[RESOLVED] Can one daisy-chain wireless routers?

[NogDog]

Could you just use the one wireless router, place it in some middle position, then run cable from the modem to it, then another cable from it back to the non-wireless PC?

[sneakyimp]

The middle position is our bedroom (which is separated from the office by our kitchen). That would result in a real problem with several ethernet cables having to stretch from the office around the kitchen into the bedroom and back -- not very cool at all.

The solution I propose - if feasible in terms of DHCP or whatever - would require only one ethernet cable to run the length of the apartment. The holes are already drilled. It would be most awesome.

[laserlight]

sneakyimp wrote:

If I put on my coveralls and crawl through the basement and run a 100-ft ethernet cable from one of the 4 computer connections on my existing Linksys router into the TV room and plug it into the jack that says 'Internet' on some other wireless router, will that succeed in establishing a second WiFi access point in my TV room?

Apparently not, but you are close. I have a setup similiar to what you want to do. It was made by converting a wireless router into an access point using this tutorial: How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point.

[sneakyimp]

Wow. You rule laserlight.

I read the tutorial and mostly understand -- although plugging the cable into the LAN connection rather than the WAN connection is a bit surprising. I figured I'd be messing around with DHCP and stuff.

Perhaps you could tell me what the difference between a 'Wireless Router' and 'Wireless Access Point' is? I've wikipedia'd and googled a bit and it would seem that the big difference is that routers connect two different logical subnets whereas access points merely provide access to some subnet? I can search newegg for 'Access Point' or 'Wireless Access Point' and the results that come back appear to be nearly identical to those that come back for 'Wireless Router' except that the routers have some RJ-45 LAN connectors on them.

I have purchased these two items for my project:
Linksys WRT54GL Router
100 ft ethernet cable

[Bunkermaster]

Make sure you secure your Wifi. You don't want some creep to leech off your bandwidth using your IP to perform illegal acts.
Also, remember to click the resolved link at the bottom of the post when your question has been answered 🙂

[sneakyimp]

That google suggestion yields this informative article. I feel reasonably confident I can figure this out. That tutorial seems pretty clear and I've already purchased a nearly identical Linksys router.

It sounds to me now like that article laserlight linked is really all about turning off all the features on your wireless broadband router so that it acts like a much simpler device, namely a wireless access point. I am now wondering if I might have just purchased a Linksys WAP54G. The price is the same as the router I linked before - which is puzzling because it sounds like a simpler device.

I also have this paranoid fear that the new router (configured as an access point) will be unable to communicate with any wireless devices that connect to it because its own DHCP has been turned off. I'm hoping (and the tutorial seems to suggest this) that the wireless part of the communication handled by the new router/AP is a separate thing from the delegation of IP addresses.

Oh well. I bought the stuff. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. THANKS for the help!

[laserlight]

sneakyimp wrote:

I read the tutorial and mostly understand -- although plugging the cable into the LAN connection rather than the WAN connection is a bit surprising. I figured I'd be messing around with DHCP and stuff.

The idea is that you are extending your current LAN, not creating a new LAN.

[rikmoncur]

try googling wifi extender.

sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick here...

[sneakyimp]

Laserlight's tutorial is working like a charm. I set up the new router as instructed and ran the cable under my apt building and it's working fine.

Interestingly, the new router simply has a much stronger signal than my old one. I'm wondering if I should just use the new router as my office router and the old one as the extender. Actually, come to think of it, I probably don't need two routers because the new one seems to offers coverage for my entire apartment.

Anyways, thanks guys! This thread is RESOLVED.

[sneakyimp]

Update: I feel like a total pimp surfing the net on my iPod while lounging in the TV room. Thanks!

[micaudwell]

Do the two wireless devices function independently? For example would it be possible to set one for WPA and the other for WEP encryption?

Thanks

[sneakyimp]

I believe so. There are currently two separate wireless networks defined in my apartment and one must connect to each with its own password. Each router has its own wireless settings, etc.

[micaudwell]

Hi Snealkyimp

Thanks for your encouragement - yes indeed two wireless routers can function independently. I have just configured a second WRT54G to act as an AP daisy-chained off of the originally installed device (also a WRT54G) using the instructions contained in the FAQ mentioned in laserlight's post of 02-09-2009.

One device (DHCP enabled router) is using WPA encryption while the other (DHCP disbled AP) is using WEP.

I appreciate that WEP and to an extent WPA are pants, but its better than nothing at all.

In case you are wondering, various children require internet access on a laptop running Vista which does not support WEP and a Nintendo DS which only supports WEP.

Peace at last.

Kind regards

Mike