Home networks

[lostfan]

I'm not exactly a n00b when it comes to this stuff, I've had a router set up for years now, but I'm thinking of adding on stuff and I still am not really sure what the f*** I'm doing. Anyone else ever done this?

 

This is what I want to do - I have obviously a desktop, a small laptop that I just have for my wife and to dick around with, and a second desktop (sitting in a semi-operable state). I'm thinking of getting a network storage kit, the kind that lets you put 4 SATA drives in it, and store my music collection and some movies there. The end goal is to be able to watch TV on the flat screen/stereo system I'm about to buy to put in my living room and I guess I need some kind of media extender for that. I'm already set upstairs in the flat screen in my room since I have a Xbox 360 up there. I also want to set up some sort of WAN to let my dad and my friends use my stuff. I'm just wondering, am I off base here? This is all possible right?

 

Also, in the process of researching this I discovered powerline ethernet, something I didn't know existed until yesterday. So I use these things instead of trying to drill holes and hide wires in my house. They work like a charm.

[Y2HH]

I'm not exactly a n00b when it comes to this stuff, I've had a router set up for years now, but I'm thinking of adding on stuff and I still am not really sure what the f*** I'm doing. Anyone else ever done this?

 

This is what I want to do - I have obviously a desktop, a small laptop that I just have for my wife and to dick around with, and a second desktop (sitting in a semi-operable state). I'm thinking of getting a network storage kit, the kind that lets you put 4 SATA drives in it, and store my music collection and some movies there. The end goal is to be able to watch TV on the flat screen/stereo system I'm about to buy to put in my living room and I guess I need some kind of media extender for that. I'm already set upstairs in the flat screen in my room since I have a Xbox 360 up there. I also want to set up some sort of WAN to let my dad and my friends use my stuff. I'm just wondering, am I off base here? This is all possible right?

 

Also, in the process of researching this I discovered powerline ethernet, something I didn't know existed until yesterday. So I use these things instead of trying to drill holes and hide wires in my house. They work like a charm.

 

Yes, it's all possible -- and you don't really need wires anymore, you can go completely wireless in a secure manner and it's fast/reliable.

 

I have an 802.11n network set up in my home on the n/g frequency (2ghz+), if I were to go completely n, I could use the 5ghz band, which has more distance, but that's not feasible as certain items in my house do not know how to do wireless N still. I have OSX, XP, Vista, and an Xbox360 (and iPhones) on my wireless network, all capable of communicating with anything it was granted access too on the network.

 

If you ever do go wireless, be sure to use wpa2/aes on wireless networks with a non-usual password like d$eAlD13Fd! and you won't have much to worry about security wise...anyway, what you're describing IS doable...as I have something similar set up, but it's all wireless. The hardware portion of this type of install is the easy part -- setting up shared drives with security and proper user rights (so people can't delete your stuff) is more involved, but even that's not terribly hard to do.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Y2HH

[lostfan]

Yes, it's all possible -- and you don't really need wires anymore, you can go completely wireless in a secure manner and it's fast/reliable.

 

I have an 802.11n network set up in my home on the n/g frequency (2ghz+), if I were to go completely n, I could use the 5ghz band, which has more distance, but that's not feasible as certain items in my house do not know how to do wireless N still. I have OSX, XP, Vista, and an Xbox360 (and iPhones) on my wireless network, all capable of communicating with anything it was granted access too on the network.

 

If you ever do go wireless, be sure to use wpa2/aes on wireless networks with a non-usual password like d$eAlD13Fd! and you won't have much to worry about security wise...anyway, what you're describing IS doable...as I have something similar set up, but it's all wireless. The hardware portion of this type of install is the easy part -- setting up shared drives with security and proper user rights (so people can't delete your stuff) is more involved, but even that's not terribly hard to do.

With computers I never really went in knowing what I was doing, I just kinda wing it. This will probably be the same.

 

I have a N router which has some decent range (and a WEP key, I'm not gonna be one of those people that gives away my internet bandwidth), but it's down in the basement and upstairs on the Xbox the reception is reliable, but weak. So for streaming video it skips and stutters a lot, and it's really unwatchable. Browsing my mp3 library is also really slow. The media center will be on the middle floor. The reception there would probably be strong enough to do basic things but I can't see it streaming 1080p without any trouble unless I wire it.

 

Do you know how to rip DVDs? i.e., know a good program to help me make digital versions of all my stuff?

Edited August 25, 2009 by lostfan

[Y2HH]

With computers I never really went in knowing what I was doing, I just kinda wing it. This will probably be the same.

 

I have a N router which has some decent range (and a WEP key, I'm not gonna be one of those people that gives away my internet bandwidth), but it's down in the basement and upstairs on the Xbox the reception is reliable, but weak. So for streaming video it skips and stutters a lot, and it's really unwatchable. Browsing my mp3 library is also really slow. The media center will be on the middle floor. The reception there would probably be strong enough to do basic things but I can't see it streaming 1080p without any trouble unless I wire it.

 

Do you know how to rip DVDs? i.e., know a good program to help me make digital versions of all my stuff?

 

1) I can crack your "WEP" key in under 2 minutes. You may as well have no security on your wireless band, WEP is useless. You're router undoubtedly supports WPA2/AES,TKIP -- switch to that -- it's actually secure.

 

2) If you can move you're wireless router, or get a repeater/wireless expander, do that and put one of them upstairs to fix you're weak connectivity issues.

 

3) Yes, I know how to rip DVD's, go download Handbreak (http://handbrake.fr/?article=download), it's free, it rips DVDs in many formats (for TV's iPhones, iPODS, Zunes, etc...), it has a number of presets you can select and basically click "rip" and depending on how fast you're computer is, you'll have you're rip.

[lostfan]

Awesome. Thanks.

 

I'm playing around with the security settings right now and I picked WPA/WPA2 AES. You could break the WEP but you kind of don't count though. You're a techie geek.

[Y2HH]

Awesome. Thanks.

 

I'm playing around with the security settings right now and I picked WPA/WPA2 AES. You could break the WEP but you kind of don't count though. You're a techie geek.

 

Well, it's not all that hard -- anyone can search "wep crack" on the internet and with a few simple tools and many examples of how to do it, it's quite easy. You can probably do it and crack all you're neighbors wep keys (if they're still using them, and most are) and change all their wireless passwords and look at what they're doing/access their network.

 

Edit: For the record, I'm not recommending this -- as it's illegal and I'd never recommend you do something illegal, no matter how educational.

 

Anyway, WPA/WPA2 AES is good, it's way better than what you were using -- but WPA2 is the best. The only issue with a modern household is an Xbox360 on wireless doesn't support WPA2 because Microsoft is retarded, but everything else I have does support it...so I also use WPA/WPA2, if and when Microsoft fixes this I'll make it pure WPA2.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Y2HH

[lostfan]

When I go to the settings page for "security mode" it says

 

Disabled

WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK)

128 bit WEP

64 bit WEP

 

Authentication:

WPA-PSK (using this)

WPA2-PSK

WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK

 

Encryption technique:

TKIP

AES (using this)

 

Which combination is the best? I'm using a 360 too and I'll have to go change the security settings.

[Y2HH]

When I go to the settings page for "security mode" it says

 

Disabled

WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK)

128 bit WEP

64 bit WEP

 

Authentication:

WPA-PSK (using this)

WPA2-PSK

WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK

 

Encryption technique:

TKIP

AES (using this)

 

Which combination is the best? I'm using a 360 too and I'll have to go change the security settings.

 

Then use WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK, just make sure the password isn't super easy to guess -- it should be something randomized. This way, things in your house that can use WPA2 will use it, and things that cannot (like the Xbox360) will use WPA. After you input the password once, you shouldn't have to enter it again, unless you change it in the future.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Y2HH

[lostfan]

Ok, I'll do that. Have you ever tried the powerline connections though? They work like a charm. I wish I had thought of this earlier when I was having so much trouble making Xbox Live get along with my router. Ugh that took like 3 hours to straighten out and I could've just plugged it in and not had to worry.

[Y2HH]

Ok, I'll do that. Have you ever tried the powerline connections though? They work like a charm. I wish I had thought of this earlier when I was having so much trouble making Xbox Live get along with my router. Ugh that took like 3 hours to straighten out and I could've just plugged it in and not had to worry.

 

Yes, I've used them, but my wireless network has solid signal to everything in my house, so I have no need of that.

[lostfan]

I might go ahead and buy a signal booster.

[kapkomet]

I might go ahead and buy a signal booster.

If you go from second floor down to a basement, that's highly suggested.

 

I had a hell of a time getting our ATT E2Wire to allow a router to hide behind it. I finally got it figured out after much gnashing of teeth and a few screw offs to the 2wire. Point is I have a wireless n router I wanted to use behind the 2wire ... which only goes up to G. Whatever, ya;ll are looking at this going "whatever".. LOL.

 

[lostfan]

I still don't have a clue on how to rip DVDs. Copy protection, ugh. I want to archive my own s***, I don't see how that's unethical.

Edited August 25, 2009 by lostfan

[Y2HH]

I still don't have a clue on how to rip DVDs. Copy protection, ugh. I want to archive my own s***, I don't see how that's unethical.

 

I told you how.

 

What's the problem? I've ripped countless of my DVD's with Handbreak, no problems.

 

EDIT:

 

I see the problem, looks like the makers of Handbreak were forced to remove commercial DVD decryption from the program. I use a Mac and as long as you're a Mac user with VLC (something pretty much every mac user installs), you don't have to worry about this, same for Linux -- however, in Windows, people don't install such things...

Edited August 25, 2009 by Y2HH

[kapkomet]

I still don't have a clue on how to rip DVDs. Copy protection, ugh. I want to archive my own s***, I don't see how that's unethical.

See PM (I'm going to write it now)_.

[lostfan]

Yeah I was able to make a file or something but it was unusable. I might have to pay for a program that bypasses all that, I just have to find one.

[Texsox]

Back to home networks, sometimes wires are good, I don't know why some poeple are afraid of them.

[Y2HH]

You can use DVDecrypter, I think this is free, but it's older and has problems with newer DVD encryption methods, or you can get (http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html) AnyDVD, which will only run for 20 something days before you need to buy a license...

 

If you get either of these, what you will do is decrypt the DVD (it will save it decrypted onto your hard drive), then use Handbreak to encode it to a decrypted DVD file you can create DVD's out of.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Y2HH

[Y2HH]

Back to home networks, sometimes wires are good, I don't know why some poeple are afraid of them.

 

They take up space and limit where and how you can place computers -- and the speed/latency isn't much different anymore.

[lostfan]

You can use DVDecrypter (I think this is free, but it's older and has problems with newer DVD encryption methods, or you can get (http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html) AnyDVD, which will only run for 20 something days before you need to buy a license...

 

If you get either of these, what you will do is decrypt the DVD (it will save it decrypted onto your hard drive), then use Handbreak to encode it to a decrypted DVD file you can create DVD's out of.

I thought about buying AnyDVD, but I figured I'd ask around first. Can you make a .mp4 or .avi out of a decrypted file?

[Y2HH]

I thought about buying AnyDVD, but I figured I'd ask around first. Can you make a .mp4 or .avi out of a decrypted file?

 

You use Handbreak to do that, yes.

 

AnyDVD is considered the defacto gold standard when it comes to this...but you have to pay for it -- I just don't know how much.

 

MAC and Linux users get to skate around this because VLC works with handbreak to decrypt/rip without having to use 2 programs seperatly to do it...lucky us!

[Texsox]

They take up space and limit where and how you can place computers -- and the speed/latency isn't much different anymore.

 

Agreed. But there are fewer strength of signal issues and security is better.

[lostfan]

Wireless >>> wires if you can manage it, especially wireless N. I didn't have any problems at my old place since they were only like 30 feet apart, but my newer place has too many walls and floors.

[Texsox]

Wireless >>> wires if you can manage it, especially wireless N. I didn't have any problems at my old place since they were only like 30 feet apart, but my newer place has too many walls and floors.

 

wire >>>>>>> wireless in this case.

[Y2HH]

Agreed. But there are fewer strength of signal issues and security is better.

 

Can't argue that.

 

But what I will do is crawl beneath your house, drill into the floor, use a spy pen camera to locate where your computer room is and where the wires are...drill beneath that, cut into the wire and hax you.

 

I will then post mean things about people on Soxtalk as you, especially Lostfan.