Upstairs/Downstairs
 

Hi,

Upstairs I have three PCs connected to each other via a wired gigabit
ethernet switch. And to the internet via a Linksys router which is
connected via a 10m ethernet cable to a cable modem downstairs.

I'd like to eliminate the 10m cable.

Downstairs is easy. Just replace the current router with a wireless
one and set it up downstairs instead.

But what plugs into the switch upstairs? An "Access Point" is my best
guess.

But I'm slightly confused.

All internet bound packets to the router would have to go via the AP
to the router.

How would such packets "know" to go via the access point?

Or am I totally off base?

Re: Upstairs/Downstairs
 

"SteveL" <stevelon@deletethisbitntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:Iq-dnXjh8YEdE5_bnZ2dnUVZ8vednZ2d@giganews.com...
>
> But what plugs into the switch upstairs? An "Access Point" is my best
> guess.
>
You need a wireless bridge not an access point.
SMC makes a product that can be an access point or a bridge
depending on which firmware you install into it.
SMC2870W

Re: Upstairs/Downstairs
 

Hi
You cam plug into the Switch any Wireless unit that is capable to work as a
Driverless Wireless Client. Also called Consumers Bridge. The simplest unit
of this kind is the GameBox type of Wireless card. Many Access Points and
some Wireless cable DSL Routers can also be configured as Driverless
Wireless Client ( http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Modes.html ).
Best stable result would be achieved by a unit that is of the same chipset
as the source Wireless Router (the one that is connected to the Modem).
Wireless Bridging - http://www.ezlan.net/bridging
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"SteveL" <stevelon@deletethisbitntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:Iq-dnXjh8YEdE5_bnZ2dnUVZ8vednZ2d@giganews.com...
> Hi,
>
> Upstairs I have three PCs connected to each other via a wired gigabit
> ethernet switch. And to the internet via a Linksys router which is
> connected via a 10m ethernet cable to a cable modem downstairs.
>
> I'd like to eliminate the 10m cable.
>
> Downstairs is easy. Just replace the current router with a wireless
> one and set it up downstairs instead.
>
> But what plugs into the switch upstairs? An "Access Point" is my best
> guess.
>
> But I'm slightly confused.
>
> All internet bound packets to the router would have to go via the AP
> to the router.
>
> How would such packets "know" to go via the access point?
>
> Or am I totally off base?
>

Re: Upstairs/Downstairs
 

On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:11:03 +0000, SteveL
<stevelon@deletethisbitntlworld.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Upstairs I have three PCs connected to each other via a wired gigabit
>ethernet switch. And to the internet via a Linksys router which is
>connected via a 10m ethernet cable to a cable modem downstairs.
>
>I'd like to eliminate the 10m cable.
>
>Downstairs is easy. Just replace the current router with a wireless
>one and set it up downstairs instead.
>
>But what plugs into the switch upstairs? An "Access Point" is my best
>guess.
>
>But I'm slightly confused.
>
>All internet bound packets to the router would have to go via the AP
>to the router.
>
>How would such packets "know" to go via the access point?
>
>Or am I totally off base?

Thanks for the responses.

I already had a DLink DWL-2100 Access point. I could make it work if I
configured it into AP client mode - but only for one PC on the LAN.

I guess I'll have to find a "wireless bridge" somewhere.

Thanks

Re: Upstairs/Downstairs
 

Hi
Since it is an Access Point it does not need Drivers. You can connect it to
a computer for configuration, once it is configured you can plug it to the
switch and it would act as a Bridge.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"SteveL" <stevelon@deletethisbitntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:HPCdnTmIvbDEfZ7bnZ2dnUVZ8seinZ2d@giganews.com ...
> On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:11:03 +0000, SteveL
> <stevelon@deletethisbitntlworld.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Upstairs I have three PCs connected to each other via a wired gigabit
>>ethernet switch. And to the internet via a Linksys router which is
>>connected via a 10m ethernet cable to a cable modem downstairs.
>>
>>I'd like to eliminate the 10m cable.
>>
>>Downstairs is easy. Just replace the current router with a wireless
>>one and set it up downstairs instead.
>>
>>But what plugs into the switch upstairs? An "Access Point" is my best
>>guess.
>>
>>But I'm slightly confused.
>>
>>All internet bound packets to the router would have to go via the AP
>>to the router.
>>
>>How would such packets "know" to go via the access point?
>>
>>Or am I totally off base?
>
> Thanks for the responses.
>
> I already had a DLink DWL-2100 Access point. I could make it work if I
> configured it into AP client mode - but only for one PC on the LAN.
>
> I guess I'll have to find a "wireless bridge" somewhere.
>
> Thanks

Re: Upstairs/Downstairs
 

On Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:42:51 -0500, "Jack \(MVP-Networking\)."
<Jack@discussiongroup.com> wrote:

>Hi
>Since it is an Access Point it does not need Drivers. You can connect it to
>a computer for configuration, once it is configured you can plug it to the
>switch and it would act as a Bridge.
>Jack (MVP-Networking).
>

That's what I'm saying. I plugged the Access Point into the switch
and configured it using the browser from one of my PCs, and thereafter
only *that* PC was able to connect to the Wireless Router via it.
Other PCs on the switch couldn't even ping the Access Point when that
happened.

Not what I expected

The DWL-2100ap has 5 modes
1) Access Point: which is the normal mode and the one I used for its
original purpose, which was to allow me to connect a wireless laptop
to my wired LAN and then onto the internet via the former (wired)
router.

2) WDS with AP
3) WDS
4) AP Repeater
5) AP Client

With the new scenario (trying to link my wired LAN to a wireless
router) the only mode I could get it to work at all was 5)

**********************

Anyway, after writing the above I had an idea and I've cobbled
together a way to make it all work..... Since this Access Point
handled one LAN device OK. I decided to put back my original router in
the way and connect the WAN port of this to the Access Point. This
means the original router is now that "one LAN device". It meant I had
to create a dummy LAN network to sit as sandwich filling between the
two routers, and it means an extra hop in the middle, but now all
devices on the gigabit switch can go online.....

Port forwarding works as well since I just forward everything from the
Wireless router to the original one, and it forwards onto the real
devices.

I'm sure this is a dumb way to do it but it works for now....