Hi all, thanks for this excellent guide and discussion.
After reading (but not necessarily understanding) most of this thread, I still have some questions I'm hoping someone will be able to answer:
Situation: My landlord, one floor above, has a Netgear 802.11g router, and we were interested in connecting to that router (with his permission) and saving ourselves $70/month in phone+DSL charges.
1. Will the WRT54G work in "Client Mode" not just with WEP but with WPA-PSK?
2. I plan on wiring at least two PCs to the WRT54G. Will peer-to-peer data sharing (via my Windows workgroup) between my two PCs go directly through the WRT54G, or will it have to go all the way back to my landlord's Netgear router?
3. Will a computer connected to my landlord's Netgear router be able to see/access computers connected to my WRT54G router? Since we are 2 separate households I would prefer to have two, distinct networks in terms of my Windows workgroup, and the less access others have to my workgroup, the better.
4. Assuming the answer to 3 is "no" (that is, my landlord cannot access my Windows workgroup), can a laptop in my apartment connect to the Windows workgroup via the WRT54G operating in client mode, or does it have to connect to the landlord's Netgear router? Put another way, can I connect to a WRT54G running in client mode?
5. Finally, any thoughts on Sveasoft in terms of support, etc.? Do I want "Alchemy" or this newfangled "Talisman" product? Is there a definitive list of which firmware versions work with which hardware versions?
I have not yet bought the WRT54G in anticipation of getting these answers before making the plunge. Thanks in advance for your help!