Help creating a network access point

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I have a Linksys WAP 54 G router. I want to make this router an access point that will expand my other router that is connected to the internet so that I can access the internet from an area in my house that I can not get a strong signal. Could you tell me how I can configure my linksys router to make this happen? From default settings, my Powerbook only picks up my WAP 54G router but still cant get internet access from my other Linksys router that does have internet access.



Thank you!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 1
    karrickkarrick Posts: 17member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jxfreak

    I have a Linksys WAP 54 G router. I want to make this router an access point that will expand my other router that is connected to the internet so that I can access the internet from an area in my house that I can not get a strong signal. Could you tell me how I can configure my linksys router to make this happen? From default settings, my Powerbook only picks up my WAP 54G router but still cant get internet access from my other Linksys router that does have internet access.



    Thank you!




    jxfreak-



    I'm afraid that the technology does not do what you think it does. Namely, routers are designed to connect a smaller network to a bigger network. WiFi routers that this magic one step further by allowing either side of the equation (small side=LAN or big side=WAN) to be wireless. Some WiFi routers will only allow the smaller network (your LAN) be wireless, and insist that the bigger network side (the Internet) be hardwired.



    You have a connection to the Internet, perhaps DSL, perhaps cable, perhaps even dial-up, it doesn't really matter. Your first WiFi router will pass information on the big side to the little side when required. It will pass information on the little side to the big side when required. But it will not repeat information on the big side again, nor will it repeat information on the little side again, other than simple hub-type repeats.



    What your asking for is your second router to use its WiFi as its big side to be a client of your first router that is physically connected to the Internet. That's possible with some routers. But you're also asking for your second router to use its WiFi port to serve its little side to other wireless clients in your house. The single WiFi port on your router does not enable it to be used wirelessly to connect both its big side and little side in that fasion.



    One possible way to do what you want is to have a single CAT5 or CAT5e cable snaked through your house. Connect one side of the cable to a RJ45 LAN port in your first router, then connect the other side of the cable to the WAN side RJ45 port on your second router.



    In this way your first router acts as a DHCP server to your second router. And your ISP will act as a DHCP server to your first router. Client computers in your house will go to whichever router suits them best, and request a TCP/IP address from that router via DHCP. Both routers will be able to act as a DHCP server to client machines in your home network, and all computers will be able to surf the web, check email, etc. The only hidden detail will be that computers connecting to the Internet via the slave-router will have one more level of routing to go through to access the Internet. This fact is trivial, however, and used to great lengths on the Internet at large to simplify routing and localize traffic in zones. It's a very common setup, indeed.



    I hope this answers your question. If you need a better description of how to set this up (I have done something very similar in my house), then I'd be happy to elaborate further.



    Karrick



    PS - Make sure the aliens don't know that your setting up a second router. They don't like that sort of thing, and I've heard that they deal very harshly with those persons who dare to live on the edge of technology... It threatens their very existance...
Sign In or Register to comment.