Help installing Wireless-G Broadband Router Linksys WRT54GL

rickklaw · 05-14-2006, 09:20 PM

I'm not sure if I'm missing it or I'm just slow, but supposedly installing the Wireless-G Broadband Router Linksys WRT54GL is easy.

My broadband connects to Dell Dimension L990CXE running Fedora Core 1, which needs to remain my gateway. I need to connect my broadband via wireless to a Windows XP machine.

The disk that comes with the Router only works on Windows and first must be run on the gateway machine (which in my case is a linux machine.)

I tried just plugging the router into the cable modem but the Windows machine doesn't pick it up. (Yes, the windows machine is equipped for wireless and has worked with other routers.) The Windows machine is using a Zonet ZEW2500P USB wireless adapter (IEEE802.11g USB WLD).

I bought this router because it claims to run well with Linux. I imagine (hope) this would be easy to do and I am just missing something very obvious. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Rick

Jerre Cope · 05-14-2006, 09:56 PM

Don't worry about the CD, just use the web interface to program the router. That's why it's linux friendly.

I think you meant to by an access point rather than a router, since you are using your linux box as a router. Perhaps you meant to buy a WAP54G

The easiest way to connect your wireless router is to connect the router to your broadband connection, then connect your linux box to the switch on the linksys router. This will actually slow down performance since your linux box is a faster router than the appliance.

syg00 · 05-14-2006, 10:53 PM

Except you probably can't configure it using Firefox. I had to plug in (cat5) my old Win2K laptop to get a version of IE that would allow me to see the whole page(s) rendered correctly. Under FF, fields were missing - this on a 54GX

Jerre Cope · 05-14-2006, 11:10 PM

Haven't had that trouble with the WAP. FF worked fine.

rickklaw · 05-15-2006, 08:07 PM

Y'all rock! The advice was right on! And FF worked just fine with their site.

Now for my next question...

The cd-burner and printer are both on the XP machine, any suggestions how to access them from the Linux machine through the wireless network?

Again thank you for everyone's help!

Rick

syg00 · 05-18-2006, 06:59 PM

I would think cups would find a windows printer o.k. - haven't tried myself though.
As for the burner - mmmmmm. I'd be inclined to send the file over and burn locally, rather than trying to burn via wifi.
Each to their own.
I don't do Fedora, so I can't say how to do this specifically.