Need 2 cents worth of computer help, I'm at the end of my rope

[Mr Peabody]

I have a desktop which is working fine, my wife has a laptop and would like to get on line. We both have XP. I was told, "oh, easy, just get a wireless router". Just for anyone else who is not a computer geek, THERE ISN'T ANYTHING ABOUT WIRELESS ROUTERS THAT IS EASY, except plugging the wires in, it's getting the *!* thing to work that's the trick. I read some reviews and saw Netgear was highly regarded so I tried it first. We got it to run with some assistance from the quasi-English speaking CSR, this was with the laptop close to the desktop. I thought I had done it. For some reason after shutting down the laptop it couldn't connect. We tried the quasi-English speaking assistance again, they kept telling us to do things that I knew couldn't help, this is what the quasi-English speakin CSR's do when they have no idea what else to do or sometimes in similar situations you find the phone connection is mysteriously lost. You'll learn to recognize this if you have any dealings with most any customer service in this modern day. So I return the Netgear. I thought about Linksys but reviews said "they work fine once you are able to get them set up, they take work to get running". Oh, no, I'm not doing that again. Someone suggested Belkin, what a joke that was. I didn't find anything on ease of set up but they did get some alright reviews, and, the box said, "3 minute easy hook up". OK, so I bit. Now I asking myself, was the 3 minutes just a certain part of the "easy set up" or did they just mean the actual plugging in of the wires, because, 3 minutes was way off. I had a couple questions before I got started so I call the customer service number. What a surprise, I get a quasi-English speaking assistor who couldn't even tell me which computer the disc went into which contained the Easy Set Up Wizard. Maybe there was somthing I should have rubbed to make the Wizard appear, I sure need one. I did read the instructions which specifically said "do not plug in router until the Wizard prompts you too". The quasi-English speaking CSR must not have read that part as he was trying to get me to plug wires in. So I let him go and proceeded with the Wizard. They all must assume we've done this before, it don't say which computer to put the disc in with the Wizard. I tried the laptop first, this is what the quasi-English speaking assistor suggested. Alright, I should have known better. Well, it didn't work that way and that was not how we got the Netgear to work. So I put the Wizard in my computer. I got further but never could get connected to the net with either. I removed the router and obviously my desktop can again connect. I use a local internet provider. I do not use software or passwords or any of that AOL, Earthlink etc. crap. When I turn my computer on, I'm connected. Or lately I've been leaving my computer on and I'm always connected. I wonder if this type of connection is a problem for routers. A guy at the store said my Netgear may not have worked because it was on a different floor from the laptop. So he said, "oh, if your computer is on a different floor from the router you need the new Mimo or Nemo or Manyme, technology, it's 10 times faster and 10 times more distance". Cool man! Needless to say the Belkin is a piece of crap in my book and will be going back.

So, should I just forget this wireless project? If so, is there a way I can get her on line? She may have to stay in one spot but at least she can use the laptop on line. I've heard of networking or a hub but know nothing of how they work. The only other wireless I'm aware of is Linksys and D-link. I won't try D-link, they got bad press, I'm afraid. I'm into audio, not computers and as you can tell I'm totally out of my element.

If you read this entire post, you are a trooper, Thanks, especially if you have help.

[markw]

It's almost as wordy as that kid cryingabout Circuit City in another forum but at least you have a point and I think I can offer some little help.

Forget what you read. Linksys is the best. They cost a little more but they have the most reliable product and excellent customer support.

When I hooked up my wireless router Christmas eve three years ago, some patient gentleman in Manila, who spoke perfect English, talked me through the entire process and stayed on the horn until it was totally worked out. ...and this included rebooting several times, just to make sure.

Result? I have one 'puter plugged directly into the hub and up to two others operating wireless. I haven't had a problem since that couldn't be cured by rebooting the router, which is childs play.

[Mr Peabody]

Thanks. When I take the Belkin back I will just exchange for a Linksys. Maybe 3rd time will be the charm. If I get the Super G will it work with a card that isn't? This lapto came with some type of wireless card, does most of this stuff play good together, or will things go smoother with same brand?

[markw]

Thanks. When I take the Belkin back I will just exchange for a Linksys. Maybe 3rd time will be the charm. If I get the Super G will it work with a card that isn't? This lapto came with some type of wireless card, does most of this stuff play good together, or will things go smoother with same brand?wireless is downward compatible. It'll work with no problem.

I'm assuming you'll have at least one 'puter hardwired to the router, right? That makes configuration a lot easier.

[Mr Peabody]

Yes, my desktop I'm using now will still be hardwired. Is the hard wire computer the one the set up disc goes into?

[markw]

Yes, my desktop I'm using now will still be hardwired. Is the hard wire computer the one the set up disc goes into?yes. You'll have that 'puter plugged into one of the ports on the router, and the router will be plugged into your modem. The manual will give you the address you need to use to address the linksys and you should be good to go from there. Iniytia;;y, start without encryption unat least until you get it up and running without having to do anything special.

IOW, you should be able to turn the wireless computers and they should be able to find and access the network any further actions. Knowing the linksys, if they can't do that then it's a situation with the laptops. Perhaps they aren't saving the settings?

[Feanor]

It's almost as wordy as that kid cryingabout Circuit City in another forum but at least you have a point and I think I can offer some little help.

Forget what you read. Linksys is the best. They cost a little more but they have the most reliable product and excellent customer support.
...


The other way around for me; I bought the Linksys first -- didn't work. I then bought the Netgear which I got going without too much difficulty.

Mind you, I never did get the encryption working with the Netgear. Not too big a privacy problem where I am, but I did set it to accept only the specific MAC addresses of my computers so nobody can piggy-back on my service.

If you have to install a wireless card on the PC that too can be a pain. I installed a Netgear on my daughter's PC about 2 years ago; I got it working after about 50 minutes on the phone, (30 minutes waiting on hold), with a quasi-English speaker, but it never worked well. Recently I replaced it with a D-Link card, which went very smoothly.

By the way, with due respect the the quasi-English speakers, the actual-English speakers aren't really any better.

[ForeverAutumn]

I bought an SMC card and router. My laptop was a work computer and they didn't approve of wireless networking, so I had to set it all up without telling them. Like you, I was told it was easy to set up. NOT! I spent about two hours on the phone with a lovely man in India, who was extremely patient and helpful. We got the wireless card installed; the software installed; the IP addresses set up; and the laptop encrypted. Once that was all done, I was up and running with no problems.

I occasionally would have a little glitch, that required a reboot of the router, but no major problems. My biggest complaint was the occasional dropped connection, which seemed to happen a lot on some days, but overall was pretty stable.

On the few occasions that I had to phone SMC, the people that I dealt with were always very patient and spoke very good English. Only once did the guy have such a heavy accent that I had trouble understanding him.

From a service and knowledge perspective, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend SMC.