Until now, we’ve used the cable company provided modem for our internet access. I am looking at purchasing my own cable modem in the next week or so, but before I do would like to find out more about wireless internet connections.
We currently have three computers. Mine is the primary and it has internet access. My children (13 & 14 years old) each have computers in their rooms without net access.
I would like to have 24 hour net access on my computer, and give them partial time net access in their rooms during designated hours - perhaps 5-9 each evening. Currently, their rooms are not wired for cable at all, which is why I’m considering wireless. We don’t anticipate them having televisions in their rooms; therefore I’m not considering running cable at this time.
Now that you know my situation and goals, please tell me if how involved it would be to set up a wireless network AND if it is possible to limit/monitor their hours on the internet in a wireless environment.
All three computers are stock Dell’s. All three have ethernet cards.
Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance you can share with me!
The wireless network part is pretty straightforward. You just buy one Access point that plugs into your cable modem. This is the broadcast unit. I work in IT and recommend Linksys for home use. You want a 54G unit that broadcasts on the 802.11G band (common). Then, you wireless network adaptors for the computers that connect wirelessly. You can choose between a USB2 adaptor that just plugs into a port or a full card that needs to be installed by opening the case. Either will work fine. Total cost for all should be $150 or less.
The restricted hours part is tricky. Corporate level access points can do that but ones made for home use usually can’t. You can manually restrict or restore access in just a couple of seconds from your computer but it won’t be automatic. I will see if I can find a utility that will do that.
You’ll need to install a wireless card in each of the kid’s machines, and those machines should be within about 100 feet of the router for a decent connection. Brick walls and metal framing can reduce the range considerably. If the machines have USB ports, this would be easier. And depending on your o/s, setup might be a breeze or could be tricky. I plugged a wireless PCMCIA card into my laptop and it picked up my neighbor’s network without me doing anything.
Restricting access to guest machines can be done if the router has the appropriate management software. I think mine does but I’ve forgotten the access password and can’t get in to look at the settings. I use a D-Link router that looks like the one in this Wiki article, but my remote cards are all verious different brands.
My netgear allows you the option to restrict certain users at certain times, as well as the ability to block certain sites.
I feel like a big goober now. I haven’t looked at my administration page in a while. I just checked and my Linksys 54G unit can do exactly what you want with restricted times and it is all plain as day.
Thank you so much for your responses 
You’ve helped considerably with our decision. It’s help like y’alls that keeps me a paying member!
