I have a situation with a friend who wants to setup a network in their home, where the cable modem will in the basement where one PC is, and connect to 2 PCs on the second floor. They already have a wired network established upstairs, but want to add Internet access. I was wondering if there was a way to attach a device to the hub they have upstairs to talk wirelessly to a wireless web router in the basement.

I'd rather not add wireless cards to the 2 machines. I know there are products like this but can;t seem to find them.

Security is important I feel, cause I don't want to be the one who looks dumb for putting in an easily hacked network.

Any Thoughts?


--tarballedtux

Put in a wireless access point/switch, wire the current network into it(usually they have 4 wired ports). The reason they have the wired ports is to add other access points to them, but you can easily just hook them into the wired network. My wired network(which includes drops in almost every room) has grown lately to include wireless, but I don't run anything off of it.

But the question is can I conenct wireless router to wireless router?

Examples of suitable equipment would be appreciated.

--tarballedtux

you can attach a wirelyess router to a wireless router...You can attach a wireless router to a wired router. You can attach a wired router to a wireless router. Wireless routers have hardwired ports so access points can be cabled in, or so that they can be joined to wired networks. You are overthinking this one.

I just noticed...you have a ccna. Perhaps I am misunderstanding your question, because there's no way you'd miss something that obvious.

Ok your right I think I am asking this all wrong. Here's the intended topology:


I want to figure what could that wireless device be. I want to avoid adding wireless cards to the 2nd PCs and just add a device to the hub. Now if I can add a wireless device. One that cause be used as a client to wireless router. I know it can be done. But with Linksys/Dlink/Whatever class device?

Thats also assuming the wireless singal makes it into the basement.

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CCNA - Damn straight! Its good someone too a second look and realized I'm not Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future and I might know what I am talking about.



--tarballedtux

having trouble making heads or tails out of your diagram, it's reading funny to me. But the simplistics about wireless are:

wireless router > wire > access point, wired router, wireless router , clients
wireless router > not wired > clients
wireless router > not wired > bridge > access points, router >#1

you can chain it as many levels deep as you want, you just can't support some routing protocols if you go too deep(which you are in no trouble of on this project)

What I think you are asking is how to get wireless downstairs, to wireless upstairs without running a wire between the two routers. That would be wireless bridge. I'm fuzzy as to what you're asking about the wireless cards in the pc's for, since almost every wireless router or access point has wired ports(usually 4) built in. Just hook your hub/switch to one of the wired ports of the router downstairs, hook up your wireless bridge (either wired or wireless) and it will talk to the wireless access point/router upstairs. better would be to run a cable from the downstairs to the upstairs access point/router.

Don't get too excited about the certs....no one else does. And no one assumes you have more than the paper until you prove it. I just assumed I was misunderstanding your question because I'm tired as hell.

OK I think were clear now. All I want to do is bridge the two. I just wasn't sure if consumer level stuff could do that. I guess I will swap the hub for the switch /w wireless. It doesnt need a router so I can save some money there.

I still could use suggestions on the best equipment to use. Keeping security in mind and cost down too. If it ends being over 150 for the two wireless devices. It might not be a sell to my friend.


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CCNA - I Understand what your mean. Paper only cert people anger me. Take my word on it if was put infront of a cisco device I'LL configure it. I learned the right way spending hours on equipment, even doing stuff I wasn't supposed to. (Legal stuff I mean) I don't remember the CCNA asking you to setup a frame-relay switch but I did.


--tarballedtux

I have pretty much the exact topolgy at home and I used a Linksys WET11 (wireless bridge) to connect the wired segement of my LAN to the wireless one. I get pretty good signal strength between the two, from basement garage to 2nd floor. I do remember there were some limitations on what types of wireless APs the WET could connect to, so verify that it's compatible with the wireless device first. The WET11 itself was fairly inexpensive compared to a full fledged router or AP.

Captain is dead on bingo for what you need....I forgot to reference a brand. Sorry.