(e-mail address removed) hath wroth:
Sorry for messing up the terminology, but here's my situation.
My list of different types of wireless bridges:
|
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless/Wi-Fi#Wireless_Bridge
It's not complete as marketing is always inventing new wireless terms
as the technology expands. The thing to remember is that *ALL*
802.11a/g/b wireless is bridging because it operates on ISO Layer 2
(MAC layer).
I've got
one DLink wireless router hooked within my office LAN (with IP address
192.168.1.100). It works fine - laptops are able to connect to it
wirelessly.
I'll assume that this Dlink is a DI-524 you mentioned in the subject
line.
I have an additional router which I want to use to
wifi-enable my home (which is about 40 feet away - but the concrete
inbetween doesnt let the signal of the first penetrate).
That will work if you turn this router into an "access point" by
disabling the DHCP server and ignoring the router sections.
Now, can I have the second router configured in a such a way that
(a) it has no ethernet wires attached to it
No.
(b) it serves as a 'repeater' of sorts to allow the laptops connecting
to it to access the office network
No.
If so, how do I configure my 2nd router?
The DI-524 does NOT have have repeater mode. It also does not support
WDS (wireless distribution service) which is what you would need to
use to create a repeater, that users could still use to connect.
However, the choice of hardware is not the real problem. It's the
concrete wall. It really doesn't matter what wireless contrivance you
purchase, it's not going to go throught he concrete wall in a reliable
manner. You might bounce around the wall, of perhaps find some holes,
but in general, it's no RF is going to go through. Therefore, the
problem is not how to build a repeater out of a DI-524 (which can't be
done). It's how to send RF through a concrete wall.
Basically, your problem is "How do I get wireless to the other side of
a concrete wall. Here are some possibilities. I've done most of
these at one point or other and know they work. I can't tell which
will work best for your situation.
1. Punch a hole. Run CAT5 through the hole and install an access
point on the othe side. Use same SSID but different RF channel (1,6,
or 11). Do NOT borrow a hole from a electrical outlet as shoving
signal wires through an electrical outlet box is both unsafe and a
violation of electrical codes.
2. Borrow some telephone wires, CATV coax cable, or AC power line
wires to act as a bridge between the sides of the wall. Techniques,
distance, and equipment vary depending on technology available. I
don't know what you have available, so I won't go into much detail
here. Buzzwords and starting links:
Power line: HomePlug
http://www.homeplug.org
http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WGXB102.php
Phone line: HomePNA
http://www.homepna.org
CATV coaxial cable:
http://www.multilet.com/us/baseband/product_range/product_range.htm
You can run 10baseT-HDX over telco paired wires quite nicely. Same
with 10base2 Cheapernet over coax cable. If you have the wires,
there's usually a way of getting data to run over them.
3. Punch a hole. Run LMR-240 coaxial cable through the hole. Install
a 2-way power splitter at the antenna of your DI-524. On port goes to
the original antenna. The other port goes to the coax, through the
hole, and to a 2nd antenna. Half your RF goes through the hole.
http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/signal_splitters_2400_2way.php
4. If you have metal HVAC ducting, you can use it as a waveguide.
Install an antenna inside the ducting and hope that something comes
out the other end. Pay attention to the polarization of the
grillwork. I've used this when desperate. It works, but is not
terribly reliable or guaranteed.
5. If there's a connecting doorway, and the door is NOT made from
metal, then you can "illuminate" the door with a directional antenna.
Much of the RF will go through the wooden or fiberglass door. This is
really a matter of positioning the access point and antenna. I have
one such installation where the access point ended up hanging
upside-down from just above the top of the door frame, with the
vertical antenna projecting into the doorway. Obviously, the door
opens in the opposite direction. Works nicely but looks a bit funny.
Sorry, no photos.
Lemme know if my situation isnt that clear...
Not too horrible. The general form of such questions should be:
1. What are you trying to accomplish?
2. What do you have to work with?
3. What have you done so far and what happened?
