wireless router questions

By Dane
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Grand Master

Dane

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For my notebook i'll be getting this month, I am going to buy a wireless router. My question is, my laptop has 802.11b/g WLAN. So would this router work? D-Link

Or would this one?

Also, my desktop wont be wireless, so could i just plug it into the router itself? Also, is it easy to secure it? So no one else can steal my internet?

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Grand Master

Dane

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Assuming you're on cable, not ADSL, they'll both work. It's personal preference really, but I prefer Netgear.

I used to have cable. Now I have DSL (same speed, cheaper better service). Does that still matter?

I guess the netgear would work because it says.

How it works: It connects to your cable/DSL modem and communicates with your computers' wireless 802.11g (backward-compatible with 802.11b) network adapters, built-in wireless capability, or wired Ethernet adapters.
Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

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What modem do you have? More than likely it already does nat, so your not going to want to setup your new wireless router as a router, you just need it in accesspoint mode.. To add wireless to your current network.

Normally wireless routers are cheaper than accesspoints, an any wireless router can be used as just an accesspoint.

Just keep that in mind when setting it up -- you do not want to double nat.

Grand Master

Dane

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If you connect your cable modem to your PC with an ethernet cable, or CAT5, the router will work fine.

---cable/dsl line from wall------->cable/dsl modem-------->router---->usually up to 4 PCs wired and LOTS wireless.

What modem do you have? More than likely it already does nat, so your not going to want to setup your new wireless router as a router, you just need it in accesspoint mode.. To add wireless to your current network.

Normally wireless routers are cheaper than accesspoints, an any wireless router can be used as just an accesspoint.

Just keep that in mind when setting it up -- you do not want to double nat.

What do you mean? Right now I have a Speed Touch DSL modem from my ISP. So would i get a wireless router? Or an accesss point.

Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

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  • MVC
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An what is the model number of your speed touch DSL modem?? Most DSL connections use a gateway device, ie modem/router combo.. If this is the case then you do not really need another router doing nat.. What you need is an accesspoint to add wireless to your already existing network.

But as this link points out, any wireless router can be used as just a accesspoint. An normally they are cheaper then true accesspoints.

http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/wireless-...cess-point.html

If you "modem" has more than 1 ethernet port -- that for sure it does nat. But to be honest, the dsl device that does not do NAT is hard to come by these days.. I would bet a fairly large sum of money that what your calling your "modem" is really a gateway, ie combo of modem/router together. An is already doing NAT.

Does your computer get a public IP or a private one? if its starts with 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x or 172.16-31.x.x then it is a private IP an your behind a NAT arleady -- an you do not need to add another NAT devices to your network. You can veiw you computers IP from the command line using the command ipconfig

C:\>ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Gig:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100 <--- Private Address = behind NAT

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.253

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_address_translation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_network

Keep in mind any wireless router can be used as just an accesspoint.. Or you can quite often turn off the NAT features of your current gateway an use it a just a modem, ie bridge -- an then use your new shiny wireless router as router.

By I would not suggest anything that does not support 3rd party firmware.. Its just asinine to buy hardware that does not support 3rd party firmware in this day an age... Even if you do not use 3rd party out of the box, what about 3 months from now when you want to do something that the lame ass native firmware does not support -- what do you do then ;)

Anything on this list should be fine

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

Grand Master

Dane

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  • Author
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i did IP config

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : lan

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.x.xx

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254

My DSl thing is a Router/modem I found out. The information I can get off of it is

Product Name: SpeedTouch 5x6

Serial Number: CP0714BHG3T

Software Release: 6.1.0.5

Software Variant: AA

Boot Loader Version: 1.0.6

Product Code: 35998470

Board Name: BANT-V

I have looked around, and I'd just rather pick up a wireless router. So how would I go about turning off NAT on my current "gateway"? What happens if it wouldnt be turned off? Would the router that i linked to in the first post work fine? The netgear one.

Also, would I have to point the wireless router to the IP my DSL thing uses? or just plug it in and go? then just set up the security on it.

Edit: I called my isp to get more info about my current router and they are saying its not a router. is a DSL modem, but has four ports on the back :wacko:. They just explained if I hook it up to a wireless router it will work without problems....So I dont know. I'll find out in about two weeks I am sure lol. They offer a wireless router thats wayyyy too much. So I am going for the netgear

Edited by Dane
Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted (edited)

^ exactly.. If you ISP does PPPoA an your shiny new router does not support that, then you can look on the dsl device for a half bridge mode.. Which still logs into the ISP for you, but puts a public IP address on your routers interface.

5x6 is not a model number.. Look under the device for sticker, that should have the model number on it.

Once we have the model number, we can help you find the instructions on how to turn it into just a modem.

edit: Yes you can hook up a wireless router to it.. An then you would be DOUBLE Natting -- any type of port forward you needed to do would have to be done on both devices. UPnP would not work, or you would have to put the IP address the wireless router gets into the DMZ of the 1st router, etc.. etc..

Yes your normal internet outbound will work ok thru a double nat.. it would be performance hit on your bandwidth for 1, its a pain to allow any inbound traffic, You can have other issues depending on what your doing on the internet.

If for some reason your 1st routers private IP is the same as your 2nd routers private you can have all kinds of issues - an most likely would work worth crap.

Even if you can not bridge your 1st routers, ie just use it as a modem -- any wireless router you buy can be used as an accesspoint.. So its really not that big of deal.. You should just need to understand this, so you can set it up correctly. If you going to use it as just an accesspoint -- any $20 wireless router you can find will work.. Since your not going to be using any real features of it. Since you would be turning it really into just a wireless bridge.

Edited by BudMan
Grand Master

Dane

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^ exactly.. If you ISP does PPPoA an your shiny new router does not support that, then you can look on the dsl device for a half bridge mode.. Which still logs into the ISP for you, but puts a public IP address on your routers interface.

5x6 is not a model number.. Look under the device for sticker, that should have the model number on it.

Once we have the model number, we can help you find the instructions on how to turn it into just a modem.

edit: Yes you can hook up a wireless router to it.. An then you would be DOUBLE Natting -- any type of port forward you needed to do would have to be done on both devices. UPnP would not work, or you would have to put the IP address the wireless router gets into the DMZ of the 1st router, etc.. etc..

Yes your normal internet outbound will work ok thru a double nat.. it would be performance hit on your bandwidth for 1, its a pain to allow any inbound traffic, You can have other issues depending on what your doing on the internet.

If for some reason your 1st routers private IP is the same as your 2nd routers private you can have all kinds of issues - an most likely would work worth crap.

Even if you can not bridge your 1st routers, ie just use it as a modem -- any wireless router you buy can be used as an accesspoint.. So its really not that big of deal.. You should just need to understand this, so you can set it up correctly. If you going to use it as just an accesspoint -- any $20 wireless router you can find will work.. Since your not going to be using any real features of it. Since you would be turning it really into just a wireless bridge.

The only thing that I would think is a model number says "Thomson St546 V6. Everthing else is just the S/n, MAC and modem access code. My ISP gave me a book on how to set up my internet with this current modem. and it says its set up as "Routed PPP then PPPoA.

So I wouldnt want to point the wireless router to the same IP address as the first. just change the last part to like .2 or the other is .1? sorry for being so lost with this wireless stuff.

Edited by Dane
Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

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  • MVC
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I have no idea wtf your talking about;

"point the wireless router to the same IP address as the first. just change the last part to like .2 or the other is .1?"

If you going to double NAT, which I would HIGHLY suggest you NOT do.. you would not point your wireless router at anything -- since it would gets internet IP from your 1st routers dhcp server.. You would just want to make sure that your wireless routers lan IP is not the same as your 1st routers, ie they are on different private networks.

If your dsl router hands out 192.168.1.x, then you need to make sure you change your 2nd routers lan network to be 192.168.2.x

I would HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest you not double nat -- its going to cause you nothing but grief! If you can not turn your 1st router into just a modem -- then use your wireless device as an accesspoint..

Then per the instructions I linked to you would just make sure that the accesspoints lan IP does not conflict with any IP address on your 1st routers network, an turn off its dhcp server, an connect the first router to one of your accesspoint routers LAN ports. Its all clearly spelled out in the instructions I linked too.

Grand Master

Dane

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I have no idea wtf your talking about;

"point the wireless router to the same IP address as the first. just change the last part to like .2 or the other is .1?"

If you going to double NAT, which I would HIGHLY suggest you NOT do.. you would not point your wireless router at anything -- since it would gets internet IP from your 1st routers dhcp server.. You would just want to make sure that your wireless routers lan IP is not the same as your 1st routers, ie they are on different private networks.

If your dsl router hands out 192.168.1.x, then you need to make sure you change your 2nd routers lan network to be 192.168.2.x

Thats what I meant, sorry I didnt word it better. I was rushing to get to done to goto work. If it gives the same IP, just change it. I read that on that site you gave me the link to.

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