Stilly -

I haven't migrated to DSL (yet) so I can't comment usefully on your wireless connection. It does appear, from data at at least one Dell site, that the ISP interface to a wireless hub does need to be specifically configured for wireless.

If your DSL interface wants to talk to a computer - and not to a wireless hub - you could probably rig the computer to "serve" the wireless LAN and pass internet traffic through to the DSL interface; but that gets into a sytem design sort of thing best done by a "hands-on" consultant.

If you really want to use your coax wire that's already in place, you will need some sort of interface box(es), since ethernet is a 4-wire system and coax is only 2-wire. It would probably be simpler in the long run to install new wire. The ethernet wire (cable) that you need is 2 pairs of twisted wire pairs (4 wires total) on 8-pin connectors (RJ-45) that look like ordinary telephone connectors but are a little larger.

With the original 10BASE-T system, you could sometimes get by with 150 meter (about 450 foot) cable runs, with the limit being signal strength decay. Anything you install now should be 10/100BASE-T, which is limited to 100 meter (about 300 feet) cables by the specification. It takes a certain amount of time for a signal to get from one end of a cable to the other, and the higher frequency requires that an answer be returned within a certain time. The 100 meter length is the maximum, under ordinary conditions, that allows the "answer" to get back in time to keep the system up. The 100 meter limit applies to each run between two computers or other devices.

Provided that you use 100BASE-TX Category 5 cable, 30 to 50 foot runs should be no problem.

If you want to connect more than two devices, you will need a "hub." An ethernet "link" can only have two ends, so the hub is needed to connect more than two things. Each computer or other device is on a "link" that connects to the hub. The hub can have as many connections as you're willing to pay for, but for most people 4 or 5 is sufficient. I use a 16-point LinkSys hub that was about $190 (US) a year ago, but you should be able to get a 4-point for around $30 or so.

Hubs do come in two kinds, "repeating" and "switching." The "switching" hub is preferred if you are going for best performance; but either is ok for simple systems and the "repeater" is usually a little cheaper. (The 100 meter length limit, or a little less to allow for device lag, should be applied to the total distance between computers through the hub if you use the repeater, but can be applied to the computer-to-hub run [usually] if you use a switching hub.)

My personal preference, from the reliablility standpoint, is the hard-wired LAN; but a good wireless setup can be perfectly satisfactory. I'm also told that a wireless setup can be "as secure" as hard wiring; but it does require that you use all the security features available - and most people don't.

John