Vista - Wireless Router Questions

New to the home pc, so I have several questions to make sure I am setting
things up properly. I have a Sony Vaio with Vista. It came with built in
wireless.

- Other than price, what is the difference between Linksys Wireless-G and
Linksys Wireless-N?

- I've heard that the location of the router can make a large difference in
connectivity. Is there a recommended location?

- What is an "access point"? What is is used for? How does it work in
relation to a router?

- How can I setup the wireless router so that only my laptop(s) will be able
to connect?

- I am looking at getting a printer as well. How does that work with a
router? Do I need to get a wireless printer, or can I somehow connect a
printer to a wireless router so that more than one pc can print to the
printer.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hello vermin93,

see inline

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
This is not Linksys this is Microsoft NG, please post there and read your
manual
Nereby the computer is always the best.
A connectivity device to prolonge the distance to the router.
This is not Linksys this is Microsoft NG, please post there and read your
manual
This is not Linksys this is Microsoft NG, please post there and read your
manual. Also you can look in the manual for network printer configuration.

New to the home pc, so I have several questions to make sure I am setting
things up properly. I have a Sony Vaio with Vista. It came with built in
wireless.

- Other than price, what is the difference between Linksys Wireless-G and
Linksys Wireless-N?

N tends to have a faster throughput and further range.

- I've heard that the location of the router can make a large difference in
connectivity. Is there a recommended location?

on the same floor as the machine that will access it - or if your walls are thin then you shouldn't have a problem. if you live in one of the old victorian houses with ceilings and walls about 10 feet thick, then you might run into problems.

- What is an "access point"? What is is used for? How does it work in
relation to a router?

An access point _is_ a router - its just a different name for it.

- How can I setup the wireless router so that only my laptop(s) will be able
to connect?

the router has a security feature - enable a passphrase and associate it with your laptop(s) and nobody else will be able to gain access.

- I am looking at getting a printer as well. How does that work with a
router? Do I need to get a wireless printer, or can I somehow connect a
printer to a wireless router so that more than one pc can print to the
printer.

just attach it to your laptop - you can network share the printer via the laptop and then print to it, as long as your laptop is powered up.

1 draft N is fast and covers more distance than G
2 most definitely. you want to avoid walls, ceilings, duct work,
furniture, large appliances, mirrors, etc. a lot depends on the
building materials used in your location as well.
3. wireless routers have an embedded access point. you can also
purchase a stand alone access points and in many cases you can
change a router into an access point. a wireless router will handle
protecting you from the nasties on the Internet, provide wired and
wireless access in a single box.
4. You should use WPA2 for wireless security and not give the
passphrase to anyone else.
5. some printers include wifi networking. you can purchase a
wireless print server as an add on. you can also purchase printers
with built in ethernet that you can connect to a port on your
router.

On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:50:01 -0700, vermin93
<vermin93@xxxxxx> wrote:
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Great info! Thank you, Barb.

Follow-up question:
Does either the Linksys G or the Linksys N "play nice" with Vista more so
than the other? Seems like I've been seeing a lot of wireless connectivity
challenges with Vista, but I do not (yet) have the depth of knowledge to
follow all that is being said.

Thanks again!



"Barb Bowman" wrote:

Anything on
http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Pro...=v&cid=712&g=d
*should* work fine.

I am using a D-Link DIR 655 Draft N router that works beautifully
with Vista. In fact, I just wrote about it:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/933872



On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:28:00 -0700, vermin93
<vermin93@xxxxxx> wrote:
--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/