Need Help From Computer Experts!

[ChefBeckyD]

Okay - where to start?
I have a Laptop - my only computer at the moment, and we have regular dial up service. (not high speed) For Christmas, my husband tried to get me a router so I could have wireless internet service - but was told by our IP that we can't get Broadband where we live (not sure if this is just thru our IP, or thru any)but we can get high speed dial-up service. I have also been looking into Vonage as our phone service - but have the same issues.
Do any of you know if high-speed dial-up (He was told 8X faster than our regular dial-up) will support a wireless router or Vonage either one?

 

[Pampered Laura]

If you're talking about DSL (through your phone company) then yes, it'll support a wireless router!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Hmmm, they don't call it DSL, they call it "Accelerated Dial-up" - so I'm not sure. My IP is a local provider - Iserv, not a national provider...do you think that may be the problem? I hate the thought of changing IP's because I would have to change my email addy...

 

[PamperedChefDebi]

Dial up and DSL are two totally different types of connections. If you have dial up, it will never be as fast as DSL.

I'm not sure if dial up can support a wireless router.

I know in Germany, if you are somewhere that you are told cannot support DSL, it is because of a lack of lines or the wrong type of lines. It should be the same from one provider to the next. But I do realize there may be other options in the states I'm not familiar with since I've been over here since 2001.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Becky - you are going to want to change to a web-based email anyway. I highly suggest gmail.com so you have tons of space. Also, it will allow you to check it from any computer and will not affect you if, for some reason, your computer crashes. On the other stuff, have you looked into Clearwire?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Kate - what is clearwire? Is that an internet based phone service too? I'm hearing alot about Vonage/Earthlink - is it like that?

 

[cmdtrgd]

Clearwire is an ISP that is Wifi. The idea is that you can take your laptop anywhere (or at least anywhere that they have service) and get online using your login.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Becky, you're not in town, are you? In order to get DSL service, you have to be within three miles (three miles of wire, not as the crow flies) of the phone company switch in order to access DSL.Your wireless router is just a network hub so you can network other computers in your house which, right now, sounds like all one of them anyway. Dial-up will support a network connection, but you really don't want to do that, because it's molasses-in-January slow.If your local ISP or phone company doesn't offer DSL in your area, you don't have a lot of options except for cable television and satillite. If your cable tv provider doesn't offer RoadRunner (or something like it) then you could contact a satillite provider like hughesnet.com - but it isn't cheap.You could also get a broadband card, like I'm using as we speak, that allows you to connect to the Verizon or Spint cellular network. It also isn't cheap but you'd be able to connect to the internet from anywhere there is a cellular tower.Once you've experienced broadband, though, you won't ever want to use dial-up again.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

KG - that's what I don't understand - we do live in town....definitely not out in the country or anything....but we live in an old neighborhood, and have all the old phone lines on poles etc.....
We(personally) don't have cable - I know that I could get IS thru THE (only one) cable provider, but we don't want that....BUT we do have Nextel/Sprint phones...would it be any cheaper to get the broadband card since we are already in their network?
the reason we want a router is so that I can go wireless w/ my computer and not have to be chained to a phone-jack.
And I KNOW what I am missing using dial-up...as I type, the speed on my computer says 21.6Kbps, and I'm lucky if it's that fast!

 

[nikkijo]

Do you have cable? If so ask the cable co if they have high speed internet. If they do not then vonage will not work for you. Vonage works through the cable lines.

It sounds like what your ip is talking about is dial up but it loads the sites you visit most frequently faster. This is not high speed, just faster than normal dial up.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Do you have cable? If so ask the cable co if they have high speed internet. If they do not then vonage will not work for you. Vonage works through the cable lines.

It sounds like what your ip is talking about is dial up but it loads the sites you visit most frequently faster. This is not high speed, just faster than normal dial up.

That's what I was wondering....because they just call it "Accelerated" dial-up

 

[nikkijo]

Not everyone in town can get dsl. DSL is not available in all areas. Like kg said you have to be within 3 miles of the hub. I live in town as well and do not get it. If what you want is wireless and faster service I would go with the cable. You don't have to have their tv service to get the internet. By going with this you can get vonage as well then and that would make up the difference of the internet bill.

I agree with the previous poster with going with a web based email like gmail. I also love gmail because you can do a search through the emails, you don't have to manually search.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You can call Sprint and ask, but I doubt if there are any breaks for already being in the network. I'm all Verizon for wireless, but my broadband card is a happy coincidence because work pays for it.I think you should call your phone provider and if the operator who answers can't give you want you want, ask for a supervisor and find out WHY they don't offer DSL in your neighborhood. Squeaky wheel and all that.I used to live on Baldwin Drive in Jennison...but that was a long, long time ago.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You could also just go to Starbucks and use their WiFi.

 

[nikkijo]

kg I tried that...called to see why it's not available and if they know when it will be and I got the "we are working on making all of our areas dsl ready and we don't have an esitmated time for any area" estimated time? probably right after we build a house in a year and move.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Make sure cable or DSL is available on your lot before you build!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

You can call Sprint and ask, but I doubt if there are any breaks for already being in the network. I'm all Verizon for wireless, but my broadband card is a happy coincidence because work pays for it.

I think you should call your phone provider and if the operator who answers can't give you want you want, ask for a supervisor and find out WHY they don't offer DSL in your neighborhood. Squeaky wheel and all that.

I used to live on Baldwin Drive in Jennison...but that was a long, long time ago.

Wow! I live right off from Baldwin! (one house in!) We were practically neighbors! Small world!
We have a friend coming over for dinner tomorrow night who might be able to answer some of these questions for me too...he lives in the area, so maybe he will know why we can't get DSL....

 

[ChefBeckyD]

You could also just go to Starbucks and use their WiFi.

Is that possible if I don't have it myself??? (sorry for all the stupid questions!) Geez - even the McD's in Hudsonville has WiFi!

 

[nikkijo]

Make sure cable or DSL is available on your lot before you build!

That is my #1 question on lot location before I will even consider it. I don't care if it "should be" I will know for sure. I have had cable internet for 7 years now, since it first came out and I can not and will not go to dial up. I want dsl because it is so much cheaper, but if i have to stay with cable I will.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Most (emphasis on MOST) new laptops have WiFi built in. If you don't want to get embarrassed, drive to McDonalds and open your laptop in the car. If it connects and you get the blue screen that asks for your credit card, then you're system is WiFi capable. Actually, you can just go to Start-->Control Panel-->Network and Internet Connections and see if there's a wireless network control.You have a WiFi router but it isn't hooked up to anything, remember? Starschmucks and (some) MickeyD's have WiFi...as do most coffee shops these days.

 

[nikkijo]

If your laptop or pc has a wireless network card in it and someone (house or business) has an open connection and not secured anyone can connect to it.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You have cable? Well, hook up that router and get connecting!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

If your laptop or pc has a wireless network card in it and someone (house or business) has an open connection and not secured anyone can connect to it.

Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Super8, just to name a few I've stolen connect time from.

My neighbor has WiFi but he password protected it and won't tell me.

 

[nikkijo]

kg...we have our router hooked up I love watching tv and being on my laptop at the same time. Becky asked the orgional ?

 

[nikkijo]

Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Super8, just to name a few I've stolen connect time from.

My neighbor has WiFi but he password protected it and won't tell me.

Our neighbor does not have theirs pass word protected but they turn their modem off when they are not using it so I still have to pay for ours...we are mean and password protect ours as well.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

kg...we have our router hooked up I love watching tv and being on my laptop at the same time. Becky asked the orgional ?

THAT is exactly what I want to be able to do!!!

I just checked - and I have a wireless network control....so I could go to anyplace that has WiFi and be connected??? WOW! I never knew that!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Yer all set! You have to pay for access at some places...like Chez Ronaldo's doesn't give their's away.When I'm travelling and need to upload-download something quickly, I'll look for a hotel that advertises free wireless internet and connect while sitting in their parking lot. If they haven't secured their network, I'm in!

 

[jenniferknapp]

I only have basic cable (10 channels I think) and RoadRunner....and Vonage and I LOVE it!!!! I bring it home with me on the weekends to my mom's (no cable, but has DSL) and it works perfectly fine through her DSL....Vonage is awesome...you can set it up online so that if you "lose power" (or unplug the power) calls will automatically forward to your cell... so, if I am expecting an important call, I can unplug it, and calls go to my cell! If anyone wants a referral or more info, please let me know...I would love to save some extra $$ for both of us!!

 

[chefann]

Starbuck's WiFi isn't necessarily free, either. But Panera's is! It makes a great meeting place for potential recruits.

Our wireless network is PW protected. If you don't protect yours, then anyone can get access to it (and that will slow you down) and they can then monitor what you're transmitting, including credit card numbers and passwords. Yuk!

 

[jenniferknapp]

Here is a great article from one of our campus newsletters....Managing the Home Wireless Network
Many people with broadband Internet connections such as RoadRunner, have set up wireless access points on their home networks. This provides a convenient way to connect computers, especially laptops, to the network and gives you the freedom to use a laptop or other mobile device from anywhere in (or even outside) the house. These devices are easy to configure and generally work pretty well. The downside? Unless you take some steps to secure the wireless network, it is a wide open connection and your network traffic can be easily captured. If your wireless router is configured with default settings, anyone who can pick up the radio signals can probably use your network. That may be fine with you – you may not mind sharing your connection with your neighbors. You may mind, however, sharing your connection with strangers who are in range of the signal. They may be just surfing the Internet or reading their e-mail but they may also be doing something illegal via your network. For instance, they could be computer hackers, attempting to break into some other computer or they may be trying to capture Social Security or credit card numbers. Not only is your own data at risk of being compromised, but it will be your door the police knock on when they are investigating the crime. You should take some basic measures to secure your wireless network and prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. The actual steps you need to take will vary according to the make and model of your wireless router, so consult the documentation that came with the hardware. Many vendors now include directions on securing a home network in their documentation or at their websites. In general, though, here are the things you should do to help secure your wireless router:Change the management username and password on the router itself – this will make it difficult for someone to reconfigure the router without your consent.
Change the SSID of your wireless network – The SSID is the name of your network and if you leave it set at the default (for example, “Linksys”) it is that much easier for someone to detect and connect to your access point. All routers produced by a particular company have the same default SSID. When you do choose a new SSID, make it hard to guess; don’t use your name or address or anything too obvious, for instance “home", or "wireless.”
Disable SSID broadcasting – In conjunction with the above, this will make it harder for unauthorized users to see and use your network. By default, wireless routers broadcast their SSIDs to enable users to connect without having to know the SSID in advance. Once broadcasting is disabled, a user will not be able to discover the SSID. They will have to know it in advance and enter it into their computer’s configuration to use the network.
Enable encryption – When your computer is communicating wirelessly, the information is traveling back and forth through the air. It is relatively easy for someone to capture this traffic, if they are within range of the signal. If the traffic is encrypted they can still capture it but the data is encoded and unreadable, unless the hacker can crack the code and decrypt the information. There are two types of encryption commonly available on home routers; WEP and WPA. WPA is the stronger of the two but some older computers cannot use it.
Be sure to keep your computers’ anti-virus, anti-spyware and operating system patches up to date – Basic computer security is essential to a secure network. You should also configure a firewall on your computer, such as the one that is built in to WindowsXP and other operating systems.
There are a number of other settings you can leverage to increase the security of your wireless network such as allowing access only to trusted computers with MAC Address filtering or disabling DHCP. You can check the documentation that came with your hardware (or the manufacturer’s website) if you’d like to investigate further security enhancements
Be sure to make these configuration changes to ensure that your wireless network has the basic level of security needed to protect your data and restrict unauthorized use of your Internet connection. For further information see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/wireless.mspx for a comprehensive guide to configuring and securing a home wireless router.