From: Ellen K. 

The 660HW comes in *nine* different flavors.  How do I know which one I need?

What will I have to do to get it working with the AT&T DSL?  They
provide software but seem to expect customers to buy *their* hardware.

(However, all they have is a DSL modem that allows one computer to connect,
or a "wireless gateway" which appears to allow one regular
connection plus a USB one (or more?) and (?) wireless.  Being
hardware-challenged, your explanation of plugging the desktops in exactly
the way I have them plugged into my current hub, and the laptop wireless
will work pretty much by itself, seems more straightforward to me, why
should I have to plug something in to my USB ports?)

On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:39:27 +0200, "Antti Kurenniemi"
 wrote in message :

>"Ellen K."  wrote in message
>news:0uk5p25d2f5vm1d8mcl16u93jpa5saactg{at}4ax.com...
>> Greetings,
>>
>> Finally fed up with dialup.  (This is called being a "late
adopter"...)
>>
>> Currently I have a regular NetGear 4-port dual-speed hub connecting the
>> desktops.  Have been too lazy to connect the work laptop to it thus far,
>> partly because actually there's no room to work on it in my
"office"
>> room anyway -- I use that one on the dining table and just transfer
>> files with my flash drive when necessary.
>>
>> Now for the stupid questions:
>>
>> 1.  AT&T has four speed ranges at different prices.  What speed do I
>> really need just to be able to interact without delay on brokerage and
>> shopping sites?  I don't download music or movies and I don't do online
>> gaming.
>
>I've got the slowest possible, 512k down and I think 256k up, and I'm fine.
>I'd start with whatever is the cheapest option, because usually you can
>upgrade the connection with just a phone call - no configuration changes or
>anything - should you later feel like it.
>
>
>> 2.  Local paper had an article about ZoneAlarm Secure Wireless Router
>> Z100G, says it "defends against standard attacks and updates
>> automatically to handle new ones".   Does this mean that if I
have this,
>> I don't have to fool around with firewalls, antivirus etc on my
>> machines?
>>
>> 3.  AT&T also offer a "Wireless Gateway" which they
describe as a
>> "business-class firewall".  They are giving a rebate
which would reduce
>> the price to $30 (from $79.99), vs $150 for the ZA one according to the
>> newspaper article.  Are they really both the same?  Or is the price
>> differential attributable to the implied security software included with
>> the ZA one?
>
>Don't know about any of these, but as far as I know they're all more or less
>the same thing, with a few added bells and whistles. I use very basic
>routers for both my home and office; like Geo said, just about anything that
>does NAT is a-ok. These are also quite easy to replace later if need be, if
>you have a basic ADSL connection.
>
>
>> 3.  Obviously I can put my company laptop on a wireless router, I know
>> it does wireless... but what about my desktops?  Do I have to add
>> something besides the regular NIC?   And/or is it POSSIBLE to add such a
>> something?
>
>You can get a router that has wireless AND regular ethernet connections.
>It's really common, I've got my home setup exactly like that. This is the
>model I have:
>http://www.zyxel.com/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=20040812093058
&CategoryGroupNo=AC5783AE-9475-41AD-BDA5-0997187F44AA
>(watch for URL wrapping - it's Zyxel Prestige 660HW if the link doesn't
>work). I've had it for, oh, maybe 2 or 3 years no, and not a single hiccup.
>Cost maybe 59 Euros when new. It has 4 ethernet ports and wireless. I've got
>my desktop + 1 printer in the ethernet ports, and mine and my wife's laptops
>use the wireless when needed. It just works
>
>
>> 4.  Assuming the answer to #1 is "yes" and it's possible
to include the
>> desktops, how do I go about setting up a wireless network once I have
>> the device?
>
>The wireless router usually has a web setup wizard. First thing you do is
>plug one of your computers to it, using an ethernet cable. Normally there's
>a DHCP server running in the router, so you'll get a network between the
>router and your computer (don't need the ADSL part at all at this point).
>You can then check with ipconfig what the gateway address is - most likely
>it will be 192.168.1.1. Type that in to your browser's address, and you're
>in the router's setup.
>
>In the setup there's typically a pretty straight-forward way to assign a
>security key. The idea is to enter an encryption key to the router, which
>you will then also enter into your computer which uses the wireless
>connection. That's pretty much all there is to it, especially if you're
>using Windows XP.
>
>
>> 5.  Alternatively, what do you guys suggest?  Should I forget about
>> going wireless and just worry about going broadband?   Or???
>
>Go for it. If you get a router with both wireless &
"wired" ports, it
>doesn't matter if for some reason you can't get the wireless running right
>away; you'll still be able to use the broadband with cables. It's so much
>nicer than dial-up.
>
>
>Antti Kurenniemi
>

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