Connecting a wired router to a WAP?

Hi ,

I'm hoping someone out there much smarter than myself can help me out. At
the moment I currently have my home computers connected via ethernet
cables to a wired router which connects to my cable modem. Now
unfortunately I have the cable modem sitting on my computer desk on one
side of the room, and the cable outlet is on the other side of the room so
that means I have this cable running across the floor along the length of
the room. Now this is physically unacceptable, and I would very much like
to get rid of floor cables.

My current computer setup is one PC(dual boot linux/win98) and one iMac
attached to my wired router.

The trivial solution would be to buy a wireless router to place beside the
cable modem which would be beside the cable outlet on oneside of the room
and insert wireless cards into my desktop computers. The problem with this
is I don't know if my PC operating systems would like wireless cards, or
even where to find a wireless card for my wifes iMac. (ie that would mean
buying a router and two seperate wirelss cards, a little out of our
financies right now)

What I was hoping to do was to place a wireless router( or some other
wireless product) beside the cable outlet on the far wall, and some how
wirelessly connect it to my regular router which I have setting on my
computer table top.(I would like to utilize my regular router because I
know both of my computers work when plugged into it)

So my questions are
(a) is this physically possible?
(b) if so what would I need to buy to do it?

Many thanks,

Jeff

What I am thinking is ... setting up a wireless bridge - but it would be the
same price or even more expensive to getting a new router and cards.

Using two WAPs (wireless access points) you would plug one into the router,
and on the otherside of the room connect the other WAP to an Ethernet
switch. The computers are connected to the switch, which is connected ot
the WAP, which talks wirelessly to the other WAP, which is connected to the
router, which is connected to the cable modem.

pc / mac <--> switch <--> wap .... wap <--> router <--> cable modem <-->
internet

<--> means wired
...... means wireless

I have this setup going to connect two buildings together - using Linksys
access points



"Jeff K deJong" <jdejong@phys.ualberta.ca> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.58.0607281851440.18892@dene.phys.u alberta.ca...
> Hi ,
>
> I'm hoping someone out there much smarter than myself can help me out. At
> the moment I currently have my home computers connected via ethernet
> cables to a wired router which connects to my cable modem. Now
> unfortunately I have the cable modem sitting on my computer desk on one
> side of the room, and the cable outlet is on the other side of the room so
> that means I have this cable running across the floor along the length of
> the room. Now this is physically unacceptable, and I would very much like
> to get rid of floor cables.
>
> My current computer setup is one PC(dual boot linux/win98) and one iMac
> attached to my wired router.
>
> The trivial solution would be to buy a wireless router to place beside the
> cable modem which would be beside the cable outlet on oneside of the room
> and insert wireless cards into my desktop computers. The problem with this
> is I don't know if my PC operating systems would like wireless cards, or
> even where to find a wireless card for my wifes iMac. (ie that would mean
> buying a router and two seperate wirelss cards, a little out of our
> financies right now)
>
> What I was hoping to do was to place a wireless router( or some other
> wireless product) beside the cable outlet on the far wall, and some how
> wirelessly connect it to my regular router which I have setting on my
> computer table top.(I would like to utilize my regular router because I
> know both of my computers work when plugged into it)
>
> So my questions are
> (a) is this physically possible?
> (b) if so what would I need to buy to do it?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Jeff
>
>
>

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 19:01:59 -0600, Jeff K deJong
<jdejong@phys.ualberta.ca> wrote in
<Pine.LNX.4.58.0607281851440.18892@dene.phys.ualbe rta.ca>:

>I'm hoping someone out there much smarter than myself can help me out. At
>the moment I currently have my home computers connected via ethernet
>cables to a wired router which connects to my cable modem. Now
>unfortunately I have the cable modem sitting on my computer desk on one
>side of the room, and the cable outlet is on the other side of the room so
>that means I have this cable running across the floor along the length of
>the room. Now this is physically unacceptable, and I would very much like
>to get rid of floor cables.
>
>My current computer setup is one PC(dual boot linux/win98) and one iMac
>attached to my wired router.
>
>The trivial solution would be to buy a wireless router to place beside the
>cable modem which would be beside the cable outlet on oneside of the room
>and insert wireless cards into my desktop computers. The problem with this
>is I don't know if my PC operating systems would like wireless cards, or
>even where to find a wireless card for my wifes iMac. (ie that would mean
>buying a router and two seperate wirelss cards, a little out of our
>financies right now)
>
>What I was hoping to do was to place a wireless router( or some other
>wireless product) beside the cable outlet on the far wall, and some how
>wirelessly connect it to my regular router which I have setting on my
>computer table top.(I would like to utilize my regular router because I
>know both of my computers work when plugged into it)
>
>So my questions are
>(a) is this physically possible?
>(b) if so what would I need to buy to do it?

You could use a wireless access point next to the cable modem, and a
wireless client bridge next to your wired router. Powerline networking
would also work.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

Move the cable outlet. Seriously, the wire's cheap and it's probably the
least expensive solution overall.

> The trivial solution would be to buy a wireless router to place beside the
> cable modem which would be beside the cable outlet on oneside of the room
> and insert wireless cards into my desktop computers. The problem with this
> is I don't know if my PC operating systems would like wireless cards, or
> even where to find a wireless card for my wifes iMac. (ie that would mean
> buying a router and two seperate wirelss cards, a little out of our
> financies right now)

Buy a cheap wifi router and a single USB wifi adapter. Most work with both
windows (post-98) and the MacOS. Check the vendor's website FIRST and see
that they claim to have drivers for whatever version of OSes you're actually
running. Then swap the adapter between the computers and see that they
actually get wireless coverage.

You could then use one or the other computers, with their wifi link to the
base, as a bridge to the other computer. But this would then end up
requiring that bridging computer be turned on all the time. That and
introduce some potential for network routing issues. It "should" work but
connection sharing isn't without it's issues and I'd recommend not choosing
this option.

> What I was hoping to do was to place a wireless router( or some other
> wireless product) beside the cable outlet on the far wall, and some how
> wirelessly connect it to my regular router which I have setting on my
> computer table top.(I would like to utilize my regular router because I
> know both of my computers work when plugged into it)

By the time you buy this second router and the bridge to connect to the
existing one you'd probably be more expensive than a router and two USB
interfaces. As for working with the existing computers, anything new will
certainly work with it too. If you want to keep using the current router
then buy a wifi "Access Point" or a router that can be specifically 'dummied
up' to behave like an access point and not as a full router. You'd then
plug that access point into your current router and continue using it's
connection to the cable modem through it. Shop the bargains, and buy from a
local retailer than has a return policy. That way you're covered should it
just "not work".

I'd start by taking a serious look at just re-routing the cable coax wire.
Then step up to an access point/router and single USB interface to get
things tested.

-Bill Kearney