Re: Please help with Access Point problem
- From: Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 05 May 2007 18:48:25 -0700
"Edincleve" <edincleve@xxxxxxxxxxx> hath wroth:
I want to get internet access to an non-profit office that can't get DSL at
their site & cable internet is too expensive for them.
Most major ISP's have special programs for schools, charitable
organizations, and public service agencies. They're often difficult
to find, but they do exist. Non-profits are a borderline situation
that usually requires some convincing but can be done. A 501(c)(3)
status is usually the minimum requirement.
I am going to try to
get them internet acceess from one of their employees who has cable
broadband & lives on the street behind the office, about 250 feet away -
line of sight with nothing interfering.
Perfect. No problem except that there may be some interference from
other nearby systems. I suggest you do a "site survey" with at least
Netstumbler or Kismet to determine if there may be any interference.
Much of the interference can be eliminated with highly directional
antennas, but this also agrivates the problem along the line of sight.
So far I purchased the following:
Dlink Router (DI624)
Dlink AP (DWL-2100AP)
Dlindk Switch (DGS-2205)
Dlink Outdoor Directional Panel Antenna (ANT24-1400).
No problem so far. I'm not thrilled with your selection of hardware,
but it will work. The DWL-2100AP has a client mode that can be used:
<http://support.dlink.com/emulators/dwl2100ap/html/CfgAPMode.html>
Select AP client. Insert the MAC address of the wireless port of the
DI624 (on the status page). You should have a connection.
I will put the router at the employee's house & connect it to the antenna.
The antenna will point to the office. At the office I will have the AP &
connect it to the switch. From the swithch 2 or 3 computers will be wired to
it for internet access & file sharing.
I have tried to get the AP working in my office before I take it onsite. I
am able to wire the AP to a computer & access the AP configuration from the
computer. I set it up in the AP Client Mode & then tried to access the
wireless router network- but no success.
That could be anything from no signal to bad configuration. Drag the
DWL-2100AP and DI624 into the same room. Run a simulated test using a
local computer. Keep it simple. Once you have verified that the two
will talk to each other, then you can play with the antenna.
Hmmm.... why only one directional antenna? Are you perhaps shooting
through a window? What are you leaving out about in the RF path
description?
Also, while you have everything in one place, could I trouble you to
update the firmware in both the DI-624 and the DWL-2100AP. Even new
off the shelf, they're often out of date.
If it is setup in this way isn't the AP basically acting the same as a
wireless card in the computer?
By AP, I assume you mean the DWL-2100AP. It has various modes, one of
which is to act as a client. You'll be using it in the client mode.
Here is a list of other wireless bridges from the FAQ that will do the
same thing:
<http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi#Wireless_Ethernet_Bridges>
1) Does the way I want to set everything up make sense?
If there is a better way, please let me know.
Nope. It sounds tolerable. I have to question whether you really
have line of sight and whether you have enough gain to make it 250ft
away. Without calculating, my guess is that you're doing fine.
However, for 250ft, I would have considered other means such as CAT5,
ethernet extenders, fiber, coax, power line, or phone line networking.
Power Line networking:
<http://www.homeplug.com>
Phone line networking:
<http://www.homepna.com>
CATV coax sharing:
<http://www.coaxsys.com>
<http://www.multilet.com>
<http://www.mocalliance.org>
Ethernet extenders:
<http://www.patton.com/products/pe_products.asp?category=146>
Plenty of others, but these are a good start at alternatives.
2) How do I configure the AP wireless mode?
as an Access Point, WDS with AP, AP Repeater, or AP Client.
See:
<http://support.dlink.com/emulators/dwl2100ap/html/CfgAPMode.html>
You should probably use "AP Client". You could also use WDS bridge
which combines the best of a client ethernet bridge with a repeater,
but only if you really want to use a wireless client at the DWL-2100AP
end. WDS is supported in later versions of the DWL-2100AP firmware
<http://www.dlink.com/products/resource.asp?pid=292&rid=919&sec=0>
I really don't want to walk you through the setup. Call Dlink support
and ask them. If that doesn't work or you're still lost after reading
the documentation,
<http://support.dlink.com/faq/view.asp?prod_id=1569>
come back and we'll try again.
3) The router will have encryption enabled (WPA-PSK).
Yeah, that will work for client mode to access point mode. However,
it will possibly not work for WDS mode where you may be stuck with
WEP. I say may be because some combinations do work, but most do not.
a) Do I have to set the AP to the same type of encryption
Yes. You also have to set the shared key to be the same at both ends.
b) or does it matter what wireless mode the AP uses?
Yes. The router will use "infrastructure mode" also known as access
point mode. The DWL-2100AP will probably use "AP client" mode also
known as "ethernet client wireless bridge" mode.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
.
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