Home Networking?

[lilacclaire]

Have main computer with broadband in living room, ds has computer in his bedroom and would like to allow him internet access.

Does anyone know what I need to do?

Simplest solution is a homeplug network.

There are a few options to get the connection to multiple pc's, but it depends on a few factors. What operating system are you using (windows xp, vista, etc)? Also who is your internet provider? Some providers will offer a wireless connection package including tech support and hardware, and though you will pay a little more for this, the tech support factor can be invaluable if you aren't experienced with networking. The downside is that a wireless connection is a little slower than a wired one, so if laying cable is an option, go for it.

The other option is to install a network yourself. this is relatively easy with Vista or XP, but any other OS (or different OS's on each pc) can be harder to figure out. Also there is no tech support if you do it yourself, and although most home network problems can be sorted out by restarting everything a few times, this is still a pain. The advantage though is that the router or hub you use will be a one-time cost, and after that you pay no extra to your isp. I beleive you can get a good wireless one for about £30, less for a wired hub, and again this would actually give you better speed.

Thanks, I don't mind if the connection is slower on a wireless, I detest the thought of cables running everywhere.

So could I keep the main computer connected by cable and just have the upstairs computer wireless?

Im running XP and am with BT.

Im not very good with 'hardware' and where to put things in!

yep - was dp who posted last one so can't give much detail but we have 3 computers and 2 are wired and one isn't.

Guess who's got the one with the (slower) wireless connection

I think to do it you would have a wireless hub thingy that took the connection from yours and then passed that thru to your ds.

Though my knowledge is basic. I can get dp to post more details tonight when he is home.

We also have a wii and xbox360 on ours - I think one is wired and one is wireless. YOu can mix and match.

And I think the cables can be expensive so it might be cheaper to do it wireless from yours.. We got ours free (out a skip).

Wireless may be slower, but it doesn't matter for most users as the bottleneck will be your internet connection anyway. Higher home network speeds are only useful when the home machines are communicating with each other.

Homeplug networks don't require extra cabling and I believe they are more secure than wireless.

It will be ds's that is wireless, so not bothered if it is slower .
He will probably want his xbox360 in it as well.
Is that wireless hub thing, the thing that kind of looks like a wii? technical arent I

So Evelyns dad, would I plug one end in at ds's computer, but with the main one, can I plug it in without the main comp being wireless?

I haven't actually used this, so I'm going by reputaion not experience. The Homeplug thing is supposed to be very simple. The main problem is that it can require a lot of sockets.

If you take a basic homeplug device, you would connect your modem to one, connect another into your main PC and a third to the Xbox. This would require 3 sockets for the broadband in the living room,

There is a 3 port device listed that would allow you to plug both the router and the PC into the same socket, saving you one socket. There is also a combined modem and homeplug device, which would not require any extra sockets at the living room end, but you would need to be confident that you can set the modem up to talk to your ISP. It shouldn't be too difficult, but you might need user name and password details (and maybe a techie friend on hand).