Computer Question

[Bush Tucker Man]

As a couple of you may be aware, we're moving soon and will be setting up another office/study/library/archives/hi-fi room/den.

Due to SWMBO starting a new job soon & partially working from home we'll be paying particular attention to communications.

My brother-in-law (her brother) will be wiring in some extra phone sockets, as we'll be using;
Digital cordless phones
(our old analogue type suffered horrendously from interferance from the broad-band modem)
This PC & associated broad-band modem.
SWMBO's (to be work issued) Lap-Top & it's modem (unless it's got a 'mobile-phone' built in like bro-in-laws BT issued Lap-top.

Now the question is (having laid out the background)

We are intending 2 printers, the existing ink-jet & a laser-printer, as she'll be doing a lot of printing and the ink-jet seems to take forever.
Utilising the scanner for both PC & Lap-Top


How do we 'wire up' everything in order to share the printers/scanner & generally transfer files from the PC to the Lap-Top?

[matthew]

As a couple of you may be aware, we're moving soon and will be setting up another office/study/library/archives/hi-fi room/den.

Due to SWMBO starting a new job soon & partially working from home we'll be paying particular attention to communications.

My brother-in-law (her brother) will be wiring in some extra phone sockets, as we'll be using;
Digital cordless phones
(our old analogue type suffered horrendously from interferance from the broad-band modem)

Why do you need extra sockets? We have 4 digital handsets (including one in garage) but only use one phone socket. They have the advantage of being able to use them as an intercom and being able to transfer calls between handsets.

This PC & associated broad-band modem.
SWMBO's (to be work issued) Lap-Top & it's modem (unless it's got a 'mobile-phone' built in like bro-in-laws BT issued Lap-top.

Now the question is (having laid out the background)

Will she not be using the broadband connection then?

We are intending 2 printers, the existing ink-jet & a laser-printer, as she'll be doing a lot of printing and the ink-jet seems to take forever.
Utilising the scanner for both PC & Lap-Top


How do we 'wire up' everything in order to share the printers/scanner & generally transfer files from the PC to the Lap-Top?

I'd love to be wrong on this but AFAIK there's no way to share a scanner across a network, the best optoin I can offer for that is a USB scanner that powers from the USB port.

As for sharing printers that is easy, you just make them available on your local network. The same for hard drives, make them available on the host PC and map a network drive on the other machine.

The easiest way to actually connect them with out running wires all over the house is by wireless (802.11b/g). Assuning your ADSL modem has an ethernet port, you connect it to a wireless access point / router this you can connect to the PC with a cable to the network card and the laptop will need a wireless card (it is built in to some).
This retains the portability of the laptop, my wireless access point is in the loft and I can sit in the garden with laptop and a beer in summer :)

HTH

[Bush Tucker Man]

Whoosh!!!

Did I hear something disappear over my head then?? :)


No the phone sockets are
number 1; cordless base-station
number 2; broad-band modem
number 3; SWMBO modem

I presume the company will want her to use their own service provider, if only for their ease of billing?

The Scanner is powered directly from the USB port on my PC

There won't be much wiring length as everything will probably be on 2 adjacent desks.

[matthew]

As you want to network them anyway, I'd try and get the company to pay for the broadband connection :) Remember your phone will be tied up whilst she uses the modem so you may end up wanting a second phone line. In any case two computers using an ADSL connection costs no more than one using it.

The easiest for the scanner then is just to plug it into the machine that needs to use it, possibly get a spare USB cable for it so you don't have to grovel under the desk everytime.

[Ben]

Hi Richard

I'm in a very similar position to you! I work partially from home, and have a work laptomp from my employer, and one from the company that I am contracted to.

The company that I'm paid by have set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which means that I simply connect to the internet via any available connection, and then connect through to the office from there. So, the work laptop "dials up" through broadband. They've even given me a broadband router and wireless network capability!

The other laptop unfortunately isn't so well endowed. I'm in the process of fitting a telephone socket in the office so that I don't have a wire trailing through the house!!! There's no way then of getting phone calls at the same time, so work have my mobile number, and use that to contact me. It does have the added advantage that no one at work knows my home number so I can't get called out late at night (unless I forget to turn off the mobile!!!).

As far as printers go, I've connected one to the BB equipped laptop, which means it's shared across the network. The second printer (when I find the power supply) will also be shared across the network.

To "share" the scanner in the traditional sense is nigh on impossible. However, a quick cheat is to invest in a couple of USB hubs - one for each PC, and sit the hubs near each other. Place the scanner within easy reach of each, and install teh software on both PC's. Then simply plug the scanner into the relavant USB hub.

Luckily I have an "all in one" printer, and a separate scanner, so I don't lose the desk space, and don't have to share the scanner!

Hope the new job goes well for Mrs T!!!

Cheers

Ben

[Bush Tucker Man]

Thanks chaps, A bit too 'Computer-ese' for me in parts, but obviously we can't do anything positive until we're actually in the house.


Ben; thanks for the good luck comment. You'll almost pass the house on the way to your Wakefield office.
Junction 39 - M1, follow into the City, and we'll be a bit down the road to the left just after the railway bridge.