Home network help

[alastair18]

I have read the various links on this forum but there is rather alot of information and it is lacking some of the specifics I need.

What I want to connect:
2 computers, with XP installed, in seperate rooms and close to phone sockets.
3 laptops with XP installed (one has ME but it isn't essential to connect it ).
2 Printers

Currently I have AOL broadband but the 12 month contract will expire soon and so I can switch to a different ISP which actually allows more than one computer to use the connection at a time.

My current plan:
Get BTbroadand, this is for no other reason than their website has been most helpful in explaining how to set up the network.
Buy a BT Wireless Network 1250 , a BT Home Network PC Adapter and a BT Voyager 1020 Laptop Adapter. If I am unable to set the thing up myself, I have a friend who is an IT technician and he will be able to come and help me although he is currently 300 miles away .

What I would like to know:
Will this setup actually work?
As I am unlikely to need to connect more than 1 laptop at any one time, can I use the same Laptop adapter to connect them all?
What kind of speed connections will I have between the computers?(I assume that the connection to the net will just be shared between the computers and I shouldn't notice anything unless downloading big file ) There shouldn't be particularly high usage however, I want to be able to transfer photos, MP3s and play some multiplayer games across it.
How long will this setup last before needing to be upgraded? Is a new technology like to make this all worthless in the near future?

Any help would be much appreciated. I still have about a month before the AOL contract expires.

[Cynical Oracle]

Get a broadband modem.
Get a wireless broadband router.
Get WLAN adapters for all your computers.

You can offcourse move your network adapters from one to another, if u can be arsed .

What deludes me is the fact that you got all that hardware and don't really know what to do with it.

You will have 11mbit/22mbit between the internal network on wireless connection, and your ISP speed for WAN connections. Connect printers etc to one (or two) computers and share them.

It's very simple.

It seems you got it right anyway.

[Intrepid00]

You can connect 165 clients to a linksys NAT router using any OS. Its all handled by the NAT in the router. In other words, you don't need to buy from BT if they want an arm and leg when you can get a Linksys or Belkin cheaper and get all your machines on the network.

I can do it in half an hour which includes configureing router properly and and securly. As well as installing approite drivers on your machines.

I see no reason why you couldn't do it yourself in 4 hours or less.

[alastair18]

Originally Posted by Cynical Oracle

What deludes me is the fact that you got all that hardware and don't really know what to do with it.

Well, the contract with AOL hasn't run out and I won't be doing any of this until I can get a new ISP, so I have time to learn.

[Luckeh!!!!]

is that a router with built-in modem?

[Madina]

1st thing dont get BT Broadband - use pipex

also if that is the same wireless router as next door are using it is quite good - when i connect to it its always fast etc.

but i prefer the belkin wireless router myself