Wireless or Hardline Internet to basement?

[Eric]

My roadrunner cable comes into the basement and runs upstairs (2nd floor –
used often) where the wireless router (MS500 Base station) and modem
(Motorola surfboard) are, what is the best way to get an internet connection
in the basement for occasional PC use?

I also have enough Cat-5 to hard wire an ethernet cable from upstairs but am
unsure if it will diminish the signal or any other solutions.

Time Warner wants me to buy their wirless router but can't guarantee signal
strength.

Thanks!
Eric

 

[Big_Al]

My roadrunner cable comes into the basement and runs upstairs (2nd floor –
used often) where the wireless router (MS500 Base station) and modem
(Motorola surfboard) are, what is the best way to get an internet connection
in the basement for occasional PC use?

I also have enough Cat-5 to hard wire an ethernet cable from upstairs but am
unsure if it will diminish the signal or any other solutions.

Time Warner wants me to buy their wirless router but can't guarantee signal
strength.

Thanks!
Eric

If you have any RJ45 jacks in the back of that router, and not the
connection to the Modem, as most wireless routers have 4 wired ports and
wireless too, then I'd wire up the basement.
Its faster to transfer data over wired especially if you only have a "G"
wireless. And then there is security factors with wireless.

Wired is better if its easy to wire in.
And it will not do anything to your upstairs performance wired than it
would do wireless.

 

[Eric]

Can you tell me what "G" wireless is? Again, I have a MS-500 Base Sation and
MS-510 Wireless card (for laptop) that I purchased about 5 years ago. It
seems to work great.

Thanks Big Al

 

[JS]

Like Big Al I'd go hard wire to the basement. On thing you should look into
if you have not done so already is to turn off (disable) the wireless
broadcast, this way nobody can jump in since you will no longer be
broadcasting.

JS

 

[Big_Al]

Can you tell me what "G" wireless is? Again, I have a MS-500 Base Sation and
MS-510 Wireless card (for laptop) that I purchased about 5 years ago. It
seems to work great.

Thanks Big Al

Wireless is rated by the speed. 802.11a 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n You
see them called by the last letter A B G N. Goodness knows why those
letters, I got the A and B, but others? Anyway each has their radio
frequency and speed differences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11
G is a very common standard of slightly older equipment. N is a newer
speed that is faster and transmits further. A/B are the very early
models, and you can find them in fleas and maybe on line but the
equipment is old, really old. Not bad, just old. If your equipment is
a few years old, its probably not N. Your manuals will tell you which
one you have.
You can mix A/B/G/N routers with cards in the PC. The slowest speed
will be used by each.

The point being that "G" wireless transmits about 1/2 the speed of a 100
nic card hardwired connection. Granted your ISP can't handle 100mb
speed. The best my FIOS service provides is about 20mb. But from PC
to PC you can transfer up to 100mb if you are wired.

 

[Big_Al]

Like Big Al I'd go hard wire to the basement. On thing you should look into
if you have not done so already is to turn off (disable) the wireless
broadcast, this way nobody can jump in since you will no longer be
broadcasting.

JS

One thing we didn't say about wired is that wired is very stable.
Wireless can be effected by anything and you can get dropouts if
everything is not 100%.

 

[JS]

I don't have that model, (I use a FIOS Actiontec) but mine like most/all
have an Omni directional antenna. Since Eric is going down to the basement
the antenna most likely would need to be positioned horizontally and not in
the usually straight up vertical alignment for best broadcast signal to
reach the basement.

JS

 

[MikeB]

My roadrunner cable comes into the basement and runs upstairs (2nd floor –
used often) where the wireless router (MS500 Base station) and modem
(Motorola surfboard) are, what is the best way to get an internet connection
in the basement for occasional PC use?

I also have enough Cat-5 to hard wire an ethernet cable from upstairs but am
unsure if it will diminish the signal or any other solutions.

Time Warner wants me to buy their wirless router but can't guarantee signal
strength.

Thanks!
Eric

A few brief comments. If the floor of your house (ceiling of the
basement) is solid concrete, your wireless signal will be badly
affected in the basement from the 2nd floor.

You can consider the following: There are many variations
Get a simple switch and put the switch and the cable modem in the
basement. Run a wired connection upstairs for the wireless router. Run
your other basement computers off other ports of the switch.

My Motorola said it could handle up to 32 devices.

 

[Gurney]

My roadrunner cable comes into the basement and runs upstairs (2nd floor –
used often) where the wireless router (MS500 Base station) and modem
(Motorola surfboard) are, what is the best way to get an internet connection
in the basement for occasional PC use?

I also have enough Cat-5 to hard wire an ethernet cable from upstairs but am
unsure if it will diminish the signal or any other solutions.

Time Warner wants me to buy their wirless router but can't guarantee signal
strength.

Thanks!
Eric

Why ask HERE? What does this have to do with the OS? NOTHING.

Ask elsewhere