Im currently running a SKY wireless network with the standard Netgear 54MBps Router and my laptop has a standard 54MBps card.

Im looking to upgrade both the router and network adaptor in my Laptop, but Im unsure which items are good to use? I dont wanna speand more than £150 for both, but Im looking at the fastest network I can get (N1 I think it is).

Can anyone recommend a wireless router and laptop card package? or do I just go up Argos and buy it??

Also, my Laptop have 2 wires going to the wireless card, which I think is to the wireless "On" switch at the front of the Laptop. How do I disconnect this from the wireless card (Looks soldered) or will the new card come with the wires attached?

Thanks for the help...

 

why do you feel the need to upgrade mate? you're only likely to gain slightly more range if anything at all imo.
how fast is the broadband connection? that'll always be the bottle neck unless you're transferring files from another PC?
if you put a separate card in the laptop, the switch becomes irrelevant. that's for the built in one only - just switch it to off and be done with it once the new card is in.

hope that's of some help.

 

Thanks Mark, very good help

Somehow my laptop card has failed (Wont pick up any networks), so I thought as its gone I might aswell upgrade. Its currently plugged into the router and is ALOT faster (Downloading, etc) than it would be on wireless. So If I upgrade the router and wireless card hopefully I should have a faster network

Im running SKY's highest package (IIRC), which is around 10MB, no download limits, etc.

Cheers

 

sky wont let you use another router mate

my gf has had problems with her sky stuff, so was told to change the filters and a few other things to do with her phone connections and now is much better.

SKy should also be able to test your line for "errors" of some kind. My gf had over 50,000!!! These are caused by the wrong setup to do with your phone point/filters etc.

Speed also depends on how far away your computer is from the router, but you're right that it may be to do with the adaptor/card in your computer. My gf has a desktop PC and laptop, and the desktop PC can't connect very well at all, but the laptop is better because it has a newer/better wireless card in it.

 

If you cant swap the router, just get a new pcmcia card for the laptop

Ignore the ones with speedbooster and rangemax and all that shite as your router doesnt support it so its pointless

I've installed a few of these now both at work and for friends/family and they work a treat. most recently i did one last week, under £20 delivered from Misco - connected to the shite orange broadband box/brick thing and the speeds were brilliant (quite surprised the wireless hardware in the orange box was any good)

Linksys WPC54G - http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...4416&CatId=305

Avoid the Belkin stuff also, over-priced tat!

 

as above really. if you can't change the router go for this.
I've stuck one of these cards in my girlfriend's laptop and the performance is great.
not surpsised you get better performance out of the wired connection to be honest. as a side point, i've actually found that running one fo these cards in my own laptop gives better performance than the built in one. not entirely sure why, but i suspect a combination of better ariel and just the card being more capable than the built in intel one.

definitely avoid the belkin crap!

 

Smudge, how come SKY wont let you upgrade the router? How could they stop me?? Cheers

Thanks for the info and I will look to get the Linksys one Cheers

 

they preset them from the factory with your username and password so they're "plug and play" routers are very easy to get lost in if you dont kow what your doing, hence why they set you an ssid and network key and stick them to the bottom. if they had to to that over the phone for however many customers they have things would get messy.