Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Home Wireless Network - My experience

I have a my primary home computer for the past 11 years. When I take work home, I needed to connect through the primary computer to access the Internet. Way back in 2002, when I had this requirement, I setup a home network with a twisted pair cable. I was excited with my learning of crimping and other basic skills in laying network.

Now that the technology is old, and I felt the lack of mobility an issue. I can't watch TV and check my mails sitting in the living room. And I got used to the wireless at work, I wanted the same comfort at home. I searched for a device that would work with the ADSL connection I have with Airtel. I came across Netgear's DG834G router that has a built in modem for ADSL. I was a bit worried about the compatibility issue. Airtel usually supplies a Chinese or Taiwanese hardware that doesn't have signed drivers. Though Airtel customer support confirmed that DG834G would work with their ADSL, I was skeptical. I even thought of getting a router from them. They quoted some Rs 5500 to be paid in advance and a lengthy routing of the request to get the wireless setup.

I decided to take a chance with my limited knowledge of ADSL and router. I bought DG834G from IT Depot at Adyar for Rs 3750, set it up myself in less than 10 minutes. It is an overstatement to call the operation a setup. It was much easier than that. It works fine and I had a lengthy 2 hour phone conversation over Skype immediately after setting up the wireless network. It went perfect without any glitches. The default settings ensure good security. The only issue I had was probably a mix-up in the package. Though the package claims that the power supply pin is localized, I got one that looked like it was designed for Singapore or Europe. I needed an adapter to use it with my spike buster.

I think this post will be useful to anyone who wants to signup for Airtel's broadband or setup wireless network at home. If you are mildly tech-savvy, there is no need to rent a non-standard ADSL modem or pay the exorbitant fee to setup the device.

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