Wireless Home Network

What you need is an "access point". That's just a wireless bridge without the router found in most "wireless routers". It's cheaper and better to buy a wireless router and convert it into an access point.

  1. Setup the IP address on the same LAN network as your 2003 server. For example, if your server is at 192.168.1.1, put the wireless at
192.168.1.2.
  1. Disable the DHCP server in the wireless router.
  2. Ignore the WAN port. It's not used.
  3. Connect a CAT5 cable between your LAN switch and one of the LAN ports on the wireless router. You may need to build an ethernet crossover cable if your wireless router does not have auto-polarity sensing.

Most wireless routers come with a built in 4 port switch. Most wireless access points do not have the 4 port switch.

You're looking at the wrong devices. Wireless switches are rather elaborate devices designed for large networks. The idea is to deploy brain dead wireless devices, and have them centrally managed by a central switch. Massive overkill for your installation.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann
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I currently have a wired network of 4 computers. I have a Windows Server

2003 box with 2 NICs and am using the built in RRAS as the router. I have a switch with 3 Windows boxes connected.

I want to mix in a little wireless but I still want to use 2003 as the router. What is the cheapest way to achieve this and still use 2003 as the router? I can buy a wireless router cheaply but is it possible to use it basically as a switch? Far as I can tell, wireless switches seem to be targeted for larger commercial networks (hence, more than the ~ $50 I would like to spend).

Thanks for any help.

Reply to
TomW

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