Belkin’s contribution to the wireless router world is larger than most. It’s a chunky, silverblack plastic brick. The device is still a better choice for wall mounting than the 3Com OfficeConnect: cables plug into the bottom of the unit and an angled display face means that the LEDs are still visible from a distance. There are two antenna, which swivel around in all directions to help you receive the best possible signal, but they’re not detachable. This means that you can’t easily replace them if you’d like something better.

Belkin has followed the 3Com installation plan, limiting your printed documentation to a single quick installation sheet. Yet as before, if you’re a newcomer to networking then you’re going to need a little more help or maybe a lot. Fortunately, there’s a 94-page PDF manual provided on the CD with more in-depth advice, although beginners may still need help from their ISP to set up the ADSL connection properly.

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Style isn’t normally a word you’d associate with ADSL modems or routers, but 3Com has made more of an effort than most with the OfficeConnect. The slim lines, smoothly curved top and fluted edges help ensure that it’ll fit comfortably into the most image-conscious of offices. Build quality is good, too. The OfficeConnect may look like just another beige box in the photo, but in person it feels solid and ready to withstand whatever bumps and drops it might face.

The end result is a product that looks good enough to sit on top of your tower system, or that you can leave on a shelf somewhere. The alternative is to mount it on the wall, which may result in a better signal, although this does mean that you won’t easily be able to see the LEDs (and the cables must be attached from the top).

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There are two encryption standards you can use to protect your network:

1) Wireless Equivalent Protocol (WEP)
2) WiFi Protected Access (WPA)

The WEP protocol is older and less secure than WPA, but not all hardware supports it. Older hardware doesn’t support it, newer hardware supports WPA. This post shows you how to set up both types of encryption, using a Linksys router. How you do it will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even from model to model from the same manufacturer.

It will also vary depending on your wireless adapter, but will generally follow these steps:

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You can connect to a wireless network at home or at the office to access the information and equipment available on the network without using any cables. If a wireless network is connected to the Internet, connecting to the network will also allow you to access the Internet. Wireless networks are also known as wi-fi or wireless fidelity networks.

When you want to connect to a wireless network, Windows provides a list of all the wireless networks that are within range of your computer. Windows also indicates if each network is secure and the signal strength of each network.

When connecting to a wireless network, you may need to provide a network key, or password, that will help protect your connection from unauthorized access by encrypting the information transmitted on the network. If you are connecting to a network at work, ask your network administrator for the network key you need to type.

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If you’re networking an existing home or are renting your home, wireless has fabulous benefits:

Portable
You can take your computing device anywhere in the house and be on the network. Even if you have a huge house, you can interconnect wireless access points to have a whole home wireless network.

Flexible
You’re not limited to where a jack is on the wall; you can network anywhere.

Cost Efective
You can start wireless networking for a couple of hundred dollars. Your wiring contractor can’t do much with that!

Clean
You won’t have to tear down walls or trip over wires when they come out from underneath the carpeting.

What’s more, there’s really no difference how you use your networked computer, whether it’s connected to the network by a cable or by a wireless networking device. Whether you’re sharing files, a printer, your entertainment system, or the Internet over the network, the procedures are the same on a wireless network as on a wired network. In fact, you can mix wired and wireless network equipment on the same network with no change in how you use a computer on the network.

If you can’t make a connection to your WiFi network because the wireless networking icon or properties dialog box does not appear.

Problem 1: Adapter is not compatible with Windows XP

Your problem may be that your wireless network adapter is not compatible with Windows XP. To check whether it is compatible, check the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) at Microsoft. When you get to the site, click See the Windows Catalog, then from the page that appears, click the Hardware tab. Next click Networking and Modems, and click the Wireless Devices link. Browse the list, which is alphabetized by manufacturer, to see if your wireless card is listed. If it’s not listed, there may be a conflict with XP that will not allow it to run, although you can try the next steps in this recipe to try and get it to work.

Problem 2: Hardware Conflict

There may be a conflict between routers and wireless adapters bought from different companies. In theory, all WiFi equipment, regardless of vendor, should be interoperable. In practice, that is not always the case. Buying all hardware from the same manufacturer lessens the likelihood of problems.

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