Wireless internet connection?

[Savaric]

DSL is finally available in my area. I have two computers in my house and I'm getting a router/modem combo, which is supposed to be a wireless setup for both.

I'm wondering, because the wireless signal is going to be encrypted, is that going to slow my overall speed?

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Savaric
I'm wondering, because the wireless signal is going to be encrypted, is that going to slow my overall speed?

No, but the physical distance that your house is from the Central Office (big green box) in your neighborhood, may slow your speed considerably.

Your router is technically capable of encrypting and locally sending data at (usually) around 54 mbps max, while your DSL connection will probably peak at around 3-5 mbps, depending on which plan you have and your aformentioned distance to the box.

There are also other factors to take into consideration when you're setting up the router and figuring out what transmit speed you're actually running at, such as your computer's distance from the router and what interference you have in between- walls, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, anything that emits radiation or inhibits the radio waves can affect your speed.

To sum, no, your wireless encryption will not slow your speed.

[Khaosai]

If you do notice your wireless speed isn't as fast as you believe it should be. Try switching channels using your router software, you may be on the same channel as another appliance you have such as a cordless phone.

[Rosuav]

When looking at setting up a DSL + wireless config, I recommend you look carefully at what router you're getting. Is it a well-known brand? Can you get a model number to google?

Wifi encryption will not significantly impact your performance; and if you're primarily using it to connect to the internet (as opposed to sharing files etc between the two computers in your house), then your download speed will be throttled by the DSL and not the wireless.

What type of connection are you looking at? ADSL2? ADSL2+? Something else?

The wireless signal is not necessarily going to be encrypted. If you want that protection (which I do recommend), you'll probably have to go into the router's configuration (usually done through a web browser) and set that up. They should have detailed instructions in the manual, but the last router I set up was for a guy who'd bought everything from China's leading networking company... and the "manual" consisted of a folded sheet of light card, with diagrams and Engrish. Was quite amusing, actually - some absolute gems of Engrish - but not very helpful.

The alternative to encryption (WEP, WPA, etc) is MAC address filtering. This is pretty much the ultimate protection (only an absolutely determined attacker will get in), but it requires more effort to set up. In the aforementioned case with Chinese equipment, something got really confused when I engaged WPA-PSK, so I set him up with MAC address whitelisting; works like a charm. It's more work to let a new device onto the network, though.

One noteworthy consideration with running a wireless network is RF interference. If you use 802.11b/g, the most common wifi, then a microwave oven or a faulty laptop power supply can interfere with your connection, causing dropouts or reduced performance. Generally it's only a problem if you have line of sight, though, so it's fairly easy to spot these things.

Check out the details for the DSL service you're getting. If you can find out the brand and model of the router, that'd be a great help in finding out what you can and can't do. If you're buying your own router separately, definitely google it and see what people think.

[Savaric]

Well it's verizon, not a choice here and maybe won't ever be. There was a 20 dollar and a 30 dollar a month package, I took the faster 30 dollar one, which is appr. 1mb to 3mb speed.

Okay, so I take it the router handles the actuall wifi signal. Here is a snippet from my purchase email:

ORDER SUMMARY
-- Number: xxxx
-- Service Ready Date*: 09-23-2008
-- Your Verizon High Speed Internet Plan**: Up to 3M Double Freedom Bundle
-- Shipping and Activation Fee: $14.99
-- Equipment Ordered:
Consumer Quick Start Poster-- $ 0
Consumer DSL CD-- $ 0
Consumer Welcome Letter*-- $ 0
$ 54.99 - Westell Gateway-- $ 54.99
DSL for Home Resource Guide-- $ 0
DSL for Home Terms of Service-- $ 0
DSL for Home Dual Filter Kit-- $ 0

So I'm guessing it's a westell brand? I didn't realize I could have bought it myself. I got a 1-year subscription/contract, and the first 6 months were free. Please comment if that's good/bad/average because broadband really is the last frontier for me in personal computing.

[Rosuav]

Yep, that would be the router you're getting, and it does both the wifi and the ADSL. The data sheet looks reasonably alright; avoid using the USB connection and just use the wireless and/or ethernet ports. As expected, it has browser-based configuration; it'll be pretty easy to figure out, no doubt, although the big frustration with those sorts of things is that the same features often have completely different names (an extreme example being port forwarding - I've seen it called "Services" and "Applications" and even "Gaming"). I'd say you'll have a nice smooth installation, no hitches anywhere; and if you don't, hassle Verizon until they fix you up.

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Savaric
Well it's verizon, not a choice here and maybe won't ever be. There was a 20 dollar and a 30 dollar a month package, I took the faster 30 dollar one, which is appr. 1mb to 3mb speed.

Okay, so I take it the router handles the actuall wifi signal. Here is a snippet from my purchase email:

ORDER SUMMARY
-- Number: xxxx
-- Service Ready Date*: 09-23-2008
-- Your Verizon High Speed Internet Plan**: Up to 3M Double Freedom Bundle
-- Shipping and Activation Fee: $14.99
-- Equipment Ordered:
Consumer Quick Start Poster-- $ 0
Consumer DSL CD-- $ 0
Consumer Welcome Letter*-- $ 0
$ 54.99 - Westell Gateway-- $ 54.99
DSL for Home Resource Guide-- $ 0
DSL for Home Terms of Service-- $ 0
DSL for Home Dual Filter Kit-- $ 0

So I'm guessing it's a westell brand? I didn't realize I could have bought it myself. I got a 1-year subscription/contract, and the first 6 months were free. Please comment if that's good/bad/average because broadband really is the last frontier for me in personal computing.

oh man, they're still using westell DSL modems?

when i worked for AOL Broadband... people in Verizon areas got crap ass Westell modems to connect with. I hope they don't send you one of the old models that are complete garbage :\

[Savaric]

I am officially connected via broadband, I went to a place to check my download speed - 2.8 mb. Words can't describe this. Four frickin' years on dial-up. It's a war story I tell you.

It's a westell 7500, dunno. Feels cheap. It does have the wireless feature, and I bought a wireless ethernet adapter for the pc downstairs.

The only problem I had was that the ethernet in my motherboard was not communicating with the modem. There was no green light on the chosen line. I bought an ethernet card for 22 dollars and the light came on with that, installed the driver. No problem.

Oh, all I need now is a cell phone. Savaric may yet enter the 21st century...

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Savaric
I am officially connected via broadband, I went to a place to check my download speed - 2.8 mb. Words can't describe this. Four frickin' years on dial-up. It's a war story I tell you.

It's a westell 7500, dunno. Feels cheap. It does have the wireless feature, and I bought a wireless ethernet adapter for the pc downstairs.

The only problem I had was that the ethernet in my motherboard was not communicating with the modem. There was no green light on the chosen line. I bought an ethernet card for 22 dollars and the light came on with that, installed the driver. No problem.

Oh, all I need now is a cell phone. Savaric may yet enter the 21st century...

Glad you got it all straightened out.

Welcome to the digital age