not work. We've got cell-phones a plenty at home, so until I can actually test it, I don't know if it will work.

Scott
 
quote:

Originally posted by JavaMan:
You people with broadband competition feel fortunate. Cable, along with wireless, are my only options vs. dial-up. My dial-up wouldn't even get me 28.8kps. On good days I could get around 26k. And I had to pay for a second phone line so our regular phone service would not be interrupted. I had a 56k modem and gave it away. What was the use having a 56k modem when no one offered the service.

Same here. I get about 25kps on my dial-up connection. However, I only pay $5/month for unlimited dial-up access through CWNet, and they also include a free accelerator program. Thus, I technically surf at a speed between 100-150kps regularly.
 
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