Diamond HomeFree

With the purchase of a new laptop, I knew that I would somehow have to connect it up to my Desktop allowing both systems to share the Sympatico HSE Internet connection.  After reviewing several alternatives including Phoneline, Ethernet, etc…, I came to the conclusion that a wireless LAN would provide the best solution allowing easy and constant access from anywhere in the house.

The following chronicles my efforts and the workarounds that were required to get the wireless LAN network to allow file and Internet access to both computers.

Synopsis

The Diamond HomeFree Wireless Combo pack was able to link both the desktop and notebook for shared use of printers, files and Internet.  The speed of file transfers peaked at around 60 KB/sec with a theoretical maximum range of 150 ft.  Transfer speeds dropped quickly with increased distances.  In addition, there are known incompatibilities with Win98 ICS and their provided Internet Sharing software (WinNAT) did not work when I attempted to install it to use my ADSL connection.  A workaround was found by downloading and installing a proxy server software (Iproxy in my case, freeware program by AnalogX).

Diamond Homefree Laptop Combo Kit

Street Price: 150-180 USD

Installation guide
User Guide
Installation CDROM w/ Drivers & WinNAT software
ISA Wireless adapter card
PCMCIA Type 2  Wireless adapter card
NO WIRES :)

Systems used:

Desktop
            P2-233 Intel CPU
            Guillemot 3Dfx Banshee video card
            30 Mb Maxtor HD
            128 Mb SDRAM
            Dlink 530TX Ethernet adapter (PCI)
            Diamond HomeFree Wireless adapter (ISA)

Notebook

            ACER 507T Travelmate
            Celeron 466 CPU
            4.8 Gb HD
            64 Mb SDRAM
            Onboard Lucent 56k Softmodem
            Diamond HomeFree Wireless adapter (PC Card)