Difference between Wirless or Hardline Router?

[Isolate]

I have recently installed cable modem in my house and I was looking for a way to share the connection between the other pc's in the house. I have two choices, a router that uses conventional ethernet wires or a wireless router. It's a pain in the butt to use a separate line to link each computer to the router as there are three floors in this house and a whole lot of wires are needed. I am considering the other alternative but am a bit skeptical about whether it could provide a solid and dependable connection. I've heard wireless routers do a hell of a job and there is little to no lag but can anyone on this board offer a bit of input on this matter?

[iNeb]

If you get wireless be SURE to secure it so you don't get hijacked

[M_Six]

I use this Linksys router and this USB wireless adapter, also from Linksys. Piece-o'-cake to set up and it works great. I use WEP and anything else I can to secure it, but I live in the boonies, so I'm not too worried about anyone Wardriving down my dead-end dirt road.

From what I've read on various boards, your best bet is to stick with one manufacturer, be it Linksys or someone else.

EDIT: BTW, welcome to TechIMO!

[jak]

i do a combo, the floor, basement, in which my router is located has the server my computer and some other computers hardwared, but i was too lazy to run wires up TWO floors so i just put in a wireless for that, uhh my dads computer which is as i said two floors up is on the wireless and i have not noticed any probs with it yet, since a wireless connection isnt as fast as a wired, eh not a big deal unless you have alot of traffic, i mean alot, over the lines, and of course wireless is faster than broadband, no internet lag, i really think the combo run is the best, put what is used most and is centrally located on teh hard, and then put the rest on wireless
jack

[zskillz]

I think that the most significant deciding factor in your decision should be how much the computers currently on the lan use it to communicate with each other. If there is a significant amount of data being transfered back and forth (for whatever reason... gaming, file server, etc.) then the clear choice is the hardline solution since it supports faster data rate transfers.

However, if this is not a concern, then it's just a question of how much work you want to put into it. If security is not a concern, then you might as well go with the wireless, if it is, then spend the time to do a good wiring job around the house, and enjoy the benefits of the hardline solution!!

good luck
-Z

[kwebb]

As long as you don't have extremely sensitive data then using the available security measures (WEP, MAC filtering, Password protection, Disabling DHCP etc..) will suffice. With a three story house your primary concern is going to be coverage. Depending on the makeup of the construction you may end up getting a second AP. Router/AP combo at your broadband connection, and then cabling from one of it's LAN ports to the second AP. The only way to know with wireless is to test. Every environment is different. If copious amounts of data is tranferred regularly you might consider the D-Link 802.11b+ hardware. With there AP's you can put them in repeater mode as well. That would mean you could get away with the second AP not being cabled to. The only caveat there is that each hop cuts your effective bandwidth in half.

[DVNT1]

In a 3 story environment, try to put the wireless AP on the 2nd floor to help get adequate coverage to the top and bottom floor.