Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Wireless

More technology plz!

sarahj — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:44:57 -0800

How can I help my parents hook up their computer to their TV? My parents have a nice wall-mounted big screen Pioneer lcd tv and my dad's dream is to have their Dell desktop system in the same room wirelessly networked to it, for music-playing, presumably netflix and online video viewing, and general happiness. I've googled this in as many different verb-noun combinations I can come up with and I'm still not sure what I'm looking for. Is this possible?

My dad mentioned something called RocketFish, and I saw some BluRay players that potentially had wireless networking capabilities but I wasn't sure if that capability was usually used for some other purpose. I'd like to help him on this for a Christmas gift - what would I need to buy and do in order to do this?

Thanks so much! I can definitely provide more information if it's needed.

Best basic wireless router?

dpx.mfx — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:12:20 -0800

I am in need of a new wireless router. Please talk to me like I know nothing about routers, computers, or technology in general (this is maybe 75% true) and help me choose. I have TimeWarner Cable's internet access. We have the "standard" access, which is "up to 7mbps" (we can upgrade to Turbo -- "up to 22 mbps" -- should we?). I have a Lenovo T61 laptop that is about a year old, and a Toshiba satellite laptop that's at least two years old. I use the Toshiba to VPN to my office and so would like something that's pretty stable. Other than that, mostly email and basic websurfing. We are also networking a Tivo (our old one has a wireless adapter. A new HD Tivo is currently enroute. Not sure how that one will work.) Someday I'd like to add a wireless printer.

Other wireless devices in the house: Iphone, another cell phone, one cordless phone with three handsets, and a baby monitor.

What kind of wireless router should I get? How much should I spend? Will these devices talk nice to one another or should I use my parents old Belkin (I forget the number, I think it was pre-N?) router? Help me please.

Keyboard for my HTPC setup?

petah — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:17:11 -0800

Recommendations for a good HTPC (home theater PC) keyboard? I've got an old laptop I've hooked up to my television, and I'd like to be able to browse the web and operate my computer from the couch.

I was wondering if there were any dedicated keyboard/mouse combos for this task?

wireless router SLOW

cg2 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:07:42 -0800

I just put in a new router (cisco wireless n broadband router wrt160N) and it is totally fast when the ethernet cable is plugged into my computer. When I try to use it wirelessly, it works but is VERY slow. any ideas? thanks!!!!!

Need help setting up AirPort on my Mac

Joseppi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:52:14 -0800

I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. It's asking for OS X 10.4 and I'm running 10.5 but it still doesn't work. Any clue as to why this is happening? I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. When I try and install the software I get a message that says, "You cannot install AirPort on this volume. The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported." It's asking for volume 10.4 and I'm on 10.5. This is beyond frustrating as this is supposed to be such a simple process. Does anyone know what my issue might be?

ThinkPad T42 wireless connection problem

mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:40:00 -0800

Windows XP Home network connection issues. My son's girlfriend has an IBM ThinkPad T42. In the last couple of days its network connectivity has gone haywire. It has an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG adapter and an Intel Pro/1000MT wired connection, and the laptop is running XP Home, Service Pack 3. Here's what it does:

As soon as I enable the wireless adapter and connect to a network (either secured or unsecured) the connection bounces from disconnected to connected and back again, over and over ad infinitum.

I can't enable the wired adapter at all (it just stays disabled while the "Local Area Connection - Enabling" message shows, after which it disappears with the connection still disabled), which is what makes me think this is a software problem rather than a hardware problem. I have tried all of the following (not necessarily in this order):

1) reset the TCP/IP stack ("netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt")

2) Uninstalled and reinstalled TCP/IP

3) removed and reinstalled the network adapter drivers

4) system restore to earlier restore point

5) installed a PCMCIA wireless card (same result - connected/disconnected over and over)

6) run Malwarebytes (no malware detected)

At this point I am ready to throw in the towel and reinstall Windows unless someone has any better ideas. I don't really mind doing this, but it always irritates me to resort to a reinstall when it seems like there really should be a simpler fix.

Any ideas?

What's the best wireless audio bridge / networked digital audio receiver that works on the Mac?

nitsuj — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:27:10 -0800

What's the best wireless audio bridge / networked digital audio receiver that works on the Mac? I'm looking for a simple hardware solution that will allow me to bridge my Macbook Pro's audio-out source to my home theater amplifier. Many products like the WMB54G and Sirocco either have no Mac support at all, or have very poor reviews and cost way too much.

The Airport Express seems decent if I only wanted to stream iTunes, but I'd also like to stream from other sources, like Spotify, which it won't support.

Is there a simple, under-$100 (or close to it) solution out there?

Wireless keyboard for a home theater PC?

thewalrus — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:30:24 -0800

Please suggest a quality wireless (RF) keyboard that has an integrated touchpad, trackpoint or trackball for use with a home theater PC setup. There's a lot of different things available from Newegg ($35 to $150+) and the other usual sources, but I'm wondering about some first-hand experiences... I'd like to keep the cost to the lower end of the price range if possible, without getting something that is a total piece of junk. It seems that wireless keyboards designed specifically for desktop use usually don't include a pointing device. I don't want to have a separate mouse and keyboard, the pointer should be integrated.

AT&T Wireless Options

anotherpanacea — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:34:34 -0800

My 2-year cell phone contract with AT&T Wireless is complete, and I'm looking for advice on how to handle the next part. In general, the question is: Should I re-up or just continue without a contract?

Specifically:

1. Does anyone have experience with unlocked phones from Amazon? They appear to be older models, but will I have any trouble getting a quad-band GSM phone up and running to replace my wife's crappy Nokia?

2. I've got a pretty sweet deal with an older 1G iPhone on the EDGE network, and I don't need faster service. But I'm worried: is this thing going to last two more years? If I upgrade, is there a secondary market for 1G iPhones?

3. Kind of random, but I'm thinking of switching to a Kindle for my internet-anywhere needs. Has anyone tried this? (I hear there's a note in the T&Cs that Amazon can start charging for internet if it gets too expensive to support my browsing.) Is it possible to suspend the data part of the plan without getting rid of the iPhone itself?

I've called AT&T and they're supremely unhelpful, but I'm not really read to switch, as any other plan would be much more expensive given our usage rates, the switch to 3G, and general price inflation.

Wireless and dLans and making them talk to each other

jonathanbell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:14:51 -0800

Please help my computers talk to each other once again. Windows networking question within I'm trying to set up a home network. Right now I have two laptops, one Vista, one XP, accessing the internet via a Netgear DGN2000 router. So far, so good (apart from occasional baffling connection drop-outs, but that's not the question here).

However, located a short distance away in an outbuilding is an XP desktop. It's too far to run cable to, and the wireless signal no longer reaches it since I moved the router further away. So I've bought a Devolo dLan set up with two plugs. Before I attempt to install this, I wonder if I'm actually going to be able to achieve what I want to do...

The question: if the external XP desktop is accessing the internet via the Devolos plugged in to the router, can I still access this desktop machine from the laptops via wireless? Any help much appreciated, thank you.

My servos are seizing

cabbages — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:14:37 -0800

Posting for a Roommate: His 802.11b USB adapter is unable to connect to our 801.11n network. According to him, this adapter worked for him previously but as soon as he moved into our house it stopped working. The adapter sees the network but when you try to connect it fails.

His laptop is on the other side of the house so I tried it on my laptop (which is in the same room as the router) and ran into the same issue so I'm thinking it might be a hardware problem but I have very little knowledge when it comes to networks.

Some more details:
Driver obtained from Windows Update (Current)
Adapter only recognizes the network as 801.11g
Network is encrypted with WPA-PSK

If he's going to need to buy a new adapter I'd appreciate suggestions as well. Currently he is running a Ethernet cord through our hallway and into my room which is kind of tacky.

Imac has lost its once strong wireless signal

ranunculus — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:25:41 -0800

My girlfriend's imac keeps losing its wireless signal, despite having functioned perfectly for over a year at its present location. How can I remedy this? The wireless router - a linksys wrt 54g - is located at my desk about 50 feet and one wall away, where it is hardwired to my pc. For the past year, her imac received the signal perfectly. And now it's extremely weak. Rebooting her computer, my computer, the router, or the cable modem does nothing to improve her signal. Yet my other computer - a pc laptop - receives a perfectly good signal next to her imac.

She is running osx 10.4.11
I'm on vista

Tomato Wireless Bridge + forgetfulness = ???

xla76 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:15:58 -0800

Tomato Wireless Bridge + forgetfulness = ??? I have a linksys wrt54gl router with tomato firmware configured as a wireless bridge. This makes the router 'invisible' on the network. My problem - I have no recollection of the device ip address. It is still functioning correctly but I want to reconfigure.
In theory I should be able to connect via ethernet port and go to admin webpage but without knowing the ip - or even the subnet - I am stuck!
If anyone has a solution then I'm all ears.

Wireless internet and wireless printing on two separate networks

game warden to the events rhino — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:54:36 -0800

I borrow my neighbor's wireless internet, with their permission. Can I set up a separate network for wireless printing in my apartment, and use it simultaneously? I have a Macbook Pro and a (currently unused) Apple Airport Express, and plan to buy a laser printer. I'd like to keep my current internet arrangement, because it saves me money! I have two questions:

1. Am I going to have any problem running a wireless network for printing that doesn't have any connection to the internet at all?
2. Is there any way I could set this system up to avoid having to switch manually between networks every time I wanted to print, or am I completely misunderstanding the nature of wifi in even asking this? Could I be connected to both networks at once?

Thanks in advance.

Wirelessly broadcast PC screen to multiple TVs?

neksys — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:25:46 -0800

The easiest way to do this is to tell you what I need: I want someone to be able to work on a laptop and be able to broadcast the video information on the screen wirelessly to more than 1 TV. My question is - how? Basically what I'm hoping to set up is a laptop/tablet PC with images that a person could manipulate. I want those manipulations to show up on a number of televisions. I do not need audio.

Its easy enough to do wired - there is an S-Video or HDMI out on plenty of laptops these days, so its no problem to split and run cables across a room to each television.

I need, though, a wireless solution. I have googled and found a number of these kinds of solutions but the quality appears questionable on some. The big thing is expandability - I want to broadcast the video signal to a handful of displays. Ideally the solution would be one broadcasting unit and the ability to purchase individual receivers.

Anyone have any experience with this that could give me any guidance? I should mention I'm in Canada - some devices that are available in the US or overseas are not approved for use here.

Macbook wireless, what gives?

Brandon Blatcher — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:17:51 -0800

Macbook wireless connection has gotten considerably weaker and flakier recently. Suggestions on how to fix, please! It's a late or early 2008 Macbook, running 10.5.8, has generally worked fine. For the longest time, it was on a wireless network hosted by a Linksys wrtg and things were fine. Sometimes upon waking or starting up the wireless connection would be flaky, but after a minute or two, it would settle down and things would gone.

Recently, that router died for unknown reasons, so the network is now hosted by a Airport Express (with an Airport Extreme acting as bridge for an older mac), all under WPA2 security, and the wireless connection for the Macbook has gotten terrible.

Now, if an url is entered, even for large, stable sites, like CNN or Gmail, the site may take a full minute to come up, if it come up at all. Often there is a message about being unable to reach the site because the computer isn't connected to the internet. Hitting the refresh button 4 or 5 times often doesn't help, the computer hangs or the message about not being connected to the internet comes back up. The Airport status symbol in the menu bar usually shows the connection as being at full strength. This happens throughout the house, whether the computer is as far from the router as it can be, or sitting two from it, i.e. the connection is flaky and crappy.

However, the connection works just fine if you click and hold onto the Airport status symbol in the menu bar. Go figure.

Other wireless Macintosh computers on the network work fine, no problem. There is one wired device on the network which is connected via an Airport Extreme bridge to the network and that works fine too.

Any ideas on what the problem is and how to fix it?

Help me watch the animals at home from a Mac cam

TochterAusElysium — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:19:16 -0800

What's a good wireless webcam for the Mac (OS 10.5.something) that works, without fuss, with the Orb software (ideally, for under $100)? I'd like to monitor what the pets at home do all day, while I'm at work. I discovered Orb, and found that it works great with my iMac's built-in camera. Problem is, that limits me to viewing a small section of hallway visible from my office desk (and hearing occasional barks in the rest of the house).

What I'd like is either a wireless webcam, or a wired cam that has a cord which will stretch out into the hall. The cord would have to be 8 to 10 feet long, though, so that seems unlikely (is it possible to string USB cables together?). I'd like to keep the cost under $100. I do know about the new BT-1 cam, and might end up with that if I can't find anything cheaper. Has anyone used it with Orb?

Recommendations from people who have actually used a specific wireless webcam with their Mac, and were able to plug it in and have it work without complicated setup, are very much welcomed. If you've just Googled "wireless webcam mac" - I've done that already, thanks. I've downloaded the Macam software and gotten it to work with a cheapo Logitech camera but Orb does not recognize it.

Clear Wireless Keys Automatically?

NYScott — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:48:48 -0800

Auto-Delete XP Laptop's Wireless "Preferred Networks" List? At work, we have laptops we loan to staff. I want to be able to make sure all "Preferred Networks" are deleted automatically, or at the very least, the Network Keys are cleared.

As you probably know, once you connect to a wireless network on an XP machine, that network is stored in your list of Preferred Networks. It also stores the network's key (password), and will automatically log on when detected. Since we're loaning laptops to people, I don't want our network settings stored on the laptops (nor do I want their home network settings retained). My thought is: what if a laptop is stolen? The thief could park outside one of our buildings, and from the comfort of his car, he could automatically log into our network, using the credentials of the previous user...

"Kiosk mode" will not work for us; users need to be able to make & retain changes. And relying on individuals to delete the Preferred Networks is useless.

Ideally, once you log off/reboot, the settings are cleared.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

How can I tell if someone is trying to hop onto my wireless signal?

invisible ink — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:46:16 -0800

I have a MacBook Pro running OS 10.6.1, and an Airport Extreme Base Station. Is there a user-friendly way to see if someone is trying to use my internet connection or hack into my network? I live in a large apartment building, and am curious to see if anyone has tried to hop onto my wireless signal. Thanks in advance:-)

Wireless possible, or no?

BlahLaLa — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:37:12 -0800

Did the Apple salesperson do me wrong? I bought an AirPort Express to go wireless with my Mac Mini but now I think I got screwed. Okay, it's embarrassing to admit this on Metafilter, where almost everyone seems to be very computer savvy, but I DON'T KNOW ABOUT COMPUTERS. I use 'em, but I don't know how they work.

I have an older Mac Mini. I've had it for two years, but it was used by someone else previously and I don't know precisely how old it is. I want to set up a wireless network in my home, and I called the Apple Store to see if that would be possible with my model. The phone rep talked me through looking at my computer. I have a new-enough OS. I do not have an AirPort card. I do have firewire. She said I can connect through firewire.

But the AirPort Express arrived, and when I looked at the documentation, it says I must have the AirPort card installed.

So...is that true about this alleged firewire? Can I connect wirelessly, or am I out of luck? If not, can I keep my Mac Mini wired to the modem, and hook up the AirPort Express so my husband can use his laptop elsewhere in the house?

If I need to return this thing: Have you had experience with the Apple Store? Are they going to easily accept the explanation that I only bought this because the salesperson said it would work with my computer?

Please speak to me as if I am your mentally challenged great aunt. I really need it step by step, spelled out.

Who has Clear WiMax?

falconred — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:52:18 -0800

Is the new-fangled Clear WiMax low latency enough for gaming? Clear WiMax has come to my town and is attractively priced compared to my current cable provider.

My only hesitation is latency issues. Searching Google, there is conflicting information regarding whether Clear's latency is better or worse than a cable internet connection. I do a lot of online gaming so latency is a big deal. With high latency, starvosthewonderchicken might finally be able to kick my butt in TF2, and that would make me sad.

I know I can go "test drive" Clear before I buy, but I wanted to know if anyone here has real life experience using Clear WiMax?

Does SmartTalk Wireless suck?

4ster — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:44:18 -0800

I am considering switching to Straight Talk Wireless when my Sprint contract expires in January, and I am looking for people's experience with Straight Talk. The pricing looks too good to be true, the phones look kind of sucky, and I read somewhere that their customer support isn't great. It is also difficult to find reviews on their phones. Can anyone who has actually used their service testify to it either way? Also, if I port my number to them, and then want to leave after a month, can I port my number to another carrier?

Thanks for your insight.

Prepaid Cellphone For NYC That Is Not Virgin Mobile?

jason's_planet — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:52:01 -0800

I need a prepaid cellphone service in NYC that is NOT Virgin Mobile. Looking to pay about $10 a month. Don't need lots of fancy telecom doo-dads. Just need decent reception and reliable service and voicemail. What are my options? How about Verizon? Are they any good? I've been using Virgin Mobile for a while. But the relationship is no longer meeting my needs. Because you've been nice enough to read my question and (possibly) help me out, I will spare you the gratuitous kvetching. Here is the abbreviated kvetching: Virgin Mobile's service is so piss-poor that I can barely make out what people are saying on my phone and it's not unusual for me to get voicemails two or three days after they would have done me some good. This is unacceptable. I feel as if I'm paying $6 a month for absolutely nothing. I am willing to pay c. $10 a month if it actually gets me something.

I'll add here that I am a very occasional user of my cellphone. It's there for potential employers to contact me and so that I can let people know if I'm running late. I don't need five hundred minutes of calling a month or anything like that.

I've done a little bit of research, and Verizon prepaid appears to fit the bill. If you have firsthand experience of Verizon prepaid, would you recommend them? Or is there another service that you would recommend? Again, halfway decent reception here in the concrete canyons of NYC and reliable service -- i.e. getting voicemails when people leave them, not four or five days later -- are what I'm looking for. Nothing fancy.

Many thanks in advance.

Free WiFi in Tokyo and the rest of Japan?

teem — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:39:56 -0800

How widespread is free, open WiFi in Japan (Tokyo especially)? I've had good success using free WiFi in malls and such with my iPod Touch when I'm in unfamiliar major cities. It's great for accessing Google maps, looking up addresses, etc.

Will I be able to do this when I'm in Tokyo next year? What about when I'm in smaller rural cities? Are there any potential technologic or legal worries I need to consider or things I should prepare before going?

What is a firewall rule group?

jackypaper — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:27:55 -0800

What is a "firewall rule group"? When recently trying to install an MP3 player on my laptop, I was met with an error message that read "Operation Create Wireless Firewall Rule Group has failed," followed by Microsoft error code 0X80070057. I've searched around but haven't found much info on "rule groups." What is a firewall rule group, and is my wireless router somehow interrupting my hardware installation? Thanks!