Re: Netgear WGPS606 <-> Netgear WGT624

On 22 Jul 2006 02:53:51 GMT, phil-news-nospam@xxxxxxxx wrote in
<e9s3vv029ba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:20:12 GMT John Navas <spamfilter0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
| On 21 Jul 2006 21:31:29 GMT, phil-news-nospam@xxxxxxxx wrote in
| <e9rh3h01m3u@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

| A key principle of networking is to carefully plan the network first,
| then implement it. Rushing ahead is a bad idea.

That's what I did. But it was based on the _assumption_

That's _not_ careful planning. ;)

that wireless
would not have limitations intentionally built in that it does have.

It doesn't. It simply has different products just like wired
networking. You can't use a wired bridge as a wired router, just as you
can't use a wireless client bridge as a wireless router. You can't hook
one wired port to more than one other wired port, just as a wireless
client can be hooked up to more than one access point.

Ironically, now that I know such limitations do exist, I was expecting
to find lots of resources that I didn't look for before that would tell
me this. I've looked around and found a lot of resourses, none of which
tell me what I needed to know to do a correct plan.

Yet lots of them do exist, including the wikis below and the wealth of
links they contain.

| Gack! Each WLAN should have a really unique SSID, at least for
| starters. The only time you want the same SSID is when you want
| wireless clients to roam between them, which is probably not what you
| want even later.

Except for my sister-in-law's laptop, no roaming is needed.

My original thinking of this was at the very least everything in my house
would all be on one WLAN.

Read what I wrote more carefully. You've already run into a common
problem caused by non-unique SSIDs.

This little old bridge I do have will not talk _directly_ to the
printer. I would need to have something running that WILL talk to the
printer. The WGT624 does.

That's because the printer is a client that needs an access point
(WGT624), not another client (little old bridge). Read the resources
and all the material I've now posted here.

| Are you trying to create a big network covering both houses, where
| everything can talk to everything? If so, you're options include:

I was going to try that. Having it cover just my house alone would
be an accomplishment, it seems.

Actually pretty easy.

| 1. One WLAN covering both house. Wireless probably won't work, and a
| bitch to use both broadbands.

I already have the cross-usage of broadbands figured out. My file server
in my house has a running Squid proxy. That's a start to get HTTP access.
If my proxy can reach my DSL, then any machine that can reach my proxy
can at least do HTTP via my DSL. The file server going into my brother's
house can have the same thing.

I don't need to use both broadbands by direct reach to the respective routers.

As I wrote, forget all that cool stuff until you finish the network.

| Here you go -- add a wireless client bridge (WCB), and everything
| connects to everything: <http://i5.tinypic.com/20p7rro.png>

That's looks viable. Would a WCB be usable in place of the WGPS606
even with a WCB at my brother's how?

The WGPS606 is a WCB (Wireless Client Bridge), plus a network switch and
network printer server.

| * Put your WLAN with a unique SSID (Phil's WLAN) on one channel.
| * Put your brother's WLAN with a different SSID (Brother LAN) on a
| different channel.
| * Use channels with minimal overlap (1, 6, 11).
| * Configure DHCP in the two wireless routers (WGT624) for different
| subnets in the same private netblock; e.g.,
| - Your network: 192.168.1/16 Gateway (WGT624): 192.168.1.1
| - Brother's network: 192.168.2/16 Gateway (WGT624): 192.168.2.1
| * Turn off DHCP and configure everything manually.

I prefer manual. But either way will work. My bootable CDROMs
of Linux do use DHCP to get an IP address, so I do have a DHCP
server running on one of the Linux machines. Things can be turned
on or off or reconfigured as needed in this regard.
...
I consider manual configuration not a hassle. And I can run DHCP on
a Linux box just as easily.

Running any sort of DHCP on separate bridged networks is asking for
trouble, as I explained.

Your diagram shows the WCB at my brother's house, wireless to the WGT624
in my house, and wired to the WGT624 in his house. Would it be possible
to reverse that where it would be wired to the WGT624 in my house and
reach the WGT624 at his house by wireless under his SSID? I'm asking
that to both understand what this is doing ... AND to be sure the WGPS606
would not interfere with it.

Yes, opposite configuration of the WCB link will work.

Can a WCB be used in lieu of the WGPS606?

Again, the WGPS606 is a WCB (Wireless Client Bridge), plus a network
switch and network printer server.

What vendor device models are WCBs to choose from?

Lots, including the WGPS606. Sometimes called Wireless Gaming Adapters,
although beware of those that can only handle a few or even just one
device. But since you seem to fancy yourself a hacker, I've already
recommended running third-party firmware in wireless client bridge mode
on a suitable box (e.g., Linksys WRT54G, which you may be able to find
for cheap -- just be sure to get a good version). See the wikis for
more info.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_How_To>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
.

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