WIFI Guidance Needed

[coldroyd]

I have the following system and would like some advice on the very confusing worls of wifi.

PC-1 Windows XP connected to Broadband via USB modem

PC-2 Windows XP networked directly to PC-1 with RJ45 crossover cable
Internet sharing enabled and working through PC-1

Pocket PC Dell Axim 400mhz

Just bought a pocket PC would like to access internet and file sharing, without spending much money.

What is the minimum that I need and cheapest way of doing this, any recommendations on products would also be appreciated. :roll:

[PetiteFlower]

Someone smarter then me correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you will need a wireless capable router(will also have wired ports so you can keep your 2 PCs connected that way) and a wifi CF card.

I picked up a D-Link wireless router at Best Buy yesterday for $90 with a $20 rebate, and I saw one wifi CF card that came out to just $45 after rebate, but most are around $80.

[johncj]

Actually, you could just get a PCI wifi card to slap in one of your PCs. Put a CF wifi card in your Axim. Set them both up for Ad hoc networking. Then have XP bridge the two network connections. That's the cheapest way to go.

[Janak Parekh]

Actually, you could just get a PCI wifi card to slap in one of your PCs. Put a CF wifi card in your Axim. Set them both up for Ad hoc networking. Then have XP bridge the two network connections. That's the cheapest way to go.
The problem with this is dealing with the two machines. You can't put it in the first machine, because it already is sharing the Internet connection. I guess you could put it on the second, but you'll have to tweak the ICS setup to use a secondary IP address range (i.e., 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x, because 192.168.x.x is already used).

Seeing as how available wireless-enabled Internet routers are, that solution would actually be almost as cheap as getting a PCI WiFi card and a lot less headache. Plus you could turn off computer 1 and computer 2 + the Pocket PC would still be able to access the Internet. :)

--janak

[Sven Johannsen]

Agree with Janak's assessment. The only glitch might be if your broadband modem only has a USB output. If it has an Ethernet port, you need a AP/router/switch, $99-$130. You will need to regular cat5 cables and the WiFi card for the PPC.

If the Modem is only USB, you may be able to find a AP/router/switch that interfaces the WAN that way, but I don't know of one off-hand.

You do wind up with some increased security due to the NAT function of the router, but you make some things a bit more difficult such as video chat.

[johncj]

I assumed, based on his description of his network, that his broadband modem is usb-only (otherwise why have the crossover cable for the ethernet connection between PCs). Also, he asked for cheap, not easy. But Janak is right, the bridging would have to be done on PC 2.

[Janak Parekh]

(otherwise why have the crossover cable for the ethernet connection between PCs).
Even if the modem has Ethernet, the crossover cable is still useful so that you don't have to buy a hub.

Also, he asked for cheap, not easy. But Janak is right, the bridging would have to be done on PC 2.
At least with Win2k Pro/XP Pro. With 2k Server or similar products, you could presumably implement more sophisticated solutions on the first PC.

On further thought, XP does have a very easy-to-setup bridge, so in retrospect you can avoid the double-ICS problem, but I'm still not sure if you could stick a third card in the first PC and expect it to work right.

--janak

[dhettel]

Any of you who are proposing Win XP bridging actually done it? I tried to do it with a Bluetooth Ethernet and couldn't get it to work at all :-( Ok I'll admit I know just enough to be dangerous, but if bridging is easy in XP pro I'd hate to see your idea of hard.

[cslaughtermd]

I have a 802.11b netgear Cable modem router that was $100 with a $30 rebate. I'm pretty sure that you can connect your USB modem to your computer then connect your computer via an ethernet cable to the router. You can then either connect to other computers/PPCs with a cheap WiFi card or directly with an ethernet cable (many of the wireless routers act as a wired hub as well).

One question for the crew: I have my cable modem hooked into my Netgear WiFi router, my desktop is connected by ethernet cable and I can access the internet with my ipaq and my laptop without problem and with no setup on WindowsXP except some folder sharing. How do I secure my WiFi access point so the neighbors can't access my shared folders and/or my internet connection. (I'm not telling you guys where I live) :wink:
Thanks

[johncj]

Any of you who are proposing Win XP bridging actually done it? I tried to do it with a Bluetooth Ethernet and couldn't get it to work at all :-( Ok I'll admit I know just enough to be dangerous, but if bridging is easy in XP pro I'd hate to see your idea of hard.

Yes, I've done it. I have a wired network connected to a router, an XP box with wired and wireless Ethernet that are bridged and I can connect to my whole network with my e740 (Wifi, not Bluetooth) I used to be a network admin (5 years ago, just a developer now), so it seemed like a piece of cake to me. The trick is knowing when to bridge and when to use ICS.