Ight bitches n hoes

[LowMan]

I outta be getting a decent sized check next week so I might just be getting me a network card purdy soon. Only thing is I don't know a damn thing about wireless crap. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Jack]

On your search for a good wireless card, here is a good start:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82 E16833127145

May not be the best wireless card out there but it is cheap and should work fine with what ever network your friend has. Will work in Linux and Vista which I doubt is important to you. The price is extremely good for a wireless card with a good name.

[Neo]

Lowman, I will add a little to what Jack said. The thing with most of your wireless cards is that cost is pretty much a non-factor. You won't need to spend much for a 802.11 "G" type card, and you can find them online or at BestBuy, Circuit City, even WalMart carries wireless cards. Typically, when you look at the prices of various brands, you will find them in a range from 20 bucks or so on up.

Before you make your trip to a store to buy your card, there are a couple of things that I would suggest you to do first:

1. Where is the wireless router located with respect to where your pc is located? More specifically, WHAT lies in the path between your pc and the router? You want to make sure that there is not a large metal object in the direct line path between the router and your pc. Objects such as a large metal filing cabinet can cause problems, ESPECIALLY if it is located next to the router or pc. Also, in older homes, the ductwork may be metal, and this can be a problem in a multi-level home. Walls (wood, plaster, drywall) degrade the signal, but not as much as you might expect, so don't fret too much over that. On the other hand, a cinderblock wall between the router and your pc can wreak some havoc with the signal. You may find this funny, but a microwave oven located in the path of the signal (if the oven is close to either the pc or router) will cause a marked decrease of signal strength when in use. A good rule of thumb is to make sure no appliance or electrical equipment (tv, monitor) lie directly between the pc and the router.

2. Where will your pc be located? Is it going to be under a desk? Is there going to be some clutter around it? While this may not be critical, you might want to take the time to re-arrange your pc to give the card a better location to receive the signal. There is one aspect of location that many people do not factor in when they set up their wireless connection, and that is where PEOPLE are in relation to the network. Why? The human body is made up of 70% water. Water just happens to be one of the worst things to degrade a wireless signal, it is as bad as metal for reflecting or absorbing a signal. If the router is in an area such as a living room or family room that has multiple bodies around it, you will see a degradation of signal. The same thing goes for your pc. If you are sitting close to your wireless card, and your body is directly in the path of the signal, it can also have a degrading effect on the signal.

3. Remember, your card is for a desktop (tower, mini-tower) not a laptop, therefore, you will require an open PCI slot on your mobo. This should not be a problem, most pc's, even the ones with a little age on them, will have an open old style PCI slot (not talking about PCI Express) available. However, you may find yourself scracthing your head because you have no open slots available. Don't panic, there is a simple solution for this. All you have to do is remove either your 10/100 ethernet card, or a 56k modem card, if one was installed. You can remove either one because you won't be needing either for the time being, your signal will be wireless.

4. Ok, you have determined that you have an open slot available for a PCI wireless card, or have made one available. That card that you will be putting in will have an antenna that can be rotated that will be attached to the back of it. Here is where location of the pc may matter. Going back to what I talked about earlier, is the pc sitting behind something metal or by any chance is the router ABOVE it, on another floor perhaps? If so, you have several options here. One option is to buy a wireless card with a multiple anntenna array. You can find "G" types such as this from online stores such as NewEgg without any problem, but you may find purchasing one from a retail store a little tougher. Many stores are tend to carry multiple anntenna array cards only in the newer and more expensive 802.11 "N" cards.
A better solution may be to simply find a card that has an detachable antenna with a wire connnecting back to the card. The antenna will come with an optional base you can attach to it, giving you the freedom to move your antenna on top your desk or work area for a better reception. The drawback is that typically the connector is usually only around 3 ft long, you are somewhat limited in range options.


Lowman, I have tried to present you with a list of do's and don't and potential issues you may encounter with wireless networking. I would be willing to be you will NOT have any major issues with reception, no matter where the router or antenna are located with respect to each other. I just wanted to make you a little more aware of some concerns and issues that could possibly arise.

Most likely, you will simply stroll into a retail store, pick up a inexpensive "G" card (I have found that brand name or cost doesn't matter for the most part), take it home, follow the install instructions, and be back online without any problems.

Good luck, and happy purchasing!


PS I forgot to ask you this, but do the folks you are living with have a decent working knowlege of wireless routers? If someone set it up for them or they have no idea on whether or not the router is encryption enabled, you are going to need some more assistance on getting your pc up and running. If you can get me some information on what brand name router they have, along with the specific model number, I will be glad to help you out.