How do you access the internet with your laptop at home?

[frannn]

I got a laptop last month, to give me more freedom when working from home. Right now, I have two regular desktop computers hooked up to a linksys router. I have cable internet access. I was told that my options are 1) keep everything hooked up the way it is, and get a separate "access point" box that would connect to my existing router; 2) buy a new, wireless router, which I would connect both the desktops and the laptop would have wireless access for distances of about 150 feet; or 3) buy a super new wireless router that would give me 3x the distance I could travel in the house with the laptop, but would cost more than double.
I am not sure which is the best option for the $$. Best Buy is having a mail in rebate for option 2, so I would pay about 70, and get 20 back (depending on how good they are with sending rebate checks). Option 1 would probably cost about 60, and option 3 would cost about 180.
Thanks!

 

[poohj80]

2) buy a new, wireless router, which I would connect both the desktops and the laptop would have wireless access for distances of about 150 feet

This is how we have everything set-up in our home. You will also need to buy a wireless card for the laptop unless it has one built in.

 

[DebbieB]

I have a regular Linksys router, it is upstairs with my desktop and I have no problem getting a strong signal downstairs with my wireless laptop.

 

[Cyndo723]

I have option 2 in my house and I get a lot more distance than you mentioned. One of the odd things about going wireless is that sometimes you get better reception in some spots in your house than others. My wireless router is upstairs, and I can get reception anywhere on my 1 acre property and even next door as long as I don't go inside the neighbor's house. The package I bought had the router and the card for the laptop in the same box. I think the brand is Lynksys. You will love having the freedom that a wireless laptop gives you. I almost never use the upstairs computer anymore. My daughter has a wireless laptop that she uses at school to connect to the school's system. At her apartment she sometimes gets better reception from the neighbors' than she does from her own apartment. But she does have brick walls in her apartment. You just never know.

 

[WillCAD]

Option 1 is the cheapest, and also has the most flexibility, because the wired and wireless portions of your network would be on separate devices, so if one dies the other doesn't have to be replaced.

Option 2 is the simplest. One box, one thing to replace if something goes wrong, one place to connect everything. But, if the wireless equipment fails, or the router fails, the whole box needs to be replaced. Since they are so cheap nowadays, this is not as big a drawback as it used to be, so I think Option 2 is the best of the tree.

Option 3 is really just the deluxe version of Option 2. You only need this if you plan to use the laptop from across the street, or if you live in an apartment and want to use it on the roof. Option 3 mainly gets you more signal strength.

However, you need not buy the super router to get better signal strength. You can buy an external antenna for the router you buy with Option 2, and you will get the same effect for far less money.

 

[PlutoPony]

If you go option 2 or 3 (the wireless route), please make sure you have security in place to keep someone else from using your wireless router connection. We have Linksys as does our neighbor across the street (normal residential street, probably 100+ feet away) and MANY days I can "see" his network when I connect w/ our laptop. Until he installed good security I just clicked on his network and went on in (he knew, they're good friends of ours). Now I can still often see his network but when I try to go in (at his behest to check the security) it goes nowhere..... BTW with option 2 I also can make connections everywhere in the house and in the yard too. Speed's fine.