Ready to go wireless with a Gateway from ATT

Jane B.

I have recently gotten the slowest speed DSL from AT & T. I now want to setup my laptop to connect to it wirelessly. Do any of you have suggestions beyond what comes in their self-install kit? My laptop is a Lenovo R60 with a Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection - Packet Scheduler Miniport. I am currently connected via a Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet - Packet Scheduler Miniport.

I have read many magazine article over the years but this is my first experience actually doing such a connection.

Thanks in advance.
Jane B.

cmason

Hi Jane:

I would suggest you read this nice intro from Microsoft first:

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx

from the shopping list, you already have 1 and 3, now you need to get #2: router

Shopping list
•Broadband Internet connection
•Wireless router
•A computer with built-in wireless networking support or a wireless network adapter


I suspect you won't find a big difference in many routers, but in terms of easy to manage and use, I recommend the Linksys routers. They are popular, and getting help on the web is simple: even Microsoft uses a Linkysys router in the webpage above.

The Linksys routers have a detailed setup guide as well.

Linksys WRT54G

wxwax

I realize this is a hijack, but....

I found the Linksys router a pain to get set-up and passworded.

The Apple router, on the other hand, was a breeze. Hardware's clean and attractive, software easy (on a Mac.) I'm not usually a rah-rah mac guy, but in this instance, I found the difference to be substantial.

Sorry for the hijack.

digismile

I've installed several brands of routers including linksys, dlink, netgear, etc. and i can say that I've never had a problem with linksys. Maybe it's just Waxy .

About the only thing I can strongly recommend is initially configuring your router hardwired. Makes for a much smoother install.


regards,

cmason

wxwax wrote:

I realize this is a hijack, but....

I found the Linksys router a pain to get set-up and passworded.

The Apple router, on the other hand, was a breeze. Hardware's clean and attractive, software easy (on a Mac.) I'm not usually a rah-rah mac guy, but in this instance, I found the difference to be substantial.

Sorry for the hijack.

Havent had issues with Linksys either, having set up 5 so far. But that being said, none of them were Macs.

Jane is using a Lenovo laptop running Windows, so I think the ease of software on a Mac won't be relevant to her.

colourbox

I'm a Mac user but the Apple wireless routers are pricey. I agree with digismile...I've set up D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, Buffalo, and Apple, and most brands have similar browser-based setup these days, and they all work with Macs and PCs.

The hardest thing is if you've never set one up before, because you won't be familiar with the terminology. But if you get through that first router, the options in the other routers you encounter in the future, of any brand, will look familiar, although they might be arranged differently.

The funny thing about the Apple routers (last time I set one up, anyway) is that they try to rename the networking options so that they are easier to understand, but the problem is that because they use non-standard terms, it's harder to tell which options correspond to the the same options on other brands. Other brands tend to use more consistent, though geeky, terms.

Probably the most important advice is to set up and use the WPA (not WEP) encryption. While there are many ways to secure a wireless router, WPA is by far the most secure method available to a home user today, as long as you don't use a password that is in the dictionary.

On today's wireless routers, most of the other options should be automatic and very little configuration should be needed. You may want to give your network a name that lets you distinguish it from the transmitters of your neighbors.

Jane B.

cmason wrote:

Hi Jane:

I would suggest you read this nice intro from Microsoft first:

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx

from the shopping list, you already have 1 and 3, now you need to get #2: router

Shopping list
•Broadband Internet connection
•Wireless router
•A computer with built-in wireless networking support or a wireless network adapter


I suspect you won't find a big difference in many routers, but in terms of easy to manage and use, I recommend the Linksys routers. They are popular, and getting help on the web is simple: even Microsoft uses a Linkysys router in the webpage above.

The Linksys routers have a detailed setup guide as well.

Linksys WRT54G

I got in too big a hurry to get my posting in before leaving for the day yesterday. Here are more details.

What I got from AT & T is "2Wire Wireless Gateway (wireless router with modem) Model 2701HG-B." I had questions about this before ordering as I had never heard of "2Wire" as a company that makes these. But they said they had good experience with it and I figured if I had problems it would be better with everything coming from the same source.
I am already up and running with a Ethernet cable connection. I had questions about needing to connect this way since I want to be wireless and had difficulty getting answers because some that answered my calls did not have the same native language as I do (one was in the Philippines and I am in the US) and thus the same English terminology did not mean the same to each of us. One thing I have found out since via their chat is that this model does support WPA but their support via chat section does not help with configuration — you have to call for that. Between you guys and what I have found to read doubt now I will need that.

I have gone to the site you (cmason) linked to and printed it off. Also, there is a two page article in the September 2007 issue of Smart Computing magazine in their "Windows Tips & Tricks" section. The title is "Use Windows XP’s Wireless Network Setup Wizard". This has led to a lot of reading as one page leads me to click on another.

Thank you everyone and feel free to add additional tips.

cmason

Jane:

I found some helpful resources on the 2Wire website:

Here is an easy, step by step guide for setting up in XP (should be similar for vista) Be sure to click 'Next"

2Wire guide

This device has WEP security set up out of the box, and i recommend you use it. You should actually use WPA rather than WEP, but for starts, go with the instructions to get your system working wirelessly. Once is works, you can later get the better WPA security working. WEP today offers little to no security against someone who wants to break it. Likely, there are few in your neighborhood that want to or know how, so it is good for starts.

The 2Wire user guide will show you how to set up WPA...see around pager 28.

By the way: either wired or wireless will work. Set up the laptop for both, and it will do the rest. When you plug in the wire, it will use that, and when you unplug it, the laptop will switch to wireless! The only reason to plug the cable in is if you need the extra speed. For example, I find I can upload photos far faster via the wire, than over wireless. Wireless uses less of the bandwidth.

Jane B.

cmason wrote:

Jane:

I found some helpful resources on the 2Wire website:

Here is an easy, step by step guide for setting up in XP (should be similar for vista) Be sure to click 'Next"

2Wire guide

This device has WEP security set up out of the box, and i recommend you use it. You should actually use WPA rather than WEP, but for starts, go with the instructions to get your system working wirelessly. Once is works, you can later get the better WPA security working. WEP today offers little to no security against someone who wants to break it. Likely, there are few in your neighborhood that want to or know how, so it is good for starts.

The 2Wire user guide will show you how to set up WPA...see around pager 28.

By the way: either wired or wireless will work. Set up the laptop for both, and it will do the rest. When you plug in the wire, it will use that, and when you unplug it, the laptop will switch to wireless! The only reason to plug the cable in is if you need the extra speed. For example, I find I can upload photos far faster via the wire, than over wireless. Wireless uses less of the bandwidth.

Thanks again cmason!! You have been such a help through all my decisions.

At this time I feel real dumb because for some reason I did not think of looking to see if 2Wire (which I had never heard of before although the other brand names mentioned in this thread, for example, are familiar to me) had a web site with more information.

I am now in the process of printing the manual linked to. As mentioned earlier I am up and running via a Ethernet cable from the instructions in a 4 page flyer included with the hardware by AT & T. But, am looking forward to my first wireless session from the patio as we are having unseasonably warm weather.

Thanks again
Jane