How to wire house
I'm living in a shack in a middle eastern country. The local internet provider ran a network cable through a crack in the wall and put a connector on it. Anytime I move my laptop I lose my connection. I want to beef this up somewhat but really don't know much about network components.
This guy doesn't speak english so I'm not relying on him for help. I'm thinking is all I need is a cheap router and a standard cable to go from the router to the laptop. The room is about 12 by 12 so I don't want to mess with wireless. I just want a more reliable connection.
Is this what I need to do? He's changed the connector twice and has that, "Don't be a baby look on his face," so I don't want to muck around with him anymore.
This guy doesn't speak english so I'm not relying on him for help. I'm thinking is all I need is a cheap router and a standard cable to go from the router to the laptop. The room is about 12 by 12 so I don't want to mess with wireless. I just want a more reliable connection.
Is this what I need to do? He's changed the connector twice and has that, "Don't be a baby look on his face," so I don't want to muck around with him anymore.
If you are using a direct cable and your loosing connection when moved, it could be the port on your laptop. As the connector was replaced twice and your problem is the same, I would start suspecting this. I have seen quite a few laptops develop loose ports, example power, after time to the poing any movement can have the impact your describing.
If your laptop is more modern I would recommend going the wireless route. If your running windows the setup should not be that difficult and many of the router companies selling home routers provide easy setup and documentation to create wireless network.
If your laptop is more modern I would recommend going the wireless route. If your running windows the setup should not be that difficult and many of the router companies selling home routers provide easy setup and documentation to create wireless network.
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lgestlle made a good point. However, this raises the question of the the cable itself. The end of the cable may also be the culprit. It may look like a solid connector, but if theis cable was custom cut by the intaller, the wires inside leading to the the ends of the RJ45 may not be solid connections either. Or the connector itself on the cable may be suspect.
Hello,
I'm not sure what you mean by saying "Anytime I move my laptop I lose my connection". Does this mean you have a poorly made LAN cable connector and if you move physicaly the connection breaks? In that case you'll have to put another connector yourself or ask someone for help. (You'd need a special clipper for that).
I think what you meant was the local ISP guy attached somekind of wireless device and you have a poor signal. Could you please post the model of the device you have.
Wireless should be fine in a room 12 x 12, given that a wireless device is not hidden in cupboard.
Can you log on to the wireless device (do you have username : password)
Does this device work as a bridge or router? What output do you get when you type "ipconfig /all" in the command prompt?
In the meantime you can test if your connection does not loose packets. You could start up a command promt: Start->run type "cmd" without quotes
The black command window appears. Type "ping yahoo.com -n 20 -l 1500"
This would ping yahoo.com with 20 large packets. The answer should be something like this:
Reply from 67.195.160.76: bytes=1500 time=128ms TTL=52
If you get an occasional "request timed out" it could mean a faulty device or poor connection quality.
If you have a regular LAN cable before that device (not a telephone or some other kind of cable) you probably could just change the device to my prefered Linksys WRT54GL Router. It's a little bit old but stable model.
I'm not sure what you mean by saying "Anytime I move my laptop I lose my connection". Does this mean you have a poorly made LAN cable connector and if you move physicaly the connection breaks? In that case you'll have to put another connector yourself or ask someone for help. (You'd need a special clipper for that).
I think what you meant was the local ISP guy attached somekind of wireless device and you have a poor signal. Could you please post the model of the device you have.
Wireless should be fine in a room 12 x 12, given that a wireless device is not hidden in cupboard.
Can you log on to the wireless device (do you have username : password)
Does this device work as a bridge or router? What output do you get when you type "ipconfig /all" in the command prompt?
In the meantime you can test if your connection does not loose packets. You could start up a command promt: Start->run type "cmd" without quotes
The black command window appears. Type "ping yahoo.com -n 20 -l 1500"
This would ping yahoo.com with 20 large packets. The answer should be something like this:
Reply from 67.195.160.76: bytes=1500 time=128ms TTL=52
If you get an occasional "request timed out" it could mean a faulty device or poor connection quality.
If you have a regular LAN cable before that device (not a telephone or some other kind of cable) you probably could just change the device to my prefered Linksys WRT54GL Router. It's a little bit old but stable model.
ASKER
He has replaced the cable terminator twice already. It may be that the laptop connector is moving around. I live in a compound and and the provider does have wireless but don't I open myself up to interception? It's not all that reliable either. I'm guessing I'm exposed anyway going through this guys shop. I wanted to attach the suspect cable to a router and use a commercially produced cable to run from the router to my laptop. The connections are machine made and molded so I don't expect to encounter much in the way of mechanical damage if I sit with the laptop in my lap and move around some.
Please answer the questions about the model of the device if you'll need further guidance.
In your place I would test my laptop connector at any other site (intenet cafe) if it is the problem OR the poor cable the guy gives you.
On the other hand don't be afraid of the wireless. Wireless connection is quite secure, I would suggest WPA2 security with AES encryption, because it is the most secure option for home users. WEP is easily cracked (within 20 minutes or so) but you would be quite secure with WPA / WPA2.
Besides wireless bandwidth is more than enough for internet browsing. You would benefit only if you do local file sharing by using cable.
In your place I would test my laptop connector at any other site (intenet cafe) if it is the problem OR the poor cable the guy gives you.
On the other hand don't be afraid of the wireless. Wireless connection is quite secure, I would suggest WPA2 security with AES encryption, because it is the most secure option for home users. WEP is easily cracked (within 20 minutes or so) but you would be quite secure with WPA / WPA2.
Besides wireless bandwidth is more than enough for internet browsing. You would benefit only if you do local file sharing by using cable.
Do you have a router installed at your premises?
You just got the cable and connect it straight to your laptop (router is elsewhere)?