set up wireless with cable broadband

Hi,

i have a dell desktop pc and a dell laptop both running windows xp pro,sp2.(the laptop is already wireless enabled) The desktop is downstairs and i usually use my laptop upstairs because i have a cable broadband box upstairs, so im just using broadband on the laptop, which so far works great.

Anyway i wanted to get a wireless router so that i can use the cable broadband on both computers but also so that i can use the laptop not just upstairs in the one place.
This is prob a stupid question but wireless confuses me a little ...(a lot really ) but from what i gather so far ,i connect the router to where the cable box is upstairs right?...does this mean i need to have 1 computer constantly hooked up to the router, just like i currently have my laptop constantly hooked to my cable modem when i want to use broadband?

Im just wondering because if i need the laptop constantly hooked up when i want to use broadband,i wont bother with the wireless...for reasons i wont bore ye with i cant move the cable box downstairs and i cant move the desktop pc upstairs

really appreciate any help and i hope ive made sense with what im trying to ask

 

Your solution is simple and you have a few options.
First, you do not need to have a computer dedicated to your broadband.

OK, if you go with a wireless router, most come with a switch built into the back of it. Usually a 4 port. Linksys and Dlink offer great deals to include many others. You connect your cable modem directly to the router ( in lue of your laptop now). Your next step is to decide whether or not to run the desk top downstairs on wired or wireless. If you opt for wireless then you will need to purchase a wireless card for that computer. They sell router/ wireless card combos or you could purchase a wireless USB adapter for it. If you decide to go wired then you will have to run Cat-5 or Cat-6 cable down to the computer and into a NIC card. Then upstairs you could hook your computer into the router like your doing now or go wireless and roam all over the house. Now there are soooo many steps into setting up a wireless network properly and securely that I could not cover is one paragraph but I think you should have the idea.

 

Hi
thanks for the reply.
My main hope was to get the laptop wireless so that sounds great if i just plug the router into the modem and go roam with the laptop

one other thing,i can get a belkin adsl router for free of a friend(well its a modem with a wireless g router built in) ...would that work with cable broadband or should i just go buy a cable router myself?

thanks again

 

May be this can Help, http://www.ezlan.net/faq.html#onewire

I.e you have to be capable when needed to connect at least one computer with Wire.