I'm lazy so tell me exactly what to buy. [Archive]

View Full Version : I'm lazy so tell me exactly what to buy.

Dave Long

11-15-2003, 07:42 PM

OK, here's the deal. Next Friday I'm going to Cathcart's place to play some Mario Kart: Double Dash!! via LAN if we can get all the Xbots to quit playing Halo long enough to try it. He has a Gamecube Broadband Adapter (they're like gold around here) for me and one for himself. Once I have this thing, I'd like to play Phantasy Star Online Ep.I&II which I plan to buy in the near future...online There's also PSO Ep.III C.A.R.D Evolution or whatever it's called and I'm sure I want that.

I've got my PC connected to the net via Comcast cable and the cable modem is running directly into the ethernet adapter on the PC via CAT-5 cable. I have no router, no hub, nothing. I've already decided that I do NOT want to lay out the money to have both of these devices connected for gaming (and probably a third, the PS2) via anything WIRELESS. Too confusing, too much money, too many buzzwords and too much hassle.

So basically I want to do this cheaply, with wires, and be able to play games on any machine at any time given my current inclination. I also want to be able to add the PS2 and if they ever reduce it to $99, an Xbox to the equation. So four devices would probably be the maximum. Also, the cable modem is currently upstairs at the PC but I think it would be best to move it down to the living room TV along with whatever device is recommended for connection since all the consoles are down there and there's only the PC up here. That should mean a single CAT-5 wire coming up to the PC and all the other stuff short wires down there, right?

Lay it out there, make it simple and cheap. I'm all ears.

--Dave

P.S. - Thanks in advance for any help...

Aleck

11-15-2003, 08:52 PM

Okay.

Cable connection comes into the house, near/in the living room.

Cable connects to cable modem.

Cable modem connects to 4 port router.

Router connects via short Cat 5 ethernet cables to:
1) Gamecube
2) PS/2
3) The Xbox you're really just dying to have :)

Router connects via long cable that you're going to have lots of fun wiring to:
1) Your PC upstairs

Shopping list:
1) four port router. Pick any model under $50 (since you don't want wireless). Check techbargains.com for a multitude of deals; any name brand should be fine.
2) 2 or 3 short cat 5 cables (depending on how soon you plan to buy an Xbox and assuming that: you already have 1 connecting your cable modem now and that the router doesn't come with one)
3) 1 long cat 5 cable
(I recommend buying cables online, rather than at a retailer, since they'll cost you about 1/3 as much -- check buy.com or virtually anywhere else for 7' and 25'/50'/100' cables to meet your needs.

Total cost: between $35 and $70, largely depending on how much you pay for a router.

The other big benefit of putting the router in is that your PC will be much much much more secure against outside attackers.

Dave Long

11-16-2003, 06:15 PM

Excellent. Thanks. I'll bet that same set up would work for a lot of other folks too. $35-$70 is exactly the kind of outlay I was hoping for.

--Dave

Mithix

11-16-2003, 09:47 PM

Note: None of the cables should be "crossover" cables.

XPav

11-16-2003, 11:08 PM

Note: Many switches nowadays can figure out cross-over/straight through cables automatically.

Midnight Son

11-17-2003, 01:24 PM

I think you should go with the Nissan Maxima, it's Ghetto! :lol:

Mike Cathcart

11-17-2003, 01:37 PM

Just wait 'till Friday, check out the stuff I have, then buy that. I've got a wireless router that also has four regular ports in it, so you don't have to use the wireless until about five minutes after you set it up when you realize that you really wanted to do wireless the whole time.

Pjerrot

11-18-2003, 05:57 AM

Buy this! (www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/How_to_Overcome_Laziness_and_Achieve_Your_Goals/0939189003/) :wink:

Dave Long

12-25-2003, 09:07 AM

Toddy

12-26-2003, 12:47 AM

Similar situation here, but with a D-Link wireless router and card. Just want to know if this Linksys game adapter is compatible. Assume all the wireless stuff gets along pretty good with one another, but obviously want to be sure before I buy anything, and D-Link doesn't seem to make this sort of adapter for console systems. Which is bizarre, since there seems to be real demand for such a product,

JeffL

12-26-2003, 05:52 AM

Aleck

12-27-2003, 10:23 AM

Resurrection!

Ok, my wife bought me a Wireless access point and a wireless LAN card for the PC. It's 802.11b Linksys stuff. However, I still want to be able to connect those consoles so it looks like this is what I need...

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10351885&hdwt=30701&loc=101&sp=1

Can someone just confirm that for me?

--Dave

Dave,

I'm assuming you meant that she bought you a wireless router, rather than access point, and a LAN card for the PC?

If that's the case, then yes, you should probably get a device like the one you listed. That'll provide you with 1 connection between the home media center and the router.

In addition, pick up a four port router and ethernet cables. That way you can connect multiple devices to the wireless bridge, should you so choose to have multiple devices (e.g. GameCube, PS2, Xbox) then you don't need multiple wireless bridges (which is a good thing, since they're expensive!)

Dave Long

12-27-2003, 04:02 PM

Uh...no. She bought a Wireless Access Point and I think I know what you're going to say next, but lay it on me anyway. She got what the guy at Best Buy told her to get...

I think I've got the wrong piece of hardware for what I want to do now.

I got this...

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=563

--Dave

Aleck

12-28-2003, 04:33 AM

Dave,

Yeah, that's not what you want. YOu definitely want a router (which is generally cheaper than an AP, strangely enough).

You want to return the WAP11 and exchange it for a router like this one -- http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=544.

If you can't return the WAP11, you need to buy a cheap wired router (usu. goes for approx. $30 if you want the weekend ads).

dannimal

12-28-2003, 11:06 AM

Oddly enough, this thread answered most of the questions I had before I even had a chance to ask them.

I've been stumbling along with an Intel AnyPoint Phoneline home network, and it seriously limits the access my laptop's mobility (there's really only one phone jack/power outlet combo we can plug the AnyPoint stuff into conveniently), and I think I'm ready to move to wireless.

My questions:

Quell my inner super-geek. I don't really need the 802.11g stuff, right? The 802.11b 11Mb speed (tops) is just fine because my outside the house connection is 3Mb max (cable modem). I can save ~$30 going the b route, and never really notice, right? If signal strength ends up being an issue (the cable comes into the house on the far corner from where the laptop will be, all other computers are plenty close), does the 802.11g stuff provide more "penetration" or range over 802.11?

Placement. Is there an easy way to determine signal strength without setting the whole network up? Meaning, can I power up the router, not connected to the cable modem (leaving the existing network up), and use my laptop (with it's wireless card) to roam the house checking signal strength? I guess my biggest worry is that I won't get even remotely decent signal from one corner of the house to the other and I'll be stuck with this stuff.

Interference. I have a 2.4GHz phone, that caused some problems when it was at my parent's house. In effect, it would kill the wireless network when the phone was in use. We tried channel switching on the phone, but I later read that the Linksys web-admin tool has a channel switch too, that usually solves the problem. Anyone here deal with this?

dannimal

12-29-2003, 08:05 PM

Follow up question:

Could I in fact "share" the wireless game interface that Dave linked to above by running a cat5 cable from it to the Uplink port of a basic 5-port hub and then run cat5 from the hub to an XBox and a PS2 or GameCube?

Would I need a crossover cable to get from hub to wireless doodad, or does it matter?

I know I could just move the cat5 from XBox to PS2 manually as needed, but a hub would save the effort of finagling behind the entertainment center every time.

Aleck

12-29-2003, 09:12 PM

]Quell my inner super-geek. I don't really need the 802.11g stuff, right? The 802.11b 11Mb speed (tops) is just fine because my outside the house connection is 3Mb max (cable modem). I can save ~$30 going the b route, and never really notice, right? If signal strength ends up being an issue (the cable comes into the house on the far corner from where the laptop will be, all other computers are plenty close), does the 802.11g stuff provide more "penetration" or range over 802.11?

802.11g comes in really handy for large file transfers between your desktop and laptop. Otherwise, 802.11b should be fine. I've got a 1.5M DSL connection, and usually get 2-3x that over my 802.11b setup.

Range varies widely depending on the hardware. Check out reviews at sites like Small Net Builder (http://www.smallnetbuilder.com) to get a better idea. If range becomes a problem, a better antenna or signal booster is a good idea.

Placement. Is there an easy way to determine signal strength without setting the whole network up? Meaning, can I power up the router, not connected to the cable modem (leaving the existing network up), and use my laptop (with it's wireless card) to roam the house checking signal strength? I guess my biggest worry is that I won't get even remotely decent signal from one corner of the house to the other and I'll be stuck with this stuff.

That should work fine.

Interference. I have a 2.4GHz phone, that caused some problems when it was at my parent's house. In effect, it would kill the wireless network when the phone was in use. We tried channel switching on the phone, but I later read that the Linksys web-admin tool has a channel switch too, that usually solves the problem. Anyone here deal with this?

I had interference when I first got my WAP11. I tried channels 1, 6, and 11, found that I had no interference on 1 or 11, and have used those two since. I don't think you'll have a problem, but I could be wrong.

Could I in fact "share" the wireless game interface that Dave linked to above by running a cat5 cable from it to the Uplink port of a basic 5-port hub and then run cat5 from the hub to an XBox and a PS2 or GameCube?

Would I need a crossover cable to get from hub to wireless doodad, or does it matter?

Yes, you can share those wireless devices (at least, from what I've seen -- I use a WAP11 rather than one of those specific gaming adapters, but both are just stupid bridges, so it should work fine). The crossover needs depends on the hub/switch, or course, but most are either autosensing or have an uplink port that will do the job nicely.