router connection

[beebee]

Hi, my OH is going to buy me a laptop for xmas! lucky me. At the moment we have a virgin /was telewest broadband connection,  if i want to be able to connect to internet on my laptop  with the same connection what does he have to buy to enable that? a router ? Excuse my lack of knowledge on these things, or should he be looking for something else?

[beebee]

ok everyone, i see theres no replies, maybe i need to word it differently. if he brought a router, wi fi connection, same thing? could he plug it in somehow to our existing connection and i could sit lazily on the settee with a glass of vino connecting to the internet on my new laptop! iyswim!

[speedyjaney]

If you want your laptop to connect to the internet at the same time as the main computer then you will need a router!

If you want your laptop to be wireless....then you need a wireless router. Your modem.broadband connection stayes where it is and you will have an aeriel out the back of your router - your lappy will connect using this, you could also make your main pc wireless or keep the ethernet cable connection you currently have but run it from the router rather than the modem...

Does that help?

Janey

[beebee]

Thanks very  much Janey you have told me exactly what i needed to know.
Barbara

[j-u-l-e-s]

I have been away thats why I have not been posting much hehe 
but yes a wireless router and a wireless card in laptop will let you connect.
All you do is when you get the router is type in the gateway ip for the router, set up your broadband username and password, enable wireless, enable wireless security (VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!) WAP/PSK is more secure than WEP, go to laptop, scan for wireless networks, locate yours, type in wireless WAP/PSK key (one you made in router settings page) and hey presto your connected.