I just purchased a laptop and I am planning on getting rid of my desktop computer. I currently have wired dsl to my desktop. Since I will be getting rid of it I want something wireless. What are my options? I do not want a broadband card because 5gb is not a lot.
If you’re referring to 5 Gbps, that is a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Like, a 1 Gbps internet connection to a medium sized business is a crazy amount of speed. I think you might be talking about 5 Mbps.
But basically, your options are to connect a wireless router to your modem, connect a regular ethernet router to your modem and then connect a wireless bridge to that, or piggy back off you’re neighbors like the rest of the country.
Let’s start with the wireless router. About the cheapest you can get them is $70. Eegh. But seeing as it’s a long-term investment that you will probably be using quite heavily, that’s worth it. And I’d actually recommend something even more expensive if you’re going to be downloading a lot of stuff. Basically, find out the speed of your internet as coming from your DSL company, and get a router with the same or higher speed.
You’ll probably be wanting a Wireless-G router, as that is the most common wireless protocol currently, and will also not break the bank. The range is pretty good, and transmission speed is also fairly high. Basically, the protocol is faster than DSL, so you just have to get a router that’s faster too.
Depending on the store you’re going to, it might be cheaper to get a basic ethernet router and plug in a wireless access point. These are commonly also called wireless switches. Be careful, the wireless one can be a switch, but the ethernet one cannot be, basically, whatever plugs into the ethernet cable coming from your DSL modem has to be a router. There is no point in getting an ethernet router and connect a wireless router to it, however. When you go to the store, ask the people who work there what the cheapest way to get wireless of a speed greater than your DSL connection, and they should be able to help you out.