Network questions

[piratePenguin]

We're getting (wireless) broadband in a few days/weeks (at long last), so one computer (probably my brother's Windows computer) is going to be connected to the internet, and it'll be sharing the internet connection with at least my GNU/Linux computer and a few Windows laptops.
I've been thinking of getting a wireless access point, but I have a few questions first:

Is it possible (I think it is. Just making sure.) to have one computer connected to the net, with a wireless card, and sharing the connection, while the access point is connected another computer?
What wireless access point should I go for (must be G. If it works with B too, that's a bonus)?
If I need a wireless card for my GNU/Linux box, which should I go for?
I'm kinda tempted to go this route. Is that a bad idea?

Cheers!

PS: I'm too lazy to google this stuff. I usually would (google it I mean), but I don't have much time (exams all week) and I wanna get any stuff I needa buy sorted ASAP.

[WMD]

Is it possible (I think it is. Just making sure.) to have one computer connected to the net, with a wireless card, and sharing the connection, while the access point is connected another computer?

Not that I know of...but why would you want it like that, anyway?  It'd be really messy.  An access point isn't connected to a computer per se - you plug your modem...oh wait, you don't have one.  In this case, you don't need an AP at all -just two wireless cards in the computer recieving the connection.  Windows can share the internet from one card to the other via the network.

What wireless access point should I go for (must be G. If it works with B too, that's a bonus)?

Don't get one - it wouldn't work.  You need two separate wireless connections to do what you want, which an AP doesn't have.

If I need a wireless card for my GNU/Linux box, which should I go for?

The gold standards for Linux wireless are Orinoco and Aironet-based 11b cards.  The drivers come with any distro.  If you need something USB, Linksys WUSB11 works with the wlan-ng driver (this is what I have set up).

I'm kinda tempted to go this route. Is that a bad idea?

You can, but it's quite a lot of work.  In your situation, you can use a Linux box with two wireless cards and iptables to achieve a similar effect, though it won't be an official access point.  That's probably the best way for you to go.

See http://linux-wless.passys.nl/ for all compatible (and non-compatible) Linux wireless cards.

[piratePenguin]

In this case, you don't need an AP at all -just two wireless cards in the computer recieving the connection.  Windows can share the internet from one card to the other via the network.

We want a wireless LAN, so we can share files and that, and share the internet connection.
I don't see how two wireless cards in one computer can do any of this. Do they not need an access point to send stuff to?

There's two laptops in the house atm, and both have wireless G support. Don't I need an access point to get them networking wirelessly?

You can, but it's quite a lot of work.  In your situation, you can use a Linux box with two wireless cards and iptables to achieve a similar effect, though it won't be an official access point.  That's probably the best way for you to go.

Would one wireless card not do the job?

See http://linux-wless.passys.nl/ for all compatible (and non-compatible) Linux wireless cards.

Thanks. Was looking for a list like that.

[WMD]

We want a wireless LAN, so we can share files and that, and share the internet connection.
I don't see how two wireless cards in one computer can do any of this. Do they not need an access point to send stuff to?

There's two laptops in the house atm, and both have wireless G support. Don't I need an access point to get them networking wirelessly?

No.  I don't have an AP and my network is fine.  You have to set the cards in "ad-hoc" mode (easy), and it works.

Would one wireless card not do the job?

No...a wireless card works exactly like ethernet without the wire.  You can't have one ethernet card connecting to a modem and a network at the same time, can you?   You need to have one picking up the connection, and another that sends it to your home network.

[piratePenguin]

No. I don't have an AP and my network is fine. You have to set the cards in "ad-hoc" mode (easy), and it works.

I think I can do that on the Windows laptop, but I don't have a clue how to do it on the Apple powerbook with Airport..
Can it be done with one Windows laptop and an Apple one?

No...a wireless card works exactly like ethernet without the wire. You can't have one ethernet card connecting to a modem and a network at the same time, can you?   You need to have one picking up the connection, and another that sends it to your home network.

Yea I suppose. But I dunno what way this wireless broadband works. It could (I think) plug into the computer via ethernet, and send it to the wireless network through one wireless card. That's the way I was thinking it'd work. Or it could (I think) use a wireless PCI card or USB device, and then send it one to the wireless network via another wireless card.

[WMD]

I think I can do that on the Windows laptop, but I don't have a clue how to do it on the Apple powerbook with Airport..
Can it be done with one Windows laptop and an Apple one?

Sure.  The Powerbook might pick it up automatically.  Otherwise, it can't be that hard to change...it's even pretty easy in Linux.

But I dunno what way this wireless broadband works. It could (I think) plug into the computer via ethernet, and send it to the wireless network through one wireless card.

Don't know how wireless broadband uses ethernet...but if it does, yeah, you would only need one wireless card.

[Master of Reality]

...whats an access point?.... im knew at this crazy newfangled shite

[BobTheHob]

...whats an access point?.... im knew at this crazy newfangled shite

I think its like an ATM machine, but I'm not sure.

[Refalm]

...whats an access point?.... im knew at this crazy newfangled shite

An access point is an Internet router designed Ethernet and WiFi.

[piratePenguin]

Sure. The Powerbook might pick it up automatically. Otherwise, it can't be that hard to change...it's even pretty easy in Linux.

I setup a network on the Powerbook, and the Windows laptop isn't detecting it. So... How do I make sure the Windows laptop's card is in ad-hoc mode?

Don't know how wireless broadband uses ethernet...

I was thinking it'd have an arial somewhere, connected to a box (modem?), connected to the computer via ethernet.
But I dunno.. We'll soon find out

[WMD]

I setup a network on the Powerbook, and the Windows laptop isn't detecting it. So... How do I make sure the Windows laptop's card is in ad-hoc mode?

Usually using the software that came with the card.  Maybe Windows has that in the wireless settings.  You may have to look in the Device Manager for the card, and find it there.

[piratePenguin]

OK we got broadband installed yesterday (w00t!), so I wanna get this wireless network sorted. I haven't had any success with ad-hoc yet.

The antenna thing is connected to the Windows computer via _ethernet_. So now, for a wireless network, could I just buy an access point and plug the ethernet from the antenna into that and then the whole house can share wirelessly (at least the laptops, and then the desktops when I get wireless cards for them)? Is that what these access points are used for?

I'm not sure about this whole 'ad-hoc' thing... Can't get it working between the powerbook or the other laptop, so I dunno if it'd be possible to work for about 5 comps...

[solemnwarning]

from sounds of it you will need a wireless router not a wap, a wap\router acts just like a hub will in a cabled network, btw wap gas massive pings so even though 802.11g goes at 55meg i can barely get 500k bandwidth through it

so if you can i would recommend using normal network cable

[piratePenguin]

from sounds of it you will need a wireless router not a wap, a wap\router acts just like a hub will in a cabled network, btw wap gas massive pings so even though 802.11g goes at 55meg i can barely get 500k bandwidth through it

So if you can i would recommend using normal network cable

It's a 728kb/sec connection... I would've thought it'd work well with 802.11g. Anyone else sharing broadband over a wireless network, do the other computers get it full speed?

A wireless router... What's the difference between a wireless access point and a wireless router? Can an access point connect to a wireless network _and_ a cabled network (which I think is what I want)?


Basically, I want something that takes in ethernet and spurts out wireless radio things










(I think.)

[bedouin]

A wireless router... What's the difference between a wireless access point and a wireless router? Can an access point connect to a wireless network _and_ a cabled network (which I think is what I want)?

A wireless access point does not do NAT, at all; it just plugs into an already existing hub or switch and allows that network to be accessed wirelessly.  These are useful for extending the range of a wireless network, or useful if you prefer to use a Linux or BSD machine to do your routing for you.

Nowadays a vanilla access point is probably more difficult to find, and more expensive than a standard wireless router, which would eliminate the need for any machine to be on 24-7 doing NAT; you would plug your cable modem and wired machines into the router, and it would handle everything else on its own, including stuff like DHCP.

Find a wireless router for $20-30 and save yourself a ton of aggravation.  Only reason someone would want to do what you're doing is if they  preferred using Linux or BSD for their firewall/NAT; since you'd be using a Windows to do your routing it's kind of pointless.  Not to mention whenever your brother reboots the entire network's access to the Internet goes along with it.