Wireless AP Questions

[Geoff]

Here's the scenario, I am moving into a condo shortly where there is open WiFi, however I get poor service in some rooms with just my laptop. I would like to setup my own wired and wireless network from within my condo, however use the open WiFi to connect to the internet. Here is what I was thinking of doing:

Get a wireless access point, and have it receive the open WiFi, which would then connect to a switch via an ethernet cable. Attached to the switch would be a wireless router, and a few wired PC's.

I've been doing some searching and it seems like the wireless bridges and access points are mainly for connecting wired devices like a single PC to a wireless network, so I don't know if it would work for my situation.

Any thoughts?

 

[Motoxrdude]

Yeah it's definitely do-able. I did it with my wusb54g with the flashed firmware. I'm not sure what would allow you to do this without flashing the firmware however.

 

[LA1]

get one of these and attach it in between your router and the antenna. You will be able to broadcast all over your apartment and probably outside for a few blocks, also pulls in signals too. The downside is you have to make the cables or have them made for you...any HAM radio shop can make them
just need some LMR 195 CABLE, RG-58 CONNECTORS, SMA-F RP CONNECTORS.
IF you are going to do it your self you will need a hex crimper that can do crimps from .075 - .300.
here is the link
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-Watt-27dBm-Wi...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2556da98c9

 

[JTM]

Here's the scenario, I am moving into a condo shortly where there is open WiFi, however I get poor service in some rooms with just my laptop. I would like to setup my own wired and wireless network from within my condo, however use the open WiFi to connect to the internet. Here is what I was thinking of doing:

Get a wireless access point, and have it receive the open WiFi, which would then connect to a switch via an ethernet cable. Attached to the switch would be a wireless router, and a few wired PC's.

I've been doing some searching and it seems like the wireless bridges and access points are mainly for connecting wired devices like a single PC to a wireless network, so I don't know if it would work for my situation.

Any thoughts?

I don't understand what you mean by setup a wired and wireless network. What I take from this is that your condo offers free wifi? And you are having trouble getting a good signal? However, you do have your own line from an ISP?

 

[Geoff]

I don't understand what you mean by setup a wired and wireless network. What I take from this is that your condo offers free wifi? And you are having trouble getting a good signal? However, you do have your own line from an ISP?

I want to create my own personal network in the condo so I can attach media players, multiple PC's, laptops, a file server, etc., and don't want them all connected to the public WiFi. And no, I do not have my own line from an ISP, which is why I wanted to use the public WiFi for internet access.

 

[Geoff]

Maybe this will help:

I basically want to have my own network setup, however for internet I want to connect to the open WiFi. I'm just not sure if a wireless bridge or AP would be the correct piece of hardware for the job.

 

[JTM]

Maybe this will help:

I basically want to have my own network setup, however for internet I want to connect to the open WiFi. I'm just not sure if a wireless bridge or AP would be the correct piece of hardware for the job.

It seems like you wouldn't need a bridge to do that. Just use wireless adapters. I do understand what you want do do, and that should work I think. However, you're probably not gonna have a secure setup running off of open wifi.

 

[tlarkin]

It is rather easy. This is what I have done in small businesses and large homes where wifi is shoddy.

Buy several routers, in this example we will just say I have three:

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.

This is how I set it up....you can mix and match it a bit.

Cable (or source of Ineterwebs) goes into the Primary router. The primary runs DHCP and DNS. I run cables to each other router as well and mimic the settings of the primary so it repeats on the same network.

Primary Router:
DHCP - ON
DNS on
IP - 192.168.1.1
OSPR- on
SSID - my SSID
mode - router

Secondary router
DHCP off
DNS - 192.168.1.1
IP - 192.168.1.2
OSPF - on
SSID - my SSID
Mode - AP


Tertiary router
DHCP off
DNS - 192.168.1.1
IP - 192.168.1.2
OSPF - on
SSID - my SSID
mode - AP

Now if you are bridging them over wireless you need to set them in bridge mode with WDS enabled.

 

[Geoff]

It seems like you wouldn't need a bridge to do that. Just use wireless adapters. I do understand what you want do do, and that should work I think. However, you're probably not gonna have a secure setup running off of open wifi.

Are you saying I should use a wireless card on all devices? That wouldn't be secure, everyone could access the devices, and everyone can see what I have on the network.

Now if you are bridging them over wireless you need to set them in bridge mode with WDS enabled.

That's the thing, I don't have access to set up WDS on the primary router, I only have access to what I actually own.

I setup a laptop running XP Pro, where I have it receive the WiFi signal, and it shares it on the wired NIC using ICS. I was able to connect a wireless AP to my laptop, so I was running my own network off of another WiFi AP on another network. I just want to have a device that can be used for this instead of needing a dedicated computer.

 

[tlarkin]

That's the thing, I don't have access to set up WDS on the primary router, I only have access to what I actually own.

I setup a laptop running XP Pro, where I have it receive the WiFi signal, and it shares it on the wired NIC using ICS. I was able to connect a wireless AP to my laptop, so I was running my own network off of another WiFi AP on another network. I just want to have a device that can be used for this instead of needing a dedicated computer.

You don't need access to the source, you leave it broadcasting as is. You can bridge a wireless router to it, but if you want the wireless bridge to also repeat then you need to enable WDS.

I used to set up wifi networks in very huge multi million dollar homes for wealthy people when I ran my side business. I would typically install about 3 to 4 routers in the large home and do what I posted previously. However, I always ran cat6 to each router and didn't fuss with wireless bridges.

 

[Geoff]

My mistake, from what I've dealt with using WDS you need to setup WDS on both routers/AP's. I would be using a different AP however for my own wireless, so the bridge would only be used as a bridge, no clients would connect to it.

What I'm not clear on is the actual device I need. Is all I need a simple wireless bridge that you can buy on newegg for $50-$100?

 

[tlarkin]

My mistake, from what I've dealt with using WDS you need to setup WDS on both routers/AP's. I would be using a different AP however for my own wireless, so the bridge would only be used as a bridge, no clients would connect to it.

What I'm not clear on is the actual device I need. Is all I need a simple wireless bridge that you can buy on newegg for $50-$100?

Just buy a router that supports DD-WRT firmware and load that. Then it allows you to configure the router as so many different devices and modes of operation. It basically turns your $50 router into a $500 router as far as functionality goes (but not hardware spec wise).

Every large WiFi network I set up when I was doing my sub contracting work I bought Linksys WRT54GL routers. They were awesome for the price a few years back, fully supported the DD-WRT firmware, and I was able to set up bridging, wireless repeating, AP mode, bridge mode, OSPF, so on and so forth. Once I set it up those clients never once called me back so I have to assume it was worked no problems ever since.

www.dd-wrt.com

 

[Damorian]

Just buy a router that supports DD-WRT firmware and load that. Then it allows you to configure the router as so many different devices and modes of operation. It basically turns your $50 router into a $500 router as far as functionality goes (but not hardware spec wise).

Every large WiFi network I set up when I was doing my sub contracting work I bought Linksys WRT54GL routers. They were awesome for the price a few years back, fully supported the DD-WRT firmware, and I was able to set up bridging, wireless repeating, AP mode, bridge mode, OSPF, so on and so forth. Once I set it up those clients never once called me back so I have to assume it was worked no problems ever since.

www.dd-wrt.com

This is good advice. I second that motion. A simple bridge should be all it takes to extend the wifi that distance. Also, there will be a small (I don't know about noticable) performance dip with bridging. Don't remember where I read that, but it was somewhere. This guide should help
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3639271