I'm getting out of the dialup stuff in a month and I'm not sure what I will need for connecting the cable modem and then setting up a wireless connect for my laptop and desktop computer. any help would be greatly appreciated. the computers don't top 1.6 ghz on either system and I'm not looking for top of the line stuff, just get decent connect speeds. Thanks

You're going to need a wireless router and a PCI wireless card as well as a laptop card thingy (sorry forgot the name but it looks like a fancy card that you plug into the laptop).

Linsys is a really good brand name. They have 54Mbps transfer.

This thread should be in the Networking section. I'll gladly move it for you though

Ok, there are 3 main types of wireless networks at this current time:

802.11A - 5ghz with speeds up to 54mbps
802.11B - 2.4ghz with speeds up to 11mbps
802.11B/G - 2.4ghz with speeds up to 54mbps

I'd stick to Linksys, they have the best range and speed out of all manufacturers right now, along with award-winning 24/7 technical support.

You will need a wireless router, pci adapter card, and pcmcia (laptop) adapter card.

Ok, that's what they are called. :grinthumb

Linksys = good

I agree w/ PHAT... Linksys are easy to use and you can find the older stuff pretty cheap (802.11a). I think that buy.com has some deals, and of course eBay is the way to go for cheap, esp if you don't need 'bleeding' edge speed.

I don't think that Linksys has an "all in one" router to fit all your needs.
You need:

Broadband router to accept the cable modem (RG6 cable) and translate it into RJ45 (network interface). Changes are this router will also be able to perform DHCP/NAT...

You will need a Wireless Access Point or 2nd Broadband Router to connect your wireless devices.

You will then need the laptop PCMCIA wireless adapter, plus a second wireless adapter for your PC (unless you just want to run the wire because your Broadband router will likely have 4 "wired" ports.

Chris