Advice needed on setting up wireless network

SkScotchegg · 27 Mar 2011 at 21:39

Hi there, please can you offer some assistance, am posting on behalf of my uncle who is wanting to go buy a PC tomorrow but he said he wants it to have wireless. His situation is that the PC and wireless modem he has with BT are in different parts of the house and aren't next to each other, and dont really want to use a long wire, so am I right in thinking you can buy some kind of dongle device to connect his PC to his wireless modem?

Whats the best way to go about it for his situation?

Thanks in advance.

SkScotchegg · 27 Mar 2011 at 22:38

Thanks for your reply, I've never used any of those devices before, I have wireless myself but my modem is right next to my PC and so my PC uses a wire and Ethernet but the only reason I have wireless setup is for laptop downstairs.

I have a question tho, weather we buy the dongle or the wifi card, will either of those slow down his internet and downloading?

Am just thinking wouldnt it be better for him to just use a long wire instead?

He lives in scotland and is going back on tuesday, he says his modem is at one side of his living room and the PC is at the other side...

Am just thinking am going to tell him to buy a PC that I've chosen for him and then buy this dongle or wifi card and then I can imagine him going home and setting it all up and then ringing me and saying my internet or downloads are going slow?

SkScotchegg · 27 Mar 2011 at 22:52

Also he says he's got BT broadband in scotland so will any USB dongle work with his modem?

Am not sure what modem he would have, and he doesnt know either? he said it's one they installed for him from BT, and it's wireless? Would it be wireless N? and does the usb dongle have to match his modem? N or G?

SkScotchegg · 29 Mar 2011 at 00:42

Thanks for all the info you've given me so far, my uncle has been down from scotland for a few days you see, and he's going home tomorrow and he's been asking for my advice on all this and what to buy.

I told him to buy the TP-Link USB dongle you mentioned today, his living room his massive as his house is big in scotland, so think where BT installed the modem is like 15-20 meters away from where his new PC is going to be setup.

Yeah they have a wireless modem given from BT he said it's wireless G.

I have one last question, my uncle spoke to a friend of his this morning and his friend told him that this USB dongle would slow down his speeds?

Can you please give me details on how this will work?

I really cant see it slowing down his speed? that USB dongle says 300Mbps High-Gain, and besides, hes only got 2mb, and he says the connection he has is rubbish in scotland and his 2mb only goes at 1mb lol!

Feel quite sorry for him, I'm on 30mb virgin media myself here in Leeds hehe!!

But say I was to use that USB dongle in my home, and the PC was in another room 20m away from wireless modem, would that PC then still download at 30mb? or would it be less? can you explain that part to me?

I built my PC myself and setup my own wireless network at home with encryption but I still only know the basics.

SkScotchegg · 29 Mar 2011 at 01:28

Originally posted by Misscheif:

The USB Dongle if you use wireless G should run at 54mbps nearly all the time. his broadband, at the very most should work at a maximum of 20MBps. The wireless will far outstrip the actual broadband in terms of bandwidth. not sure what your 'friend' meant about slowing down the Internet? I'm lucky enough to get a full 20 meg connection from Sky and noticed no difference in speeds whether I was wireless G or wired.

Cheers mate, it wasnt my friend, it was his friend, my uncles friend that told him that, guess he was talking rubbish, thanks for clearing that up.