Mike_N_Ike

OK, so my roommates and I have one of those linksys 4-port ethernet routers from a few years ago before wireless internet was around. Now that we have a couple laptops in the house in addition to the 4 desktops, I wanted to create a wireless network.

My original idea was to replace the non-wireless router with a wireless one that still had 4 ports so that all the computers could be hooked up and on the same network. I've been through 4 wireless routers in the past 2 weeks and I have the same problem with each one: the desktops work fine, but the wireless connection will not sustain for more than a half hour, and will work about half the time I want it to. Range can't be an issue because the router is in the same room as one of the laptops. I know it's not an issue with the wireless cards becuase 1: all the laptops are brand new and 2: they work fine on the wireless networks at my school and my work. So after 2 SMC SMC7004VWBR's, one Netgear MR814v2, and most recently a D-Link DI-614+, I have abandoned that idea of replacing the main router with a wireless one.

Instead, I bought a switch to plug into my fourth of our main router and use it to plug in my desktop and laptop at the same time. Now what I want to do, is get some sort of wireless device that I can plug into the switch instead of the laptop itself, that will allow me to roam around the house and browse gotapex.com at the same time. The problem is that I need the laptop to end up on the same network as the all the other computers - something that is currently possible with the switch, but doesn't appear to be with wireless access points because it seems like (and I hope I'm wrong on this) all the wireless devices create their own little subnetwork - meaning the file/printer sharing and a lot of other things becomes much more difficult.

So if anybody can actually understand all the garbage that I wrote here and knows of a way to solve this, or has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

__________________
-Mike

hapoo

did you ever try connecting the wireless router into the old router?
not to the upload/wan connection, but the normal lan connection? it would use the old router for routing and the wireless router only as a wireless access point.

ray

When you say that the wireless connection will not sustain, do you mean that you lose your signal after 30 minutes, or your actual internet connection dies? If you have a system wired to the router, after 30 minutes does that computer lose connectivity as well?

How many feet/walls/rooms does each computer have to travel through to receive a signal?

Who is your internet service provider?

Mike_N_Ike

See, that would solve my problem it's just that I can't figure out how to do that so that the laptops that use the access point end up on the same network as the other computers.

Mike_N_Ike

The wired systems still work - but the wireless ones die. Usually at that point on the wireless systems the status will keep jumping between "wireless connection unavailable" and "connected to...strength v.good" - however, it will switch back and forth every minute or so and while it saying its connected to the network, I can't access anything on the internet.

One of the wireless systems is about 10 feet from the router, and the other is about 30 feet away and has a wall inbetween.

And, I'm using Cox Cable.

hapoo

turn off dhcp on the wireless router, just connect a lan connection on the wireless router to a lan connection on the main router.

Mike_N_Ike

Let me see if I have this correct - if my main router assigns IP addresses like 1.2.3.101 - 1.2.3.104 and I hook up the wireless one to it like you're telling me to w/o the DHCP, my laptop should get an IP like 1.2.3.106 or something like that? I mean, it will get assigned by the main router, not the wireless one? I think that would solve my problem if I could get it to work.

The only wireless router I have sitting here right now is the DOA netgear one that is getting sent back and I can't get it to turn off the DHCP - it keeps coming back on for some reason. But if I understand correctly what you said, that sounds like it would solve my problem.

hapoo

yes, if you hook anything up to the lan port on the wireless router, it will simply broadcast the signal and act as an access point. And if your main router is handing out addresses, it should see any computers on the wireless and assign addresses.
Just remember to use the correct ports.

Mike_N_Ike

Thanks for all your help Hapoo - and by the lan port on the wireless router, you mean the place where you'd connect a cable modem if that was the only router you were using, right?

mechmike0034

Mike, I don't knowif this is relevant, but...

If you are running XP on the client PCs, plus running the software that comes with most wireless cards, you may want to disable the Win XP wireless connection app. I disabled mine and just use the connectivity software that comes with my D-Link card. I was having problems getting booted off of the network until I did this...

Just a thought...

__________________
"The price of progress is trouble." (C. F. "Boss" Kettering)
"50% of the American public has below-average intelligence. 70% of the American public now has regular access to the Internet. Do the math." (unknown)

hapoo

nope, connect it to where you would connect a computer, on both sides.