Ok folks. I'm looking to setup a wireless network at home but have little idea what I need.

I have a Dell Latituede D600 with built in wireless
Dell 4500
HP LasterJet 1100
1.5Mps DSL via Qwest

I'd like to add some sort of 200g hard drive that is accessable from all computers. Same with the printer - I'd like to print from any computer.

What all do I need?

Thanks,
annerj

If you can currently print to the printer from one of the machines, you can just share that from there and not need anything else for that. If the printer has a network card in it (the model number has an N in it usually if it came with one) that's even better.

You need at a minimum a cable/DSL router. After rebates, you can get them for anywhere form like $10 to $60 for the older models, or more for the newer faster ones. I have the older one, and it's totally fine. Get one with some wired ports, then you can plug the 4500 and possibly the printer directly into it.

There are stand alone network storage devices you can use or you can just put a 200 GB drive in the PC and share it from there. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

Setting it all up is insanly easy now, it pretty much does it all for you. It's pretty much plug and play now.

I dunno about the file server part - maybe you just want to run a cheap PC CPU (without a monitor) all of the time on the network, in which case you could also connect the printers to this computer, set up file and print sharing, and go.

I'd be a little nervous about a print server on a wireless network. Make sure you understand how "secure" WEP is and how to make your network more secure.

Otherwise (ignoring the file/print server solution above)...

Printer: There are several options. If you don't mind leaving one computer on all the time, you can just share the printer among the network. If you don't want to leave a computer on, but the printer can be located close to the internat access point, you could either (a) buy a wireless router that also incorporates a print server or (b) buy a wired print server. If you want to locate the printer somewhere where it's inconvenient to run an ethernet wire, you want a wireless print server.

A wired print server will run you $40-$100 and up (Try tigerdirect.com). A wireless print server is probably $100 and higher -- I got a couple of wireless netgear servers from tigerDirect a year or so ago for $50 each but I think that was a special or closeout (I had to mail in a coupon for the wireless cards for the servers).

Since you're interested in some sort of file server, your wireless gear should all be 802.11g compliant. Bear in mind that having any 802.11b equipment will put your entire wireless network at b speed (11 Mb/sec max vs. 54).

depending on what you want to do with the Network Storage, I would get a broadband router with a print server attached. These are either parallel or USB. I would get a USB one if your printer offers USB connectivity. Is that the DELL 1600 multifunction? How do you like it, I was looking at it now that it is 189.00

But, if you want to setup another desktop computer, with or without monitor (maybe a simple KVM switch for your primary computer and this "server") you can easilly setup the compute with the 200GB storage and have that computer act as the printer server. Remember that computer ALWAYS has to be on for others to print from it, for example for you to easilly print from your laptop wirelessly.

Or, my final rec: do both. Getting a router with print server is a bit more expensive, maybe 30-40$ more but that means it will ALWAYS be able to offer printing services to others on the network.

Setting up the printer function for all users is as simple as sharing. It is fun to be wireless around the house, and be able to easilly print to the printer down in the office.!