Accessing a wireless network from a wired one
 

I hope I can make this make sense; I've got this plan in my head and not sure if I can impliment it or not.

The easiest thing I can do is draw you a picture (well, tell you the layout, actually) of my current network, as well as what I want.

Right now, I've got cable internet; my cable modem connects via cat5 to my d-link wireless-g router. This router is connected wired to one computer. This end of the network has no problems; I intend to keep it how it is.

It's the other end that's got issues. As of right now, I have two computers; one running Windows and one running Linux (well, it will be...). All I've got right now to access the wireless network is a linksys usb adapter (and it's only wireless-b...I got it on sale as a temporary measure). It's hooked up to my Windows machine right now, which means my Linux box is left in the dust.

Due to the fact that Linux has shaky Wifi support (I'd rather not have to use my Windows drivers if I don't have to), I'm trying to opt for an option that doesn't require my machine(s) to directly access the WiFi. I'm looking into two options for this: either connect an adapter usually used for game consoles to my Linux machine (they turn wired connections into wifi ones), or use a hub to connect both machines and then something to connect the hub to the WiFi network.

My question is about the second scenario; if I use ethernet to connect the two computers, how can I then access the wireless network? I've read a little about access points, but everything seems to point at them creating a wireless network, rather than accessing them. Would it even be possible to connect the gaming connector to the hub?

For those who don't know, the gaming adapter is made to be completely self-sufficient; it allows a device to use traditional ethernet to connect to the adapter, then goes and broadcasts the signal over wifi. The point is to allow broadband-capable gaming consoles, which would otherwise not be able to do wifi due to their limited nature, to connect via WiFi with just the standard ethernet connection. But I don't know if they can take a hub plugged into them. The specific one I'm looking into is the D-Link DWL-G820, the standard D-Link wireless-G model.

I hope this makes sense, and someone can help me figure out how to do my network. I know very little about networking, because I've never had to learn before. I'm usually a quick study when it comes to computers, though; I rarely have trouble understanding something.

Many wireless routers/access points are capable of being used in a 'bridge' capability, which is exactly what you need here.

Ah, perfect! Now I know what to look for. Thank you! :)

No problem. In some cases, they will only work with other ones from the same manufacturer, so when you look for specific models, google around for compatibility.