Extending Wireless Networks (my way)

My wireless router is pretty much dead center in the house, but we've got a long house - so the signal doesn't reach either end. It has never bothered me, because my room is directly above the router. It never bothered my brother because his room is right next to mine. It won't bother my sister when she gets her laptop as her room is right beside the study where the router is, and it doesn't bother my dad because he uses a desktop which is wired to the router.

However, it does bother my mum, who also got a laptop - with wireless N. The wireless signal just isn't strong enough to go the places she wants to use her laptop in - her bedroom, the sitting room, or the lounge. I can sympathise.

So I've decided to help. The network topology in my house is pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie to you.

We've got a Belkin G+ mimo router in the study - the 4 ports are all used up by - my dad's desktop, my sister's desktop, a networked laser printer, and finally, the last port is used by my 16-port switch in the attic. (I may note at this point that my attic is accessable through a door in my room, so it's no big issue).

My 16 port switch has enabled me to have a lot of fun. Not normal fun - geeky fun. I'll explain.
Below: My awesome wall-mounted 16 port switch (with room for expansion!)

The first port in my switch accepts the ethernet cable my dad ran up to the attic initially a number of years ago for my PC. Ports two to five run to the corner of my room, where I've installed a 4-port ethernet plate. It gives network access to: My PC, my LAN hard drive, and my Print Server, plus one for spare when I'm working on other desktops)
Below: My awesome 4-port wall mounted ethernet plate (installed vertically so my desk could get closer to the wall) Drilling through walls is fun :D
Port six runs to the sitting-room, where the media PC was initially, and finally port seven runs to the lounge, where it currently resides. A 40" TV as a monitor is kickin', by the way!
By far, the most fun I had was wiring everything up. Seriously.

So, that now brings me back to the problem at hand - I can have a lot of wired devices, but what about the wireless range?
Well - you can extend your wireless range using standard Cable Routers - ones that accept ethernet connections, not DSL phone line connections - for internet.


My cable router of choice is the D-Link DIR-635 - it's wireless N and sports 3 antennae. Nifty.

The other reason - the removable antennae.




The plan of action is to get two 6m SMA extension cables, and run one cable towards my brother's room (above my parents' room) and one to the right, above the main hall - (near the sitting room and lounge). I can do all this along the attic, so no visible wires! I'll leave the center antenna attached to the router for central-coverage.

It's wireless N, so will support the latest laptop cards etc, but also backwards compatable with b and g options, so will continue to work with mine.
Some configuring will be required.

First of all, I'll change the IP range of my Belkin to 192.168.2.1 - 192.168.2.100
I'll then change the IP range of the D-Link to 192.168.2.101 - 192.168.2.255

Then, I'll need to configure the D-Link to have the same network name (SSID), and security - the same key and encryption method.
Once complete, the D-Link will offer complete wireless access around my house.

Depending on how well the Dlink performs, I may actually disable the wireless option on the Belkin, and see if that improves things again. The last thing I need is some kind of interference issue!

I've done this all before at my church, so it's my tried-and-tested way of doing it! (I've heard mixed things from wireless Access Points so decided on this way)

Digiman out

RAM. It's damn important.

RAM - Random Access Memory. Never underestimate its importance.

Here is my little guide to Operating Systems vs. RAM requirements for Microsoft Operating Systems. Please note that the advertised RAM requirements are 32MB for ME, 128MB for XP, and 512MB for Vista. That may run the O/S, yes, but for actual use of the PC, you're gonna need a lot more than that!

ME/2000 - Advertised as 32MB RAM minimum. I recommend 512MB minimum for acceptable performance. 768MB is plenty, and 1GB maxes out most systems with those Operating Systems. Bear in mind your system probably uses SD-RAM which ain't cheap, plus some motherboards from that era may not support more than 256MB per slot! If you've got 256MB of RAM, your PC will struggle when opening more than 3 or so applications together, so it may be worth upgrading by another 256MB at least.
You may also want to look into buying a new PC...

XP - Advertised as 64MB absolute minimum and 128MB RAM recommended minimum. Nowadays, 512MB just about cuts it. My recommendation would be 1GB minimum for acceptable performance coupled with running multiple applications. XP machines were initially shipped with DDR RAM, which can be found for roughly £25 per Gig. I've seen it as low as £17. If you bought an XP machine post-2005, it will most likely be DDR2 RAM installed, in which case, max out your system. It's dirt cheap to do it - roughly £8 per gig. Install 4GB max if you run the 32-bit version - it will come up as 3.2GB but the remaining space can be used by the system for address allocation. You can max out your system with no hesitation with the 64-bit version.

VISTA - A whole new kettle of fish. Advertised as 512MB minimum (Home Basic) and 1GB (Home Premium/Business/Ultimate). Yes, this amount of RAM will run your installation of Vista, but if you want to start running multiple applications, forget about it. My recommendation - 2GB of RAM minimum for Home Basic, and install as much as you can for the other versions. 2GB will usually run Premium quite well, but to get the most out of your system when you've got multiple applications/games going, it would be worth installing more. The good news is that you'll most definitely have DDR2 RAM in your machine, and you can cheaply install heaps of it.
If you've got 3GB (2GB + 1GB) on a 32-bit system then that would also be ample.
For 32-bit, don't install more than 4GB - it will come up as 3.2GB but the remaining space can be used by the system for address allocation, and for 64-bit, you may max out your system if you desire.


Finally, a note on Windows 7. This version has a 32-bit edition and 64-bit just like XP and Vista, though the 32-bit will be rarely used. This is great news as manufacturers now have no reason not to install 4GB (or more) of RAM. In which case, you'll not need to worry about RAM requirements as Windows 7 isn't as heavy on system resources as Vista.
You can of course install as much RAM as your system can handle with 7.
Also, expect to see DDR3 becoming the standard over the next few years. Currently, there is not enough demand, so the prices remain high. But as manufacturers start using DDR3 modules, expect to see the prices fall.

RAM is awesome.

Digiman out.

Epson printers - advantages/disadvantages, and cleaning the print head

We got an Epson printer with our first computer back in '98. It was an Epson Colour Stylus 600, to be exact.

10 years on, I'm still using it.

Why? Because it still works, and ink is dirt cheap - I'm talking roughly 80 pence (that's right) per cartridge, and they last a long time, too.

Don't get me wrong, we've another Epson and a new Lexmark in the house (my dad uses them), but it's far too economical to NOT use it!

So, happily it sits in my room, and I would like to think it's glad, and proud that I still use it. Awk - wee printer.

I have a parallel-to-USB adaptor, which plugs into a USB print server, which connects to my router, which effectively makes it a wireless printer! Not bad for a 10 year old machine!

It's not been an easy journey though. So here, I'm going to outline the advantages and disadvantages I've come across for my printer (and Epsons similar to it)

Advantages
1) Cheap ink - Epson ink cartridges don't contain the print head on them. The inks slot into the print head assembly, meaning cheaper original inks, and dirt-cheap high-quality compatibles. I've used compatibles for years with no problems (not re-manufactured - stay away from them)!

2) Good build quality - In my printer's case, four years constant use, four years of storage in my attic, and then two years of use again results in two thumbs up from me!

*Edit - 10th August 09*
3) Epson cleaning cartridges can be bought for as little as 99p from most sites that sell compatible Epson cartridges. I recently put a colour cleaning cartridge in, did a couple of cleans, and did a nozzle check (the cleaner has a little bit of ink in it so that you can still see the results - which were perfect, by the way). I then inserted my colour cartridge, did a couple of cleans to prime it, and hey presto. So take it from me - they work! On top of that, put a bit of tape over the cleaning cartridge and they can be re-used again and again!
*End Edit*


Disadvantages
1) Permanent print head - This results in the advantage of cheaper ink, but... if the ink dries on that print head, it's a nightmare to clean. With other makes of printer, it's a matter of wiping the print-head on the cartridge, and re-insterting it. With Epson, it's a bit more complicated.
As printers with higher-resolutions come out, there is more chance the nozzles will get clogged... great.
*From above edit*
If doing a couple of cleans doesn't fix your problem, get a cheap cleaning cartridge to do the job for you!
*end edit*


Hmm. That seems to be all I can think of at the moment. Can you think of any?

If you do have an Epson, prevention is better than the cure. Turn your printer off when not using it, and when you're at your PC, turn it on to enable a quick clean-cycle. This wipes off any ink that may be close to drying and blocking the print-head.

If that doesn't work, perform a clean cycle through your printer's properties in the Control Panel, but never do more than three cycles in a row!

If that still doesn't work, look here for some more info - http://www.inkmagic.com/epson_clogged_printhead.htm

It's a very informative and useful page to bookmark if you have an Epson printer. As it says , there will come a day when for whatever reason, your Epson just doesn't print.

Digiman Out.

Where in the world? Not PC World!!

Speaking of Apple adverts...
I recently saw a PC World advert advertising a Dell laptop with, and I quote, "a 3 gig memory".
Puh-lease!
Another reason to dislike/make fun/get annoyed by PC World.

Of course, it was spoken from the perspective of a woman more excited about the colour of the laptop, as opposed to what was actually in it hardware wise. "Ohhh that'll go well with my new dress!" she exclaims.
What's that? It's pink? Well, what are the specs? It has a 3 gig memory? Don't you mean "it has 3 Gigabytes OF memory?" What about the processor? Hard drive? Graphics? What? You didn't think about mentioning that, and they don't matter, because it's pink?

Who writes these adverts anyway? Would it be too much to ask that the ads get checked over by someone competent enough to actually understand and use the correct terminology?
I had no idea what kind of processor was in it, until the "Intel Celeron Inside" logo was displayed.

Hah - Celerons. You think PC World are finally offering a decent laptop for £359. I wondered why they didn't mention the processor. I like Intel, they are my main preference, but of the Pentium variety. Celerons are improving, but they will suffer as software becomes more demanding than it already is.

Never, ever, ever choose a Celeron if you can help it. We always say "oh, I'll just get a laptop for using Word and sending emails on the go - but it never works that way - we will use it for everything. Just pay the extra £30 or £40 (if that) and upgrade to a Pentium, seriously. You won't regret it.

PC World have some good points too of course. Here's one, anyway. A few years ago I picked up a 5.1 Sound Card for under £8, which worked well with Vista. Got it for cheaper than anywhere else too. I even made a point of positively reviewing my local brance on the net when I got home. I may have been the only one...

Anyway, if you're buying a Dell, just go to www.dell.co.uk - it's usually cheaper and you can customise it exactly how you want. You cut out the (unneccessary) middle man.

I love ranting. Try it.
Digiman out.