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LAP TOP / HOME PC ?

Switch Kit

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2005
3,609
164
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I really don't understand how these lap top computers are able to get on line without having hook ups on them ? My other question would be , if I had a lap top and I have DSL on my home PC , would this wireless lap top for some reason or other , slow down my home PC ? if it were being use in another room ? or no ? thanks .........did some research on this , still not sure if the lap top would slow down the home pc ? something to do with a router and they talked about a 2 to 5 ghz signal being used ? (kind of like those cordless phones)
 
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Hey Switch, if both computers are using the same router for wifi, then they share the amount of bandwidth between them. Say you have a router feeding a pc at 54mbps? Hook another pc up to that same signal and they will both get about 27mbps. I was told this is how it works. So, if you have numerous pc's or laptops to run on wifi in your home it would be best to get a very strong router.
 
not up on wifi either ? my better half just a got a new lap top , IM just wondering if it will slow down my home PC in anyway ? IM not even sure what a router is ? Not real computer savy to begin with .

My home PC has DSL , IM just wondering if her new set up will effect my dsl speed as it is ? Thanks for your input here Chopper.
 
It depends on if both computers are utilizing the network. For example, if there are 2 PCs connected to a 54MB router, and only 1 PC was actually using the network, it would get 100% of the network bandwidth. If both were using the network, then the router would start dividing up the bandwidth. Note that 54 MB is a very large amount of bandwidth and unless you are working at transfering very large files you will never see the difference.
The effect on your actual internet speed may be easier to see. Example, my cable ony gives me about 4.5 mb downloads. That bandwidth is essentially being shared between the 2 PCs as well. For normal web browsing you should not see any effect as that usually requires a small amount of bandwidth. If you start downloading large files, or looking at a bunch of YouTube, or have 20 torrents open at once, then you could start to see one PC taking more bandwidth than the other and slowing down general browsing (for both PCs actually).
Note that it is the actual internet connection that is being saturated during this as the 54MB router has more than enough bandwidth available to deliver the 4.5MB internet connection.
 
Excellent KD ! that's what I was looking for . I surely appreciate your time here. thank you very much. (y) you to Chopper (y)
 
We have the Verizon fios TV/Internet, comes with a wireless encoded router. The home computer plugs in direct and the laptop uses the router. seems to work just fine with both running. Switch, new laptops have the wireless receivers already built in. If there is a signal that does not need a pass word you can get on-line.
 
Hi Switch!

If your laptop already has Wifi I would get a Wifi router. Then you can take the laptop anywhere in the house and still connect to the internet.
Better yet, get one of those new fandangle MoFi hookups. This way, you'll be able to get on the Internet from literally anywhere on earth (Or so they say at least) :D

That said, I'm gonna look into getting an antenna thingie that goes atop my Actiontec M1000 DSL modem so I can (Hopefully!) improve my ability to access my own network from anywhere in the high-rise apartment building I live in (As it is now, I lose the signal as soon as I hit the 5th floor :angry: ).

I wonder if there's such a thing as a booster antenna that I could plug into the USB port of my laptop (Especially now that I don't need it for an external webcam anymore since I managed to get the internal one & the mic working) that would do the same thing.

Anyway....I think I've done as much damage as I can to this thread.

Cheers & 73 :)
 
I have a dsl modem and a wireless router connected to that which runs a laptop,ps3 and a tivo dvr and I have not noticed any slowing in connection speeds on any of those or the 2 home pc's I'm running directly off the dsl modem.
 
There are a couple other things to consider..

Your PC and Laptop are to be hooked up to the very same ISP..
I take it one incoming line to hook to a wireless router..
From router sent wired (or wireless) to your PC and wireless to LapTop..

You are using DSL i think you said ( those are a bit too slow for me)
However there are different speeds you can Obtain with DSL..

If connected to the same wireless router..
Then when one either PC or LapTop alone then you will have 100%
of speed for whichever your using..

If using Both PC and LapTop same time, then speeds are halved.

That said though..
There is also this to consider..

Will the router be a G (basic)..or a G Plus(better)...or a N router (Great)....
Also...will the router have a single...double or even triple antenna design..(guess which is better)..

A better router will also provide both better range..
Not Just in outright distance...but also if you have several walls and or floors between the router and one or both your PC and LapTop & work better in areas with some RF interference issues..

A better router can also maintain a faster connection and keep the faster connection at a further range..

It sounds like you are not too knowledgeable regarding routers..
However you will also want to do what is called a closed network..
This way you and only you (just your PC and Your LapTop gains access to your router)..

Reason this is Important is simple..
You want to use only 2 computers..
Do you want possibly many more people accessing your wireless router (because your a nice guy and or Ignorant guy)..
for the routers speed is proportionate to how many computers are accessing it..
54 megs ( of a G router ) divided by 2 computers is 27..
Divided by 10 computers is only 5.4...See what i mean..

_______________________________________________________

Now...regarding...

"Better yet, get one of those new fandangle MoFi hookups. This way, you'll be able to get on the Internet from literally anywhere on earth (Or so they say at least)

That said, I'm gonna look into getting an antenna thingie that goes atop my Actiontec M1000 DSL modem so I can (Hopefully!) improve my ability to access my own network from anywhere in the high-rise apartment building I live in (As it is now, I lose the signal as soon as I hit the 5th floor ).

I wonder if there's such a thing as a booster antenna that I could plug into the USB port of my laptop (Especially now that I don't need it for an external webcam anymore since I managed to get the internal one & the mic working) that would do the same thing."

How many floors are you trying to over come ? ..

There are many different antennas out there just for WiFi..

from small say 6 inch tall antennas..
to say 8 ft tall vertical..
to say multi element high gain beams..
as well as a few other types of antennas ( like panel and corner beams and more )..
 
I have wireless and use a G+ router. my PC has a wire goin to router an wifes laptop has the built in wireless. My buddy owns a bait shop across the street, close to 500ft maybe and he picks up my router with his wireless laptop! It has to go through 3 walls an crosses a busy highway...lol with 3 computers running at the same time, only slows the downloading speed very minimal. I would go with a N router if you decide to get a router. Like KC said, the N router is the best in performance. just my .02
 
Thanks all for your replies , think I've learned a few things here and hopefully the thread might help others along the way. (y)
 

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