My desktop computer, being somewhat overbuilt, has a motherboard (Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra-939) with two Ethernet ports; one 10/100 and the other 10/100/1000. (I’ve currently got the 10/100 in use and have disabled the 10/100/1000.) I’ve RTFM, but I can’t find any mention of how to really use them. I saw on a review for my motherboard that “Another feature is the Dual LAN, equipped for establishing the traffic between two separate networks to ensure rapid transfer of data from WAN to LAN.” This has got me wondering about the best way to get a home network going.
I’m getting an Apple laptop with built-in wireless (Airport Extreme, thus 802.11g) and my DSL modem is an Actiontec with a wireless gateway. I thought, if I can’t get the wireless modem to work properly that maybe I could use the LAN bridge and physically plug the laptop into my desktop, thus giving both computers internet access. I also have a currently unused 802.11g PCI card for my desktop as well as yet another Ethernet card (cannibalized from my old Dell) that I could install if needed.
Interestingly, the Network Connections menu in Windows is showing four icons under the LAN or High-Speed Internet heading: two 1394 connections and two LAN connections. One of the LAN connections is the 10/100/1000 port, the other is a NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller. These are all built into the motherboard (except one of the 1394s might be off the FireWire PCI card.)
So, I figure I have three options. The first is try to get the wireless modem to work properly (I just wish it supported WPA instead of WEP.) I can try to do something with the wireless card and the multiple connections in my desktop. Or I can just go out and buy a wireless router. Any suggestions on the best way to get the laptop onto a wireless network?
Bridging the connection using the machine with two network adaptors is the least desirable option; I don’t suppose it will be too much of a burden on the machine providing the bridge, but it’s an unnecessary point of possible failure, and it won’t work if the bridging machine is switched off.
You may be able to upgrade the firmware in your modem to include WPA (I think it is just a protocol, rather than something that requires specific hardware).
Any advice on software that would facilitate setting up a home network, if such a thing exists outside of the Windows Network Setup Wizard or whatever it’s called? I’ve had to redo my network about a half-dozen times as my computers seem to forget they are part of one every 2-3 months. :dubious:
1394 are your Firewire ports. I don’t know why (or even how) you’d want to use them as a NIC.
Your ultimate answer really depends on what you want to accomplish and how much money you’re willing to invest vs. how much time you want to spend. Me personally, it would drive me nuts to go back to using a wired connection for my notebook. I’ve gotten too spoiled by wireless. So if I couldn’t get the wireless working on your DSL interface, I wouldn’t think twice about popping down $50 at CompUSA for a new access point.
I would probably stay away from the bridging. Elsewise you’ll have to manually configure routing tables, install RIP, or fiddle with the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Wizard (which I’ve had mixed results with). Either way, it adds an unneccesary layer of complexity to your network.
Looking for a firmware upgrade is a good idea. If one isn’t available and WEP isn’t good enough for you, and you don’t want to buy a new AP, you could always setup a VPN connection from your notebook and use ICS. Though it would be overkill for what you’re trying to do and probably a royal PIA, you’d learn a lot doing it.
Okay, one other question. (Qwest indeed had a firmware upgrade out for my modem, but I’m not sure what it did.) Anyway, because of the way the house I am in is set up, there is only one phone jack, which is in the living room. The computer is in the other end of the house in one of the bedrooms, so I’ve had to run about 30 feet of phone line across the house on my wall. Since I do have a wireless card for my desktop, is there any way I can go without having to plug the modem into the desktop? Perhaps through a wireless router before it gets to the modem? It’d be really nice to be able to just keep the box(es) in the living room and move the landline back into the central part of the house.