need some advice on this...Networking

[illicit]

Hi all, im new to this messageboard.

First of all I want to have my computer which is in my room.. hooked up to another computer that will be in my brothers room. But the rooms are like..20 metres away.

Me and my bro are gonna play games on the LAN and we want a good signal. But are the rooms to far away for all this? and about how much will it all cost?

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Secondly the other computer in the other room is going to have the internet. I don't know if its possible but is it true that you can share the internet and still have the same fixed price every month on your internet bill?

plz help..thanks in advanced

illicit

[Yawgm0th]

You just need to get a wireless USB device (or wireless PCI card) and a wireless router. You hook the router to your cable or DSL modem and to your computer. You put the USB device (unless you get a PCI card) on the computer without the internet. You will then be able to play LAN games between the two computers and both will have Internet access. The rooms aren't too far away or anything. It will cost $30 - $60 US, depending on what hardware you get.

[bigjackusa]

Inside a house, 20m can mean a lot of walls with stuff in them to interfere with a wireless signal. Cordless phones, garage door openers, and nearby wireless networks can drop signal strenghth (and thruput) as well. I would recommend hardwired ethernet for gaming. If the rooms are on the ground floor, you might run the wiring in the basement or crawl space. If upstairs, run it in the attic. Wall plates and Keystone jacks are inexpensive, easy to use, look professional, and may even add value to the home. If you do decide to go wireless, don't use a pci card as it leaves few options to move the antenna around to try to improve reception. USB is on a cable that allows much better placement. Yes, the router allows access for multiple computers to the internet at no extra charge. Even if you have a rinky dink local provider that makes you register a MAC address, the router can spoof it for you. And $30-60us is for 802.11b gear, which will likely not work well for gaming. 802.11g gear will cost $100-140us.

[Yawgm0th]

True, getting 802.11b gear is kind of stupid. It works on gaming, but it isn't incredibly fast or as reliable.

Like he bigjack said, you might have some problems with cordless phones. Make sure you don't have any phones operating at the same frequency as the wireless stuff you get. Neighboring networks might be a problem, although they might be a good thing if there's no encryption. :twisted:

But hardwired is best for gaming and normal Internet access. I used to have a wireless setup but it really sucked. We ended up ripping up the carpet (for other reasons) and putting a big Cat5 cable under the new stuff going to my room. It's much, much, better.

[illicit]

thanks for all the info
Ive decided to go with the cables instead of the wireless card.
The cables will run under the house to my bros room.

So I have to

1. Buy a router-

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/40c8e1f5069daa302742c0a87f9c0750/Product/View/XH1161

2. ethernet cat 6 cables -

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/40c8e1f5069daa302742c0a87f9c0750/Product/View/XH3295

Is this all i need to have my network setup? If not please tell me what else I have to buy.

cheers illicit :roll:

[Yawgm0th]

As long as your computers have network cards, you should be set. Two or three cables and a router is all you need for a wired setup like this. Just make sure the cords are long enough.

[bigjackusa]

No, you don't want crossover cables. Standard cat5 cables are what you want. Maybe a 1m for between the modem and the router, a 2m from the router to one machine, and one long enough to go between rooms. Many newer mbs have nics built in, if not, they are inexpensive and easy to find. The router seems awfully expensive. A 4 port Netgear, D-link, or Belkin would likely be much cheaper and quite servicable.