Help with wireless router!!

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Hi,

I currently receive my broadband through cable modem supplied by Blueyonder. I have two laptops and want to be able to use them wirelessly.

I currently connect my first laptop directly to the cable modem via a usb cable. It also has an RJ45 lan connection and connects to the cable via a coax cable. The second laptop is standalone at the moment.

At present, presumably I can just attach a wireless access point to the RJ45 on the moment and go from there? Or I could attach a wireless router to the cable modem?

However, what happens if I move house to an area with no cable and have to use an ADSL modem that connects to the phone line via RJ11? Will the wireless router I purchased for the cable modem be useless or can I use it with any adsl modem provided by ISPs?

Further still, can I just buy a wireless router with adsl modem built in to connect to my current cable modem now, and then use this in the future as an all in solution? (i.e. can a router with builtin modem be used only as a router with the modem disabled and not interfere with my cable modem?)

Sorry if this is unclear but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Charlie

 

Usualy no. You only get one IP address from your provider, and that won't stretch to two machines!

This is the correct thing to do. You need what is usualy referred to as a 'cable router' and you should get some change from £40 for this.

The router could in theory be used with the right sort of ADSL modem. The ones usualy supplied by some ISPs is not the right sort, but on the other hand, many ISPs now include a router/modem in the sign-up price. You will need to shop around.
The 'right' sort of modem would be an ADSL modem with ethernet output. These are fairly rare in the UK, but I believe that D-Link do one.

No - almost none of the current inexpensive router/modems can be used like this - the modem is integral and can't be bypassed.

Finaly - be very careful of WiFi these days. 1) In some crowded areas you may not get the expected speed, and 2) they are not secure.

Harry.

 

The snag is that that particular model can't be used as a cable router, as far as I can tell.
Few of these units can.

Harry.

 

Thanks for the quick responses guys but I seemed to stumbled across some contradiction!!

Is it or is it not possible to attach a wireless router with built in modem to another modem and just use the router aspect of it?

 

This would be true if any of these router modems had the RJ45 connector for the WAN side of the router. Almost none of them do.

Harry.

 

Generaly no. I have yet to see an inexpensive router/modem with a RJ45 on the WAN side of the router.

Harry.