Tech Question- Wireless Router & Cable Modems

[AZ-Tax]

I have Cox interent and my modem is 5 yrs old so I want to get ahead of the curve and replace it before it goes out. I current have Motorola surf board 5120. Same goes with my wireless rounter. I currently have a D-Link DIR 655 wireless N. Obviously I want the latest and fastest.

Any suggestions would be appreciative.

[PIGLEE]

I have a wireless modem, from my telephone co. It works great. I have 4 computers that have access to it. Have not really networked my computers, don't really need to. But with the wireless modum, I could not use my wireless Lynsky router.

[MAJ]

Wireless Networks.

I have Cox interent and my modem is 5 yrs old so I want to get ahead of the curve and replace it before it goes out. I current have Motorola surf board 5120. Same goes with my wireless rounter. I currently have a D-Link DIR 655 wireless N. Obviously I want the latest and fastest.

Any suggestions would be appreciative.

Well.. First things first. ENCRYPTION is key. Not sure if you want to prepare taxes via a wireless connection. Though todays 'N' class routers are quick they are still prone to attack. If you cannot hard wire I would suggest this.

1) Determine how far you need to your connection to work. That helps define the models you should consider. Many routers also allow you to replace their crap antennas for much better ones. I connected to my external office from the house for some time. Check IRS guidelines on use of wireless to be safe.

2) Use Encryption. I see too many people operate out of the box and their network is visible to anyone who wants to look. The new iPhones & Droids have wireless scanner Applications that can help people find 'hot spots'.

3) Your wireless network is defined by an SSID. or simply ID that when you see a list of available wireless networks you know which one to pick. That's great. But in my office building in NYC you can find 10-20 at any given time. 25% unsecure. Once you set up your wireless network you should turn OFF broadcast of your SSID so it's invisible. That way you have to know a) Your SSID to FIND your network, b) the Encryption type that you defined on both your router and PC, and finally, c) the password that you used to set up your network.

4) Your password on both your computer and your Wireless network should have AT LEAST 7 complex characters. I recommend more if you can. By complex I mean that it should be a mixture of UPPER and lower case letters, numbers and special characters ($#!@$%&*). This complicates your password more than you can imagine.

Password Length All Characters Only Lowercase
3 characters 0.86 seconds 0.02 seconds
4 characters 1.36 minutes .046 seconds
5 characters 2.15 hours 11.9 seconds
6 characters 8.51 days 5.15 minutes
7 characters 2.21 years 2.23 hours
8 characters 2.10 centuries 2.42 days
9 characters 20 millennia 2.07 months
10 characters 1,899 millennia 4.48 years
11 characters 180,365 millennia 1.16 centuries

5) The Make/Model you buy today is Ford/Chevy. They all support the same encryption. Dual band N class support the fastest connections. The wireless adapter on your PC or laptop should support the same to obtain best connection.

6) Disable the 'B" class - G too if you can. You will get better performance if the router doesn't have to waste time supporting multiple signals.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more specific questions if needed.

[Black Bart]

Well,

Well.. First things first. ENCRYPTION is key. Not sure if you want to prepare taxes via a wireless connection. Though todays 'N' class routers are quick they are still prone to attack. If you cannot hard wire I would suggest this.

1) Determine how far you need to your connection to work. That helps define the models you should consider. Many routers also allow you to replace their crap antennas for much better ones. I connected to my external office from the house for some time. Check IRS guidelines on use of wireless to be safe.

2) Use Encryption. I see too many people operate out of the box and their network is visible to anyone who wants to look. The new iPhones & Droids have wireless scanner Applications that can help people find 'hot spots'.

3) Your wireless network is defined by an SSID. or simply ID that when you see a list of available wireless networks you know which one to pick. That's great. But in my office building in NYC you can find 10-20 at any given time. 25% unsecure. Once you set up your wireless network you should turn OFF broadcast of your SSID so it's invisible. That way you have to know a) Your SSID to FIND your network, b) the Encryption type that you defined on both your router and PC, and finally, c) the password that you used to set up your network.

4) Your password on both your computer and your Wireless network should have AT LEAST 7 complex characters. I recommend more if you can. By complex I mean that it should be a mixture of UPPER and lower case letters, numbers and special characters ($#!@$%&*). This complicates your password more than you can imagine.

Password Length All Characters Only Lowercase
3 characters 0.86 seconds 0.02 seconds
4 characters 1.36 minutes .046 seconds
5 characters 2.15 hours 11.9 seconds
6 characters 8.51 days 5.15 minutes
7 characters 2.21 years 2.23 hours
8 characters 2.10 centuries 2.42 days
9 characters 20 millennia 2.07 months
10 characters 1,899 millennia 4.48 years
11 characters 180,365 millennia 1.16 centuries

5) The Make/Model you buy today is Ford/Chevy. They all support the same encryption. Dual band N class support the fastest connections. The wireless adapter on your PC or laptop should support the same to obtain best connection.

6) Disable the 'B" class - G too if you can. You will get better performance if the router doesn't have to waste time supporting multiple signals.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more specific questions if needed.

I'm impressed. Thanks.