I just went thru this exact (almost) procedure, getting my new Vista desktop to network with our Win xp computer with printer. Not so easy, but here are the instructions which work: 1. To set up the house network, on the Vista computer: Start-Control Panel-System and Maintaint.- system-computer name,domain,workgroup settings area on the screen, hit the "change settings" button, then system properties-computer name tab-change computer name/domain changes-in Workgroup type your home network's name-OK. Then to set up the printer, a huge pain, but doable: On the Vista computer: Start-Control Panel-add printer-add Local Printer (I know it's on a network, but this is the way to do it)-create a new port-default is "local port",leave it-next you have to enter a port name, this is the tricky part, you have to type in the path to the printer manually, the path should look like: \\your exact host computer name\your exact printer's sharing name. That's it. To check for the exact host computer name, go to the host computer, my computer, and a screen will come up with it's official name, use it, case sensitive. For printer name, go to host computer, printers area thru the control panel, rt. click the printer and properties. A sharing tab will show, click it, the exact name for the shared printer will show, again use it case sensitive. The above took me all day when I got my new Vista, hope it helps.

One possibility is that it's trying to connect to another wireless router in the area. This can be especially problematic if you and your neighbor both kept the default router names but used different security settings. Depending on where the routers are and where the laptop is, the neighbor's router may be giving a stronger signal. check your router's logs if you can. That may give you a clue about whether you're trying to connect to it instead of a different router. Many routers have a web interface for management (and please make sure you've changed it from the factory default password). Open your network connections, right click the wireless connection and select properties. Select the Wireless Networks tab and look at the preferred networks area. Make sure your router is the only one showing. If you have others showing, select them and choose remove.

Possibly. The first thing you should try is moving the existing router around. Sometimes even a few inches of movement can make a difference. Generally speaking you want the router to be up high and free of obstructions around it. The are also, depending on the router, hacks for the firmware that allow you to change the settings increasing, for example, signal strength. You could also look into different antennas for the router. Another possibility is to use a "repeater." While there are devices especially made for the purpose, they tend to be a little expensive. You can use another router, access point, or even some print servers to function in the capacity of a repeater and position it on, say, the first floor somewhere. The last alternative and one guaranteed to work, is to run a length of CAT5 cable between the basement router and your bedroom. Although depending on the layout of your house, that may or may not be easy to do. Another option might be to run CAT5 between the basement and first floor, positioning the router there.

Hooking up to a network is way better than a phone line for the reasons already posted and more. The Tivo only needs to "talk to the mothership" every 7 to 14 days to download the EPG. When I set up my wireless Tivo's (I have 2 wireless, 1 wired), I needed a "real" phone line for the initial setup and system upgrade. Once the system was upgraded, the wireless adapters worked fine. The last time I set up a Tivo was with a wired network adapter and it did not need a phone line for the initial setup.