It was sheer naivety – and I apologise for the horrible auto-interjection, but I have to quote Fowler’s The King’s English stating that "it is to be wished that [naïveté] might be disencumbered of its diaeresis, its accent, and its italics" because I genuinely had no clue how to spell that word – to expect to set up my home wireless (802.11G) network without difficulty. A considered soul would be left only to consider where the difficulty would lie.
Though I was quickly made aware of the existence of gaps in my knowledge – not wholy unexpected – and in my ability to fill said gaps, it took surprising time for me to discover the exact form of my network’s malady. Though I enjoy learning more than most any other of life’s fine persuits, I generally prefer my progress not to be stifled by learning’s absence. Sadly, in this case, it was.
By this point you may reasonably expect to be told the nature of my troubles, but you may yet be surprised to discover that I have not yet fully remedied them. I do posess something that at this point I value almost as highly as a complete solution, and that is the hope that one is forthcoming.
You see, in a most frustrating circumstance, my initial conception of the ultimate nature of the network was indeed accurate and workable. However my chosen means of manipulating the current state of the equipment into the desired final state was misinformed – or, more accurately, underinformed.
I have now recieved at least some relevant education relating to the issue – in the form of unexpectedly useful email technical support from Eircom – which has shown itself to alleviate at least one irritating symptom, and which I hope will indeed constitute the entirity of the ultimate solution. I therefore look forward to tomorrow with catious optimism. Fingers crossed.