Basic Networking Question

[Danuvius]

I am trying to figure out what equipment I will need to setup a home network/internet sharing at home... and existing faqs on the web seem to be unable to alleviate my confusion.

I have:

- DSL connection to be shared
- 1 xbox
- 1 computer which can either be hooked into the network by wire or by a wireless pci card (I prefer whichever is cheaper) (runs windows)
- 1 computer that *has to be* hooked into the network by a wireless pci card (runs gentoo)

What hardware do I need to purchase?

I know I need...

1 wireless router
1 (or more) wireless pci card(s)

The DSL modem, the router, the xbox, and the windows box are all in the same room. So theoretically those could all have wires going... the gentoo box is somewhere totally different.

... but I don't know how I could connect an ethernet cable into the wireless network. Is there special hardware that is needed?

How likely am I to have driver problems with the wireless pci card under gentoo?

Thanks in advance!

[jeremy whiting]

not sure about the wireless as I'm just starting to experiment with that wonderful world at home, but as far as everything else goes, if you get a wireless router, it should have an ethernet connection on it. Also, if your dsl modem doesn't have more than one port, you're going to need a hub, or a switch.
I got lucky, my dsl modem has 4 ports and I only have 3 computers to plug into them.

You may be able to find a wireless router that has a few ports on it too, then you could put that in the room with the dsl modem, the windows box, and the xbox, connect the wireless router to the dsl and everything else into the wireless router.

If the wireless router doesn't have more than one port for ethernet though, you'll have to run the dsl modem to a switch or a hub, then connect everything else to the hub including the wireless router.

[HYspd]

i am new to Gentoo, but not new to linux. i've got a year of didling with wifi (wireless) and what you want to do is fairly easy in the physical sense.
i have just got my first Gentoo box running and it uses only wifi and let me tell you the chipset on the card makes a TON of difference in the difficulty area.

now we're running an Xbox on etherent (not my doing), two windows boxes (one ethernet and one wifi) two windows laptops on wifi and my new to Gentoo box also on the wifi using a USR8054G on a cable modem.

as far as wifi NICs go, get something that already has kernel support, unless you REALLY like pulling your hair out! i have a Blitzz PCI 802.11b with the ADMtek8211 chipset and wouldn;t recommend it to anyone who couldn;t talk to me about it and doesn;t need a <bleep>ing challenge!!!!...

for DSL choose a router that will manage the modem, lot's of the newer models can be configured to run DSL or Cable at will. this makes it ALOT simpler to wire and share resources...hanging a router off the back of the modem can make it a hassle to share a printer across the the wireless to ethernet link...