Convert Router to Wireless for ONE COMPUTER ONLY HT?

I've got a WIRED router which I use for my home. I don't want to change it. However, is there a way to convert ONE of the router ports into a wireless port for occasional use by a laptop? Is there some sort of device I can plug into the router that will make it send a wireless signal for just one address? This way I can use a wireless laptop, but disable the wireless feature when I don't want it broadcasted.

Is there such a product out there?

Thanks

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson
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"Jim Rainfordson" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@e38g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...

Yes, it is called an wireless access point.

Good luck! Yours sincerely, Rene

Reply to
Rene

Rene,

Thank you. I've already started looking for them on NewEgg.

That should resolve my question, but if anyone has any specific models to recommend, please post.

Thanks again!

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson

I have a modem-router wired & wireless from linksys(Cisco) I really love it.

So i can propose to you the: WRT54G ->

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Don't choice the WAP54G ... because you will be not able to connect computers to internet the WAP54G is a wireless acces point but without the router facility.

This info came from:

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we can see the differences between: "an access point and a router with access point"

Reply to
Rambo

Jim Rainfordson wrote in news:90ee59b2-dc6c- snipped-for-privacy@e35g2000yqc.googlegroups.com:

You can use just about ANY wireless rtr for an AP only.

If you look for an AP only...no rtr or WiFi, I'm sure you'll find them to be more expensive than a common wireless rtr.

You simply connect a LAN port from the new rtr to an open LAN port on the new rtr (a crossover cable MAY be required).

Reply to
DanS

Why not? It's pretty trivial to setup a home router. Switch to one with wifi and you have only one box running. Saves power too. Most have a disable wifi feature. Otherwise just tack on another wifi router and set it to access point mode, or get one sold as being just an access point. Another point to consider is equipment does die, if you can't reprogram it now, when it's convenient, how will you deal with it if/when it craps out?

Reply to
Bill Kearney

Check out the wireless access point at this rather long link.

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They are selling an AirCruiser GN-AP01G for $11.99, but for today (Saturday) only. I don't know what they charge for shipping, if anything.

Reply to
GlowingBlueMist

Got a walmart nearby? got a linksys54g (not the gs model, under $40 for less than newegg), just plug it in to a wired router port when i want wireless....

Reply to
Peter Pan

Hi everyone. Thanks for your posts. I've read them all several times. I don't see my newest post, so I think I did a "reply to author" by mistake. Anyway, sorry for the delay in responding. My PC was down for a few days.

Sorry, but I may not have been clear in my OP. Basically, my wife wants to use her laptop to go online to browse and stream video while I am simultaneously using the main desktop computer. Internet access for the laptop is my primary objective. What I really want is to be able to quickly and easily allow or disable wireless internet access to the laptop on an "as needed" basis. I don't want to have to reboot anything. Meanwhile, I want to keep the main desktop computer always online via the wired router. I want the peace of mind a wired router offers. I don't want to have to worry about the neighborhood kid hacking me or siphon my bandwidth. If necessary, I'd be willing to pay more for hardware that allows me to quickly turn access on or off via a button, as opposed to having to plug and unplug something. (That said, I'm sure I could rewire my own switch into the power line of whatever hardware I get.)

I have been assuming the only way to give the laptop wireless internet access is via the router. However, if there is a way, perhaps by a USB wireless receiver (much like my wireless keyboard/mouse) then that's something to consider so long as it doesn't badly degrade the desktop PC performance or badly limit the bandwidth for either. (I realize even a router connection will mean available bandwidth is shared.) All things being equal, I'd prefer to be able to network the laptop and desktop together wirelessly, but as long as I can get internet access to the laptop, then it's not critical for the laptop to be able to talk with the desktop PC.

I've done home networking but I'm still a newbie. I think I'd like to stay with the LINKSYS brand because it's mainstream and (in theory) more reliable and more supported than an off brand. Also, my router and modem are LINKSYS and, as much as I love NewEgg, I can buy LINKSYS locally (walmart) so if it comes DOA it will be easier to return.

Rambo: Thanks for steering me clear of the WAP54G. I DO want internet access so the WRT54G may be the way to go...

Dans, Bill Kearney: So it sounds like I should just use a stand-alone wireless router but make it dependent on the wired router for its connection by way of a Cat5 cable. That way the wired router is always on, but then I can still turn the wireless router on or off on an "as needed" basis. Am I understanding correctly?

GlowingBlueMist: Thanks for the tip, but for reasons listed above I think I'll stay with a mainstream brand.

Peter Pan: I'm not sure which LINKSYS product you're referring to. Many models seem to have the 54g tag.

Thanks everyone. I've always gotten good advice from newgroups over the years and I'm always grateful to those who take the time to help. Again, I'm sorry for my delayed response.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson

At some of the walmarts they sell wrt54g (not the gs, difficult to make g plural without adding an s) for under $45

Reply to
Peter Pan

Check into the difference between ad hoc and infrastructure networks then.... if in fact the first two sentences of the above is accurate, you ASSUMED incorrectly... your if there is a way sentence, is exactly what ad-hoc does check into ICS (Internet Connection Sharing), the laptop can share the internet connection on the desktop (ad hoc network and ICS), and if your desktop does both wired and wireless, it's free (if not you can get a wireless usb dongle for your desktop for about $10), and can do exactly what you want... in addition it networks the laptop with the desktop, so you can share files/hard disks/printers/etc....

Reply to
Peter Pan

You've already gotten some great advice. One thing I would add, especially considering your affinity for Linksys equipment, would be to consider dd-wrt firmware

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for your Linksys router (or router acting as Access point).

With dd-wrt firmware, you can schedule your radio to be on or off at certain times of the day, so for example if you wanted it to automatically turn on at 7 AM and off at 11 PM you could do that. I haven't used the feature but I assume it works until proven otherwise. Also, dd-wrt provides the capability to turn the front panel SES switch into a radio on/off switch, so manual control of the radio is also easily available.

If you're concerned about the neighbor kids hacking in, then a flavor of WPA is recommended, but for super paranoia you can't do much better than turning off the radio when it's not needed. Pretty hard to hack a wireless system (via wireless) when the radio is off.

Reply to
Char Jackson

Jim Rainfordson wrote in news:813f5c15-8bc1- snipped-for-privacy@m24g2000vbp.googlegroups.com:

Well, yes. But you could just replace the existing rtr with a wireless one.

Of course, that depends on the location of it, and whether or not it can service the area needed for the laptop.

A rtr with wireless will usually have either 1) a hard switch on it to turn the wireless portion on or off, or 2) in the admin page on the rtr, a checkbox to enable or disable the wireless portion.

Reply to
DanS

Buy a wireless router/AP, disable DHCP on it, give it an IP address on your network and plug its LAN into your existing LAN. Switch it on when you want to allow wireless access. Switch it off when you don't.

Reply to
alexd

If you plug your new "WRT54G" into a wired slot of your existing wired router, you can easely switch on/off by plugging/unplugging the wrt54g. Isn't it ?

Reply to
Rambo

Thanks for the replies. All ideas were good so I had to weigh my needs and knowledge.

PeterPan: On your advice I did basic research into Ad Hoc and the other networks. After my last post I decided it would be preferable to be able to use the laptop even at times when the desktop is off. Also, the basic LAN stuff is more familiar to me, so I might pass on the ad hoc afterall, at least for now. Thanks.

Char Jackson: Not sure radio is my thing, but I did a cut-paste-save of your post so I'll have it when I need it. I'll start basic and work my way up to this. Thanks.

What you (and rambo) describe is a good summary of what others said earlier in the thread. I think this is the way to go. Simple and offers the most options for the laptop. Networking. Internet. Can be used when desktop is off. Doesn't use desktop resources. Relatively easy on/off with no reboot, and it's actually a little cheaper than the WAP.

DanS:

Hmm.. This has all the perks of using a separate wireless router and will use less power and less space. I didn't realize the wireless router offered BOTH wired and wireless ports. If I have to turn wireLESS on/off via the admin page, it's not worth it for me. The hard switch would be fine, but I'm not seeing that on the wireless routers models I've been looking at. Linksys's WRT54G doesn't even have an on/off switch to power the entire router, let alone just powering the wireless aspect.

Well, I guess it was a bit of a learning curve for me. I've basically come full circle. I finally understand my options and I guess I'm essentially doing what you guys originally said to do, only now I better understand why. I appreciate your time. It's always great to get so many options full of nuance from people who have the hands-on experience.

I'll sleep on it, but I'm about 90% sure I'll go with the Linksys WRT54G, plugging it into the existing wired router. Thanks everyone. Much appreciated!

Jim

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson

Wait a sec, allow me to clarify what I posted before. The WRT54G has a small push button switch on the front of the case. Normally it's used to set up wireless security between the wireless router and the wireless client, but if you install dd-wrt firmware in the router you can re-purpose that switch so that it becomes a very easy way of turning the wireless function on and off. So yes, you can make it act exactly as you described above.

I second that approach, and it fits nicely with what I suggested above. It's really handy to be able to turn the wireless on or off with a switch rather than having to log into the Admin pages every time. As a side benefit of installing dd-wrt, you also have the wireless 'scheduling' capability, which would be handy if you know in advance that you want the wireless to be on or off at certain times of the day/night.

Reply to
Char Jackson

One more thing...

If I go with the stand-alone wireless router and make it dependent upon the wired router, then it looks like LINKSYS offers a couple choices. WRT54G and WRT54GL. From what I've read, the GL version is the better one. Right? Also, it looks like LINKSYS is offering a new version/new look to their routers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what it looks like, the Wireless-N technology would just be overkill for what I want to do, right?

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Finally, in the descriptions of the WRT54G and the WRT54GL they both mention "SecureEasy Setup" buttons, and in the case of the WRT54G, it mentions a "power port" button. I'm interested because, in my case, I'd like an easy way to turn it on/off w/o having to pull plugs. That said, I've looked at pictures for both these models and the only button I can see for either model is the reset button. I know this is picky, but can anyone give me some insight here? Is there a mechanical power button on either?

(new egg specs)

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Thanks!

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson

I like the GL because (I think) it's more versatile and more amenable to running 3rd party firmware. It runs on a stripped version of Linux and I believe it has more memory, among other things.

In the Newegg photos, the SecureEasy Setup button is the rectangular Cisco logo on the far left of the front panel. That logo is actually a mechanical switch, and while its default purpose is to help you set up your wireless security, (something you can easily do yourself), you can use it to turn the wireless function on and off if you install the dd-wrt 3rd party firmware. (dd-wrt is recommended for other reasons, this is just a side perk.)

Reply to
Char Jackson

Oh okay, now I see what you mean about the button. The other functions aren't useful to me, but the button hack might come in handy. However, I did a layman's reading comparing the WRT54G and

54GL and the GL seemed to be the better model (for technical reasons I only barely grasp). I'll have to research the firmware update to see if it works on GL. I'm assuming for my purposes that turning the unit on/off will achieve the same purpose even if this means unplugging it from the wall.

Thanks

Reply to
Jim Rainfordson

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