Security and wireless

[innaloo]

Hi,
I have 2 PC's side by side hardwired to a cheap router; works fine.
One pc is a work Pc so is never connected to internet unless I need to; so it is clean, but has full free antivirus.
The other is where I surf the web, keep photos receive emails etc. Full seperate security on it. Never had virus or crash or any other horrors. So security on computers not router.
I don't quite understand what I need, to do the following:-
a] I have a projector in the lounge which I use with a panasonic PVR model DMR EX85- great, can record freeview TV progs [would be nice if the EPG turned on at right time; BBC the worst ] But I digress.
Have the projector hard wired through ceiling and cellar via componet link to PVR so I can watch Live TV or what I have recorded whilst recording another. So great.
But increasingly my programs overlap or are on at same time ,so I want to view TV via the "watch again" from computer. {bet I can't record it}
I can run? another cable using the DVI-I socket [on projector] which supports DVI-D and DVI-A PC signal from my virgin cable internet connection 28 foot away via ceiling and cellar to the PC. so the projector becomes the monitor; but then I need a wireless keyboard and mouse ? yes ? and just swop between feeds on projector.
will this work? Have read the sticky re distance.should be OK as 12 foot thru a solid wall which appears to be do-able.
What I don't understand is-
I am putting a new Kitchen in and thought I'd have a new laptop [ better than a new Dab radio] to let me listen to the radio and "Listen Again" and look at recipes on internet and play DVD's.
So for this new laptop do I need a virgin media Hub @ £70 or a better router to do wired and wireless? Looked on Richard's site [shudder] cannot work out whether as an existing 10mb customer its free or £60 £70or £80; if new customer its free, what a surprize!
The most important part is my work PC stays inviolate.
I do all the things, downloads and upgrades my security asks me to do; but do not really understand it.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you.

Innaloo

[admin]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Not quite sure what you need exactly, but if you're worried as to whether a wireless network would add to any security concerns, and it shouldn't, as long as your wireless is protected by WPA2. It would still be recommended to have a software firewall on your PC, even if it isn't used to connect to the Internet (because a lot of threats are passive, in that it come from people probing and attacking from the outside, as opposed to the PC accessing something actively). Windows comes with a firewall, and normally this should be fine, as it's missing outbound protection, but that's only an issue if malware has already entered your system. ZoneAlarm free edition does have outbound protection though.

There is the issue of using a wireless mouse/keyboard, since I find that even without going through walls (and this depends on the type of wireless the kb/m uses), connection can be a bit hit and miss only a few feet away. Bluetooth based systems are better, in that they penetrate further and there's no line of sight issues, but you can always use a long USB extension cable to place the wireless kb/m receiver in close proximity to your kb/m (ie. in the same room as your projector), and that would do it.

There are also other alternatives, such as some kind of central networked storage to store all your media files (but you would still need some device that's capable of accessing the storage, and be able to connect to your TV), or a PVR that has dual tuners to record two channels at once, or even building your own HTPC to be placed in the projector room and fitting it with a dual-tuner TV card.