Wireless use

[Guest]

Do I always need a Router to use my Laptop wirelessly. My laptop is Dell
with Wireless capability

 

[Malke]

Do I always need a Router to use my Laptop wirelessly. My laptop is Dell
with Wireless capability

Yes.


Malke

 

[KDE]

to expound... Yes, but not always your own. Think of it as a cordless
phone in your house, not a cellular phone. For your cordless phone to work
it has to be in range of it's base unit. your PC is the same way. the good
news is, you can connect to any wireless router that is not encrypted. many
businesses offer free wifi, as well as others (and homeowners) who do not
encrypt theirs, leaving it open to connect (make your own judgment on the
moral issue of using a neighbors wireless). the point is besides being able
to connect at home, there is a good chance you will find many other places
to connect (hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and others)

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Yes.

Well, to be pedantic, not really. Asus Deluxe motherboards, for example,
often come with onboard wifi cards, which can be used as an Access Point.

The router I had been using until recently was several years old, and had no
wireless, so I had been using the onboard wireless from my last two Asus
motherboard, for the last three to four years, for my laptop.

ss.

 

[DP]

Well, to be pedantic, not really. Asus Deluxe motherboards, for example,
often come with onboard wifi cards, which can be used as an Access Point.

The router I had been using until recently was several years old, and had
no wireless, so I had been using the onboard wireless from my last two
Asus motherboard, for the last three to four years, for my laptop.

And.... there are wireless cellphone cards (PCMIA or whatever that
abbreviation is.I usually leave out a consonant).
Basically, it makes the connection via a cellphone provider, with which you
have to have a service contract.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

No, all you need is a Wireless Access Point, but it may be easier to buy
one that has a router built in than without one. Presumably you want to
connect to something else, and if there is more than one "something else",
a router can be handy.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/WirelessAccessPoints/WirelessAccessPoints.aspx

Neil
(I have no connection to Netgear beyond being a very satisfied user for
several years)

Yeah, WAPs are very expensive these days, as they are designed for corporate
use. Home user and small businesses are better off with the much cheaper
consumer routers with built in wireless.

ss.

 

[dennis@home]

Yeah, WAPs are very expensive these days, as they are designed for
corporate use. Home user and small businesses are better off with the
much cheaper consumer routers with built in wireless.

And you can always use a router as an AP by turning the DHCP server off and
using the LAN ports and ignoring the WAN port.. doing that now with a dual
a/g router.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

And you can always use a router as an AP by turning the DHCP server off
and using the LAN ports and ignoring the WAN port.. doing that now with a
dual a/g router.

You'd still have to turn off NAT, or are you still using it as a router as
well?

ss.

 

[dennis@home]

You'd still have to turn off NAT, or are you still using it as a router as
well?

No I have not turned NAT off, just the DHCP server as I don't want two
running (I could configure them to both work but its a bit pointless
really).
The router does nothing on the wireless/switch side only on stuff passing
between the WAN port and the wireless/swicth ports..


Some routers/AP do have a security setting that stops wireless clients
talking to wired clients that needs to be turned off but its been a while
since I saw one.

 

[Neil Gould]

Do I always need a Router to use my Laptop wirelessly. My laptop is
Dell with Wireless capability

No, all you need is a Wireless Access Point, but it may be easier to buy
one that has a router built in than without one. Presumably you want to
connect to something else, and if there is more than one "something else",
a router can be handy.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/WirelessAccessPoints/WirelessAccessPoints.aspx

Neil
(I have no connection to Netgear beyond being a very satisfied user for
several years)

 

[Charlie Tame]

Do I always need a Router to use my Laptop wirelessly. My laptop is Dell
with Wireless capability

Actually you "Should" be able to use 2 PCs peer to peer, more or less,
but a cheap router would be much more sensible and cost effective, and
since many come with 4 ports you can accommodate machines without
wireless cards too.