Can I do this?

[axelfox]

I'm going to slowly move my home network (well, my parent's house..) into the wireless age.

My computer will be the first to move from the main computer room, where the cable modem and router is located. We have three computers (including mine) and the printer that is connected to the print server on the SMC router in this computer room.

My question is: Can I buy a wireless router, hook it up to the existing router (to make it a psuedo access point)? Eventually, all the computers will be moved away from the current setup b/c a wired network would look too ugly.

I hope thats clear.

thanks

 

[rw120555]

I think my situation is semi-similar to yours. I currently have a router and wanted to add wireless for my laptop. My choices boiled down to the Netgear Mr314 (router + wireless access point) and Netgear Me102 (WAP only). Surprisingly both cost about the same. I called Netgear for advice, and they thought that, since I already had a router, the ME102 would be better, i.e. easier to set up and better performance than a router to router combo. But, if I had wanted to, I could connect two routers together. You may have to play around with some parameters, disabling dhcp in one of the routers, telling one router to get its ip dynamically, or something like that.

The question is, why do you want to do it this way? Unless your current router has some special features (mine has HomePNA support) why not just replace it with the MR314 or something similar? I think the MR314 has 4 ethernet jacks, which sounds like enough for you. Or, you could add a WAP like the ME102 to your current router. I susppose it will all work and cost about the same in the end, but a simpler setup seens less prone to problems and easier to trouble-shoot. RW

 

[skeletal29]

just because something is new does not mean its better.
There is no actual need for you to switch.

With wireless youll get an average of 750KBYTES transfer with ethernet youll get average of 8MBYTES.

big @ss difference.

dont scr@w up your parents network.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: skeletal29
just because something is new does not mean its better.
There is no actual need for you to switch.

With wireless youll get an average of 750KBYTES transfer with ethernet youll get average of 8MBYTES.

big @ss difference.

dont scr@w up your parents network.

This will mostly be a concern with file sharing. Most DSL/cable connections wont give you 8mB/s.

 

[rw120555]

Speed isn't the only or even primary thing people want out of a network. I bet most networkers want internet sharing first and foremost and printer sharing a distant second. You don't need super-fast connections for that. Also, people want convenient placement of machines, which I assume is what is motivating Axelfox in the first place. If the parents keep their computers in the main room they'll continue to have the high-speed advantage if they want it, and if they ever get a laptop with wireless they'll like being able to wander around the house with it. Axelfox should just realize that, if file sharing or other things that benefit from high speeds are important, a new setup may have some drawbacks. RW