Setting Up Home Wireless Network: Suggestions?

[joeyroland]

Hello everyone,

My family and I have finally moved out of the stoneage era and have purchased a Wireless Network System. Specifically, we have:

D-Link Router: DI-524 (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=316)
D-Link USB Wireless Network Card: DWL-G120 (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=268) x 2

In addition, we have DSL through Verizon. Here's what I am asking:

I wish to setup the network to be secure and user-friendly. On my third floor computer, the one with the DSL modem, we currently have the Router hooked up.
On my 2nd floor, my main PC, I have the USB adapter hooked up.
Soon, also on my 2nd floor, I will have my Dad's laptop hooked up.

So, we wish to have a nice little Home Network going which would allow us to share the DSL connection and also share printers and files.

My question [finally]: Should we use Windows Network Setup Guide to establish our network or is there something better/more secure.

By the way, the two PC's hooked up now have WindowsXP Professional with Service Pack2.
The Laptop has WindowsXP Home.

Thanks for any insight anyone can provide. I am still new to this whole wireless thing.

[Sterling_Aug]

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162273

[joeyroland]

Thanks Aug!

However, I had looked over those links already and still couldn't find a convincing answer as to whether or not I should let XP do all my Networking stuff for me, ya know?

[Rocketmech]

What Windows Network Setup Guide are you referring to?

Most of the Dlink wireless networks I've setup come with instructions for both the router and cards . Follow those and you should be fine. It will help to read up on basic networking and wireless configuration and WEP/WPA at http://www.ezlan.net/ .

[Direct1]

...also, wireless is great but when your talking "secure", you should know that it is not all that secure. Even with strong passwords, WEP or WPA encryption, unique SSID, etc... Your information can still be compromised.

I'm not trying to talk you out of wireless, just making sure you underestand the risks. Here is a good article on it.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20021031S0004

Good luck! :D

[joeyroland]

Well, after reading over everything, I still went through with the wireless network and used WindowsXP's wizard to get it going.

First thing I noticed, as soon as I connected from my PC with the USB NIC, I was given a choice of about 5 wireless networks to choose from. THat's awful to think that someone else a couple of blocks away could choose mine.

That's where I still need to tweak it....

Also, when playing Call of Duty, my USB NIC sometimes gets out. I unplug it and plug it back in and then it acts as though nothing ever happened. In the meantime, I get frozen in the game and lose about a minute and a half of game time. Wouldn't be too bad except for that fact that I always get the flag in Capture the Flag and then my character gets frozen in the open.... ;D

[Midknyte]

I think the default channel is 6 for dlink. if there are many waps in your area, try changing the WAP channel to 1 or 11.