Advice sought re network

[kefty]

Hello great forum! Id like some advice please. Ideally Id like to connect my iMac, PS3 & V+ Box together on a network so I can play online gaming on PS3, watch V+ box (without pulling ethernet cables or moving cable modem from bedroom.)

Option 1 - Can I ask Virgin for another cable modem for the living room, use a cable splitter then feed the PS3 via ethernet?

Option 2 - Buy a wireless router (G+ Speed minimum?), connect this to my iMac in the bedroom and wirelessly talk to PS3 in living room? Would this be good enough for online gaming? I would then Keep V+ cable signal in living room seperate for TV.

Option 3 - Suggestions welcome?

Please advise on pros n cons, Im really not sure whats best? Here is a quick pic hopefully this will help...



Thanks

K E F T Y

[Hom3r]

Option 1 is out as VM will only supply 1 CM per address

[nopcode]

Buy a wireless router to plug into the modem, not the mac
Hard wire the imac to the router with an ethernet cable, and let the ps3 use the wireless.

In my experience PS3 store downloads and online games, are fine given a half decent signal. The downloads seem to be capped at about 2meg speeds anyway from the store even when i'm wired through to the modem.(im on 20mb)

Depending on how far away and whats between the router and the ps3, your results may indeed vary alot tho.

[kefty]

thanks nopcode. so i buy a wireless router, connect this via ethernet to cable modem, then from wireless router i connect to imac via ethernet?

question - will my imac then be connected wirelessly to internet or hardwire? i hope hardwire for security and speed..

another question, if I connect my 1Tb external hard drive to the wireless router will I be able to access files from PS3 & iMac?

Networkin is hairy.......

K E F T Y

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by kefty

thanks nopcode. so i buy a wireless router, connect this via ethernet to cable modem, then from wireless router i connect to imac via ethernet?

Yup.


Cable Modem >Ethernet> Router >Ethernet> iMac.

And Router >Wireless> PS3.

Originally Posted by kefty

question - will my imac then be connected wirelessly to internet or hardwire? i hope hardwire for security and speed..

Yup, wired. No point using wireless if it's in the same room.

Originally Posted by kefty

another question, if I connect my 1Tb external hard drive to the wireless router will I be able to access files from PS3 & iMac?

Not with the PS3. The PS3 can only see UPnP Media Servers, can't browse network shares or anything. Only way to get it to see a networked HDD would be if the drive had some sort of UPnP Media Server facility on it.

[devonps]

You could try a homeplug networking solutiuon?

In brief it uses the electricity supply in your own home to provide a secure network.

[southwell]

Originally Posted by devonps

You could try a homeplug networking solutiuon?

In brief it uses the electricity supply in your own home to provide a secure network.

Thats what i would look into personally.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by devonps

You could try a homeplug networking solutiuon?

In brief it uses the electricity supply in your own home to provide a secure network.

Just dont buy anything lower than the 200mb/s models. The throughput on these things are terrible. I have a good quality connection on my 85mbs adapters and still only get 1.5MB/s, equal to 12mbs (1/7th advertised speeds) Poor for media streaming though fine for most types of Internet connection I suppose.
And if you go wireless dont bother paying extra for G+ it rarely works any faster than standard G speeds even if it connects at the higher G+ (108mbps) speeds. Wireless N draft may be an option though I would personally wait until wireless N is finalised as some of the current models dont even implement full MIMO and since that is the only way in which wireless N gains extra speed and range they are pretty pointless. There is also a large amount of brand incompatibility with the current N-Draft which makes buying equipment tricky.