which WLAN access point to choose

For my company I have to set up a small wireless network consisting of a
maximum of 10-15 devices ranging from a desktop PC to a PDA, but mostly 2 or
3 devices will use it at any given time.

All devices which will be able to use the network allready have a wireless
interface. The main problem is which accesspoint to choose.

Is a cheap d-link, netgear, linksys, 3com accesspoint enough for normal use?
Are they reliable enough?
Or do I have to go with a 3 times more expensive SMC accesspoint?

There are so many different AP's to choose from that I can't choose anymore.
At home, I have a Linksys WRT54G which works perfectly, but is a device like
that suited for a small office environments?

Thanks,

Remco

Remco Meeder

Due to the SP2 issues out there concerning Wireless Networks I would
recommend going with a Microsoft Access Point product!!!

=?Utf-8?B?U1dSUw==?=

Right.....
Anyway... All XP SP2 machines here have the security center and the firewall
disabled. Now to find a way to remove that silly security center all
together.

But, does MS have any wireless products? Our trusty dealer doesn't sell MS
networking products.

Remco

"SWRS" <> schreef in bericht
news:1F4D82BB-35A6-4251-B265-...
> Due to the SP2 issues out there concerning Wireless Networks I would
> recommend going with a Microsoft Access Point product!!!

Remco Meeder

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/br...g/default.mspx

=?Utf-8?B?U1dSUw==?=

I would go with a Linksys or Netgear access point. The others are probably
just fine as well. Just make sure they support the encryption methods you
desire. If you go with a "g" mode access point, you will probably need to
run it in mixed mode as I bet that some or all of your devices are "b" mode.
You might even consider setting up multiple access points depending upon how
much range you need to cover.

For multiple access points, here are some things to keep in mind:
- All settings such as SSID and encryption need to be identical between the
access points.
- The IP address used for configuration of the access point must be unique
(nothing new here)
- Channel selection is important. You want to choose non-overlapping
channels which need to be about 5 apart from each other. If you have three
access points, channels 1, 6, and 11 are good choices. If you have two
access points, then 1,6, or 2,7, or 3,8, and so forth. Even 1, 11 is a good
choice for two access points. If you have three access points, the one in
the middle needs to be different than the two outer ones. The two outer
ones can be the same if they are far enough apart distance wise not to
interfere with each other.

Jeff


"Remco Meeder" <> wrote in message
news:...
> For my company I have to set up a small wireless network consisting of a
> maximum of 10-15 devices ranging from a desktop PC to a PDA, but mostly 2
> or
> 3 devices will use it at any given time.
>
> All devices which will be able to use the network allready have a wireless
> interface. The main problem is which accesspoint to choose.
>
> Is a cheap d-link, netgear, linksys, 3com accesspoint enough for normal
> use?
> Are they reliable enough?
> Or do I have to go with a 3 times more expensive SMC accesspoint?
>
> There are so many different AP's to choose from that I can't choose
> anymore.
> At home, I have a Linksys WRT54G which works perfectly, but is a device
> like
> that suited for a small office environments?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Remco
>
>

Jeff Durham

Hi
There are few ways to go about it.

If you have 10 to 15 users at the same time and you want a stable Wireless
capacity, I would go with Mid Level Wireless Hardware.

Look at the Proxim/Orinoco Line.

For Entry Level Hardware you might find a lot of info here: www.ezlan.net

Jack (MVP-Networking).







"Remco Meeder" <> wrote in message
news:...
> For my company I have to set up a small wireless network consisting of a
> maximum of 10-15 devices ranging from a desktop PC to a PDA, but mostly 2
or
> 3 devices will use it at any given time.
>
> All devices which will be able to use the network allready have a wireless
> interface. The main problem is which accesspoint to choose.
>
> Is a cheap d-link, netgear, linksys, 3com accesspoint enough for normal
use?
> Are they reliable enough?
> Or do I have to go with a 3 times more expensive SMC accesspoint?
>
> There are so many different AP's to choose from that I can't choose
anymore.
> At home, I have a Linksys WRT54G which works perfectly, but is a device
like
> that suited for a small office environments?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Remco
>
>

Jack