Wifi card or router?

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 02:43 AM

I just bought an iPaq hx4700 with built in WiFi.

I want to setup a wifi network for syncing and internet on the iPaq, can a simple WiFi PCI card like this one do this and provide a good signal or should I get a router?

When I used to share the internet I used a 2nd LAN card in my PC since it was much much cheaper than a router so I'd like to do the same. Are there any disadvantages in getting a wifi pci card (other than I won't have a firewall)?

Thanks

**confus-ed** · March 21st, 2005, 04:35 AM

Wi-fi systems need things called 'access points' (must have at least one - its the bridge between the wired bit & the unwired bit), & generally you find these in independent devices such as wireless routers, but you can get them to fit into a pc ..

So you will have to buy an access point, & once you are doing that you may as well spend the extra 20% or so more they cost & buy a combi wired/wireless router, which will give you a hardware firewall (as you have a seperate device showing to the world & not a windows machine & all its vulnerabilities service wise) & let you remove the bridged NIC in your desktop, thus making that 'safer' & reducing its processing load, as every packet it passes through the machine, in your current configuration, requires cpu service.

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 04:42 AM

I just read the cards description and they say it can connect directly to another device, so won't I be able to conenct my pocket pc to the desktop with that card installed?

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 04:48 AM

This is the one I bought actually:
http://www.dlink.com/products/?model=DWL-G520

Like all D-Link wireless adapters, the DWL-G520 can be used in ad-hoc mode to connect directly with other cards for peer-to-peer file sharing or in infrastructure mode to connect with a wireless access point or router for access to the Internet in your office or home network.

So doesn't that mean it can connect directly to my pocket pc?

Thanks

**confus-ed** · March 21st, 2005, 05:09 AM

ok then .. I take that back

- these do indeed look like you can use them like you would a pair of NIC's & a x-over cable ! (toddles off to have a read up ... yes lots of Wireless Nic's let you do this now ! Ta ! - I learnt something !

- but I'm not sure whether the link means you need a pair of D-links with this feature enabled for it to work ? - dunno !)

But I'm sure that'll then mean each time you want to change whats connected you need to resetup the connection, which I suppose is allright if you've only got one - but generally doesn't suit most needs &/or any expansion later - & at this point I feel moved to point out that buying a combi wired/wireless router in the first place would have been the same money 'near enough' as the way you've done it i.e extra NIC & then this to go in your machine, with room 'to grow' ..

Err why didn't you just buy a bluetooth adapter to go in a usb port ? (your ipaq has this already apparently) they are really cheap & very easily portable, slower, but fast enough for surfing.

You remind me of many clients

- ask/think about it first then buy !

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 05:33 AM

I no longer use the 2nd nic and I dont see how a $30 nic is more expensive than a $100+ router.

I didnt get a bluetooth usb dongle because I already have like 12 usb devices so I try not to get too much more, and the signal from that pci card is most definately a lot more powerful (bluetooth is only 10 meters, on this ipaq at least).

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 05:35 AM

I bought it when that description I quoted answered my only concern about it. I really don't see why I'd get a $100+ wifi router when a $29 card does what I want.

**confus-ed** · March 21st, 2005, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by ClickHere2Surf.com

I really don't see why I'd get a $100+ wifi router when a $29 card does what I want.

You are definately a man with your own agenda ( I think I've commented on that before

) who's looking at expensive wi-fi routers, I just think that you are making this difficult for yourself potentially later & maybe now as I've really no idea how all this sharing of connections & bridges is going to work in practice .. & all to save about $50 as you've also spent on an extra NIC you never 'really' needed....

Personally I look at time involved to get it working & not just cost of bits, as I can see $50 worth of labour & quite a bit more in getting all this working - but I suppose your times free to yourself, I look at it as time I can't charge someone else for (he says giving out free advice !

)

If you get all this working 'easily' then power to your elbow

..

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 06:55 AM

I dont need the NIC anymore because theres only one PC in the house now (except for my ipaq), and when I needed it a few years ago, routers were all well over $150 when the nic was $19.

Personally I look at time involved to get it working & not just cost of bits

That's the main reason I got the pci wifi card, Most of the people I know that have a router have all sort of connections problems in programs like msn and others. I know this is because they haven't configured it, and I don't want to spend more to have to configure something I wont have to do by speending less, so I'm not only saving money, I'm saving time, and I'm sure establishing the wireless lan with the pci card can be done in minutes.

I'll let you know

**rgharper** · March 21st, 2005, 07:56 AM

You can use the wi-fi card for an "Ad-Hoc" card-to-card network or buy a router, either one will work. But keep in mind that every added wireless device will be sucking CPU time and network bandwidth from YOUR computer ... and of course your computer must be on any time you want the network up.

A router, on the other hand, will remove both these conditions.

**TechZ** · March 21st, 2005, 07:59 AM

For that very reason, I initially got me a 4port router/wi-fi/dsl modem, that way I can now share inet to wired/wireless pc's in the house.

I was gonna make an ad-hoc network, but that requires the first pc to be on all the time, you want access from the 2nd pc.

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 21st, 2005, 03:50 PM

I wont be using my pocket pc and desktop at the same time, so cpu usage (minimal at the most) will not be a problem. My desktop is also on 365 days a year so that isn't a problem either.

**rgharper** · March 21st, 2005, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by ClickHere2Surf.com

I wont be using my pocket pc and desktop at the same time, so cpu usage (minimal at the most) will not be a problem. My desktop is also on 365 days a year so that isn't a problem either.

Mine just got turned off for the first time this year because I'm in Chicago.

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 27th, 2005, 01:02 AM

Alright, perhaps I should have listened to you guys.

Although the wireless connection works extremely well, it does only "when it feels like it".

For example, if I turn on wifi on my ipaq and my desktop detects it and connects, it will work flawlessly until I manually turn off wifi and I can even watch very high resolution videos stored on my desktop over wifi on my pocket pc (which plays them perfectly smooth thanks to its 624mhz cpu and ATI Imageon 3220 video accelerator). But other times, I turn on wifi on my ipaq and the desktop sits there as if nothing happened, even when 3 feet away from the card so it isnt interference or weak signal (when it works I can go far with no problems at all even when streaming high res video from the desktop), when it doesn't work, it's normally like that for a while (15 minutes or a few hours), but if I try again later it can work perfectly again.

I've read of others having the exact same issue using ad hoc wifi connections.

Is there a way to solve this? Why would they advertise this feature if it's so unreliable? Would a router have these issues?

Also, is it true d-link routers dont offer enough settings to fully allow P2P programs like kazaa from working and linksys' do offer the required settings?

Thanks

**ClickHere2Surf.com** · March 27th, 2005, 03:41 AM

I just found this router with a built in cable modem:
http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=579

Does this have any advantage over connecting my cable modem into a normal router? Is it possible the modem could be faster than my pretty old cable modem? Would it be better than just getting a router and connect my current cable modem to it?

Also, doesn't the ISP authenticate you from the cable modem's mac address? Does this mean I can't get another cable modem or can I just call them and tell them I got a new modem or what?

Thanks