garehaan

If you have usb 2.0 go for a usb adapter since it can be moved around to get better reception.
If you have usb 1.1, you'll not make it above the b spec speed, but it will work fine.
A PCI card's antenna get's stuck in between wires, power adapters and who knows what is lying behind your pc
Well, doesn't improve reception quality.

Rudy

Pentium Guy, thanks for posting the model numbers -- sorry I took so long to get back to this thread...

I'm glad that you're considering the purchase of an adapter since that's probably one of the easier solutions to your problem. That said, here's a quick rundown on what I see as your additional options:

First, what I said in my initial post here (and what cobradav agrees with) may or may not be true. After reading the respective manuals on both of your routers (and another "configuration guide" for the Microsoft router), I may have found a solution for you but it would require some screwing around with your equipment and I'm not sure how comfortable you are with that. (Judging by the IP information you posted above, I'm guessing you're not an expert at this... ) What I found is that the Belkin router doesn't support bridge mode but the Microsoft router does. It may be possible to switch your routers ("A" becomes "B" and "B" becomes "A"). The Belkin can be configured to be the router between the ISP and the local network using DHCP, etc. (like the Microsoft router is doing now.) After that is up and running, the Microsoft router can be configured in "bridge mode" which should be able to connect wirelessly to the Belkin which would allow your PC to communicate with the network. Again, this would be fairly easy to try if you have some familiarity of how these things are configured. If, for some reason, it doesn't work, you can always put it back the way it was and move to plan B. (I could probably offer some help with the initial planning, etc. but once you disconnect things, if you can't get back online, it'll be hard for you to post additional questions, etc.)

Plan B could be to purchase the adapter at Best Buy that you linked to above. Keep in mind that the adapter you linked to is a wireless "G" card (802.11g) which means that it can communicate faster than the router(s) you have. The adapter will simply fall back to the slower speed (802.11b) but if you ever upgrade the routers to the G standard, the adapter will speed up. If you don't plan on upgrading your router for some time, you could probably find a cheaper adapter that is only 802.11b. It probably won't be significantly cheaper and in some cases, it might actually be more expensive but it's worth considering and shopping.

Plan C is similar to plan B except that instead of buying a wireless PC card adapter, you would buy a wireless bridge that connects to your current wired ethernet adapter. Linksys makes a few of them and I'm sure other companies do as well. Take a look at the Linksys WET11 (802.11b) or the Linksys WET54G (802.11g). Both are wireless bridges that can do what you want using your existing ethernet card. The cost of these adapters may be more than the PC card (plan but you can shop around and see for sure. (Here is Best Buy's page with all desktop wireless cards.)

Why choose plan C if plan B would be cheaper? I have one reason -- antenna placement. Depending on how far away your PC is from the main router, you may have an issue with reception quality. With the PC card adapter, you will be limited to an antenna sticking out of the back of the computer that might be blocked partially by the PC itself. With the wireless bridge, you'll be able to run an ethernet patch cable from the PC to the bridge which will give you tremendous freedom to choose where you place the antenna. You might find a "sweet spot" where reception is good then just run a wire from there to the computer.

That's enough for you to chew on for now. Good luck and keep us posted on what you end up doing!

The Pentium Guy

Hey,

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yep, I realized recently that the Microsoft Router supports Bridging, and I was actually going to try out switching the two so I can use the MS router as an adapter. However it WAS a pain to set up (could just be a Microsoft problem - bugs and glitches everywhere)

And yeah, I did consider buying a bridge or a USB Adapter. Depends on if the PS3 will have wireless or not .

I'm actually sticking with "G" just for upgradability.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1051384664188

Might get that.... or I might stick with a wireless card. More convenient, I generally go to lots of LAN parties.

Thanks, I'll see what I end up doing this weekend when I go to bestbuy.
I'll keep you guys posted.

-The Pentium Guy

usascottwright

I have a similar question:

1. Their is a open wireless signal.
2. I have a desktop (no wireless card/adapter)
3. I have a cisco linksys router because I use my desktop as a wamp server (dnydns.com).

What do I need to purchase to obtain the wireless signal that my router can get that is plugged into my desktop?

Or is their another device that is a router but also can collect that wireless signal?

Notes: Here is how I have made my computer a server
/usascottwright?feature=mhum#p/c/85EBBB46C7C8F034/1/-rKDhZJignU

luigi524td

As already suggested (even by the OP) ... go buy a USB WiFi adapter ... they are everywhere and dirt cheap. If your next portable computing device has one built in you could always use it for another device. (I have one pluggec into one of my digital picture frames so I can manage digital files on it without needing to remove and reinstall an SD card. OR when you're done using it give it (or sell it) to someone else or just throw it away. The last one I bought from TirgerDirect for less than $10 shipped free + an extra 4% rebate from MrRebates ... remember the link in my signature!

swajames

A six year old thread back from the grave!