setting up high speed wireless internet with a desktop pc

Hi. My friend has a desktop PC - Windows XP - and wants to have high speed internet access through a cable modem (Comcast - here in NJ). The ideal situation would be to have a wireless connection as this is in an office where the cable connection is not very close to the computer. Besides the ISP, what hardware would he need to make the computer connect wirelessly?

I've read about network cards, network adapters, and routers.
What he'd like to know is if a network adapter and router would be sufficient or if a network card is needed. The network adapters are USB, right?

Thanks for the help!
I'm not a networking master

 

Hi borderchild and welcome to MGs,
A wireless router and either a USB adapter or a wireless network card are what he would need.
Preferably a wireless card. USB adapters can be a pain sometimes. Since you would be getting them at the same time, match brands of whatever you get.
A couple of considerations are the distance between the location of the proposed router and the computer and the type of construction of walls that the signal will have to pass through.
Heavy walls, furniture, electronic equipment and cordless phones can cause interference with the wireless signal and cut down the distance it will travel.
Running cable might be a pain but it would give a good connection at all times. Also, from a security stand point, does he work with sensitive material ?
Wired connections is more secure than wireless. A good reference site for a lot of questions is http://www.ezlan.net/ . Take a look through there and see if that helps with your questions also.
Hope that sheds a little light on the subject for you.

 

Thanks so much for the info! I also checked out ezlan.net...great site!