In this blog entry we’re going to look at a common question we get, and that is, how can I share my broadband connection with other computers in the house, or how do I go wireless?
We’ll look at a few different scenarios and what you can do in each of them:
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Ask us about our ready-to-go wireless products that you can simply take home and plug in |
You have broadband on one PC, but want it on others too:
Often when you sign up for broadband, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will give you a single port modem/router. This will usually allow you to connect a single PC via a LAN cable to connect to the internet. If you have a modem with a single LAN port, you have a couple of options:
- Add an Ethernet Switch to give you more ports
- Replace the router with one that has multiple ports
In the case of adding a switch, all you need to do is connect the LAN cable from your router (which is currently going to your computer) to your switch, and then plug any computers that you want to connect to the internet into any of the spare LAN ports on the switch.
If you replace the router, then it will need to be configured to work with your internet provider. Quick tip: don’t use the CDs that come with the router to set it up, use the web interface instead. Details of this should be in the included manual. If you need help with this, contact us and ask about our onsite service.
You have broadband, but want to be able to connect wirelessly:
In this scenario you may already have a single or multiple port router, but just need to add wireless capabilities. This allows you to connect any wireless capable device in your home (or business) to the internet. Examples are laptops, tablets, and smart phones such as iPhone, Android Phones or Windows Phones.
Again you have a couple of options to add wireless capabilities:
- Add a Wireless Access Point into your network
- Replace your router with a one that has wireless built in
The easiest option to install is a Wireless Access Point, as you simply need to plug it in to your existing network with no other configuration needed. We have wireless routers preconfigured and ready to go as Access Points that you can simply take home and plug in.
If you would prefer to have only one device, you can replace your router with one that is wireless capable, but as in the case above, the new router will need to be configured to work with your internet provider, and you will need to set up the wireless security yourself (or we can do it for you).
You want to share Telstra’s cable internet service
Telstra’s cable service is different from traditional broadband (ADSL) that we have here in NZ, because instead of giving you a router, Telstra provide you with just a modem. What’s the difference you ask? Well routers such as the typical ADSL router you’d get from Telecom for example, have a built in firewall which protects your network from outside threats.
The Motorola modem (pictured) that you get with the cable service doesn’t provide this protection, and typically the service will be installed in a way that directly exposes your computer to the internet (so you’re relying on the firewall built in to your computer).
The cable service is very good because it often provides the best speeds, but because of the security implications, we recommend you put a router between your computer (or computers) and the internet, such as this one. This will provide you with a more secure connection, plus you will be able to share your cable connection with multiple computers. The router will need to be configured with the IP address you have been assigned by Telstra, which they give you when you sign up. If you don’t know your IP address, give Telstra a call and they will be able to provide it to you. Provided you are able to supply us with your IP address, we can preconfigure the router for you so all you need to do is take it home and plug it in.
Other things to consider:
We’ve covered the basics here on how to share internet throughout your home, but there may be other things you’ll need to consider, such as the type of wireless connection you get. There are different standards such as A, B, G, N150, N300 etc which determine things like wireless range and distance. There are also other ways to network your home if wireless isn’t suitable, for example if there’s too many obstacles for wireless to work effectively, or if the distance required is too long.
One such option is to run networking through the power lines in your home. This allows you to use your power lines and wall plugs as virtual network cables, and can provide a solid and reliable connection. Products such as this and this will allow you to achieve that.
If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or come in and see us. We’ll be more than happy to help you come up with a solution for your particular needs.
There’s a few different options available. Our recommend product is the Acer EasyStore H340 Home Server. This cool little box comes with a 1TB drive and Home Server loaded. It has 4 hot-swappable SATA hard drive bays on the front, plus room for more hard drives out the back through ESATA and USB. We have one set up in our showroom so feel free to pop in and see it in action. For details see here 
The first step in getting Freeview|HD is obviously receiving the signal. You will need a UHF aerial on your roof, which most people already have. It is sometimes possible to use an indoor antenna but in most cases they don’t really cut it. A good guide for determining if you are getting a good enough signal is to check how well you can view the old analogue signal for PRIME TV. If you get an OK picture, then you should be able to get Freeview|HD fine.
A good product is the 
You can also get a USB tuner which plugs in like a pen drive, for example the
Generally the best experience comes from using Windows Media Centre. However the Media Centre that comes with Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate won’t work. Why? Its all to do with the way that Freeview|HD is encoded. Basically that’s the way that Freeview data is compressed so that it can be transmitted to your house, where your Freeview receiver needs to decode (or uncompress it) so it can be displayed. Freeview is encoded using H.264, which is the same encoding that Blueray Discs use, and Vista Media Centre does not know how to decode it. So while Media Centre will scan in the channels no problem, it won’t be able to display the picture.
The Media Centre included in Windows 7 is compatible with both forms of Freeview, and provides an excellent experience. We have it running in our showroom so if you want to see what its all about, feel free to drop in and have a look.
Cards from ATI that support it will say they have UVD Video, cards from Nvidia have PureVideo, and Intel graphics chips have ClearVideo. They all mean the same thing, and that is that they are capable of providing hardware accelerated decoding of H.264. This means the graphics card does all the work, relieving your CPU of the workload and allowing it to do other things.
If you are out of the Freeview|HD coverage area, then the Freeview Satellite service may be an option for you as it has full nationwide coverage. The major difference with satellite as opposed to the terrestrial HD service, is that you need to have a satellite dish on your roof, which needs to plug into a satellite TV tuner card (DVB-S) in your computer (for example a Hauppauge NOVA-S-Plus card). If you already have a Sky dish on your roof, you can usually use that as both Freeview and Sky TV are transmitted from the same satellite (Optus D1).