My Ad-Hoc plans

[Breaker78]

I've currently got a 3 pc lan at home sharing a cable connection with a netgear router over cat5.

I just ordered a laptop with an integrated WIFI card. I was hoping to install a PCI WIFI card in my WinXP Pro computer and use it to go online with my laptop. I think I can just set the WIFI card as a bridge, but I want to make sure first.

1. How good are pcmcia adapter cards? USB WIFI adapters? and the "native" pci wifi cards? I've done some searching and wanted to know which is my best option. I've read that the adapter cards are extremely poor performers. And I've read about people having trouble setting up usb adapters in an ad-hoc fashion. I know an access point is probably best, but cost is an issue, and I think Ad-Hoc is going to be the way to go. My desktop is on virtually all the time hosting my website anyways, so this is not a concern.

What are the best brands?

2. What is going to be my signal strength / throughput? I live in a small 2 story house, wood studs and fake wood wall boards. My desktop is upstairs, and one of the places I want to use the laptop is in the living room, one floor down and maybe 30 ft max offset.

3. Any other issues I should know about? My router is already doing NAT, but that shouldn't stop my desktop from doing it as well, or will it?

 

[JackMDS]

Double Routing with Hardware NAT. and software NAT is usually a recipe for trouble.
What you plan to do was cool last year when the price differential between WAP and Wireless client card was substantial.

You much better off getting a WAP and connecting it to the Router. If you shop carefully you can get a WAP for $20-$30 more then a Wireless Desktop, or USB card.

What do I need for wireless networking?

 

[Breaker78]

What you plan to do was cool last year when the price differential between WAP and Wireless client card was substantial.

You much better off getting a WAP and connecting it to the Router. If you shop carefully you can get a WAP for $20-$30 more then a Wireless Desktop, or USB card.

I catch your drift on the coolness factor, but your missing my question. I go ahead and spring for the extra $20-30, what kind of performance am I going to get out of a cheap WAP? I'd much rather spend less money (upwards of 40% less) for a nice PCI card with better performance.

I essentially do bridging in VMWARE when I load up win98 and don't seem to have an problems with accessing web sites or email. Add in AIM and having access to my desktop is really I all could ask for.

Has anyone set up a similar network that can recommend a card?

 

[JackMDS]

A real PCI Wireless is available from one or two sources, and they are expensive.

Almost all of the other PCI Wireless are a combo of PCMCIA and a $40 PCI adapter. At the end, the PCI will cost close to $100.

You can get a good USB (like the Orinoco Gold), but they cost as much or more then a WAP.

A WAP usually has much better Antenna system then a card, and gives you capacities that are not available in cards.

You connect the WAP to the Router via CAT5, and you can place it in optimum location (high and away from electrical screen), and get nice performance (even if it is a cheappo WAP).

In contrast your PCI Antenna will probably be stuck close to the floor behind your PC.

Just wanted to give you some info, after it is your system.

 

[Tallgeese]

Here's the best bet for your situation:
* Buy a WAP. You'll get better performance, no debate on this point.
* Set the WAP to "transparent" bridge mode. All traffic (including DHCP) will pass through with no problems. Double layers of NAT will fark up many applications.

Personally, I use Orinoco, since the price/performance is hard to beat (their RG kits are very economical)
The SMC WAP is highly recommended too.

 

[heartsurgeon]

totally agree with JackMDS
get a WAP (like this)
$156 - $30 coupon = $126

plug it into your router - your good to go.

the key to wifi is reception - small variations in antenna location can result in significant changes in signal strength and performance.
no card or pci adapter is going to have the performance of a WAP (or wireless adapter) where you can reposition or replace the antenna. On the client side, I would recommend usb based wireless adapters simply because you gain a lot of flexibility in positioning the antenna for optimal reception (ease of installation is also a plus)

As far as performance goes - your cable modem is the bottleneck, not the wifi connection (even with a "cheap" WAP like the one I listed above) which at my house performs at 11 mbps (through 4 walls, over a distance of 100 feet).

this wireless stuff works better than you imagine, if you use to appropriate devices - you will have a very easy time (5 minutes to add a functioning wireless connection to my wired LAN), so far 100% uptime.

if you try to make the devices to something that they "can" do, but where not really intended to do - you will be spending alot of time on the telephone (on hold mostly).

networking can be very frustrating - i've been there. my advice is get a WAP and i predict you will be very happy with the outcome.