I am paying a flying (literally) visit to Nottingham on Monday to collect my new Dell laptop.
I already have a PC with XP and Wanadoo broadband via a Wanadoo supplied modem.
I was going to get a Livebox to give me more flexibility with the laptop but following a visit to a neighbour thus setup I discovered that Wanadoo had inserted extra stuff (mobile phone access) without asking at an extra cost of about € 9.
Now I don’t do much phoning of any sort and what I do do is well covered by other very cheap options but I can’t find anything on Wanadoo’s website about a Livebox solely for the broadband connection.
So. I was thinking that maybe I will change nothing for the time being and then maybe buy a wifi router off ebay.
My questions (at last 
) are:-
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Should my modem giving me broadband connection from my XP powered PC perform the same way with my Vista powered laptop, merely by un and re-plugging and without the need for other drivers or software?
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Is my idea of buying a router later on feasible?
Be gentle now, no gobbledegook, I am a total innocent with techie stuff. 
Ok heres goes.
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Probably not. Is the modem supplied by Wanado compatible with Vista? I suspect as well Wanado supplied software to allow you to setup a connection to their internet server. Again is this software compatible with Vista? Do you have the account details to re-enter?
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Yes it is feasible. You’ll need details from Wanado of how it should be configured. They should be available on their website.
Of course my answers are based on your broadband being supplied through the phone line and not any other cable.
Colingl:
Ok heres goes.
- Probably not. Is the modem supplied by Wanado compatible with Vista? I suspect as well Wanado supplied software to allow you to setup a connection to their internet server. Again is this software compatible with Vista? Do you have the account details to re-enter?
I doubt it, I certainly had never heard of Vista when it was supplied, about 3 or 4 years ago.
Yes I do have the account details.
- Yes it is feasible. You’ll need details from Wanado of how it should be configured. They should be available on their website.
That sounds encouraging, apart from the bit about consulting Wanadoo’s website. 
Of course my answers are based on your broadband being supplied through the phone line and not any other cable.
It is, in fact France Telecom, which is the same outfit.
Thanks Colingl, I was hoping to avoid direct contact with Wanadoo. I think it’ll be a case of GAMI - get a man in
Had a look at the Wanado site. It looks like their own wireless routers come preconfigured for them.
If you take a different router then this is the basic config you need to get it to connect to the internet
Encapsulation: PPP over ATM
Multiplexing Method:VC-Based
Virtual Circuit: VPI=0, VCI=38
Modulation: Multi mode
Authentication: CHAP
Plus your account user name and password.
Your man should be able to get it working from that
If it was me doing it. I would configure the router from the XP machine
via the network cable. Secure the wireless side of the router and set up a
wireless connection for the Vista laptop. Oh yeah don’t forget to take a backup of the router config should it go the shape of a pear,
you can restore it easily.
I went from windows 95 to Vista on my new PC and used XP on the laptop. The only issue with wanadoo was that I had to download a new driver from them for the Wanadoo modem to work. Otherwise I would have needed a new installation disc and a live box. Now I can swap between the laptop or the pc just by unplugging the usb lead from one to the other
Anyway I did the downloaded driver and it is all working fine. Not got round to wifi yet, that is my next plan of attack
I have the livebox, care of Orange, who bought don’twannadoathing here…
They’re ok, bit of an odd shape, a reasonable set of options, decent enough performance. I suspect 90% of my problems with it (regular signal dropouts, [zb] uplink speed) are all down to orange making my vacuum look awful on the suckage front. They work, if you use it a lot at home at the weekends, get the upgraded account which gets you a livebox free. They have 2 ethernet sockets, plus wifi, and a USB port you can plug a printer into. Plus you get a reasonably decent firewall built into it.
I switched mine over to modem mode effectively, since it’s plugged into a server which runs 24/7, and it was dead easy to set up to do that job too. Then again I have Orange’s “Unlimited” broadband deal and got the thing for free, as well as giving me a broadband phone line. The kit is good, the supplier ■■■■■.
Right, some very useful replies there and thanks to all for that.
I think Allikat’s advice will be useful later perhaps although as far as I know the Livebox here is not free but rented at €2/month.
Colingl’s is useful for the immediate future but not quite yet and, although you may well have given me all I need to know, I will use that info for my man to sort me out.
Malc’s advice is the most pertinent for right now. It looks like my best bet is to do exactly what you did, get online then sort the wifi later. Only problem I see is how do I download a new driver for my current modem to my new laptop before I actually get online with that laptop?
I suppose the Belkin cable with the gubbins in the middle to transfer all my MS stuff from XP to Vista will do that if I download the new modem driver to the XP.
Is that right?
Once again many thanks to all from this illiterate.
Yes Spardo, your belkin transfer thingy should be able to move it around for you. Just make sure you put it somewhere easy to find so you can move it easy.
The other question is, a 2 euro a month, will it work out better to rent a livebox or to go out and spend 60 or 70 euro in one shot to buy a router from Media Markt or the like?
If you’re plugging more than 1 machine into broadband, get a router, almost any router.
Wifi: The livebox or any other basic router will give a decent signal up to 50 meters away, assuming walls are in the way. If you have the router at the front of the house, and want to use your laptop on wireless in the back garden, then go get a “Pre-N” or “N” wifi router with MIMO. 802.11A/B/G routers don’t have the range or power to reach a long way or through a lot of walls or other obstructions. The 802.11N rated routers reach a lot further. Don’t worry if your laptop has the older type of wireless, they all work together.
Salut David, glad it’s all working tres bien.
And for 50 euro? Bargain mate.
allikat:
Salut David, glad it’s all working tres bien.
And for 50 euro? Bargain mate.
Yes, and he gets round the fiendishly strict anti-black enforcement in France by registering as a club 
, all legal and above board even though he is the only member I think. He proved it by willingness to accept a cheque although I did have the odd 50 note hanging about.
