Need help with network setup

[Nils]

Hi,

I've decided to add a wireless section to my wired network, but I'm not quite sure how to arrange some of the devices of the network.

First, of course, I'll have to get a wireless router, because I want all the PC's on the wireless network to able to communicate with the PC's on the wired network. I already decided which router to get, so that's not the issue.

However, I'm not sure about how I have to arrange the wired devices. Now I have a 4-port wired router to which all four PC's in the house are connected. Obviously this means that it is fully occupied. I think that if I want to add a wireless router I will have to connect it to the wired router, right? So I searched some shops for an 8-port router, but quickly found out that they are hard to find and if you find one, they're quite expensive. The only one that I found to be just about affordable is the one from Linksys but I read some bad reviews about it, so I wasn't really sure if it's worth the money (any comments on this product are welcome too)

So next on, I thought about getting an 8-port switch instead of a router, but of course it doesn't offer the hardwired firewall protection a router does, so it might be a good idea to connect it to the router I already have. Now this is where I really don't know how to configure the network. Remember, both wired and wireless PC's must be able to communicate.

1) Do I have to connect the switch to the wired router and connect the wireless router to the switch?

OR

2) Do I have to connect both the switch and the wireless router to the wired router?

Any advice would be really appreciated,

Thanks

 

[sturm]

Why don't you replace the wired router with the wireless router, which should have at least 4 wired ports, and not worry about the switch?

Now if you want to run more than 4 wired computers you will need a switch. The switch will plug into the router and the router into the cable/dsl modem.

 

[Nils]

The wired router is in the basement which is not a good place to install a wireless router as the space to cover is quite large. However I have cables going to almost every room in the house, so I though it might be a good idea to install the wireless router in a room on the first floor, which is the middle of three floors that need to be covered.

So the devices making up the network will be a wired router, a switch and a wireless router. Of course I also have a modem which obviously has to be connected to the router. My question is how to connect the other devices. Is it one of both ways I mentioned earlier?

 

[Guest]

You really need a wireless access point and not a wireless router (though a wireless router can be converted to a wireless access point).

 

[Nils]

Does an access point allow the connected devices to exchange data?

Can we keep it at the subject? As I already mentioned in the beginning, I already decided which wireless router to get. I'm wondering how I have to connect everthing with each other. I only need one simple answer to that question. I'm not an expert on networks, so please help.

 

[karlh]

I don't know how new these features are but they are new to me. I bought a router from eBay (Netgear WNR3500). I think the model is a year to two old. It had a feature on it I'd not heard of before. It has wireless Repeater. It's connected to the 1st router via an ethernet cable. It then repeats the signal. For me I wind up with a wireless router downstairs and wireless router upstairs. It solved my signal issues.

For you it may work as well. If you had a wireless router with the repeating function on one your main floors, it would connect via an existing cable without the need for an extra port on the basement router. The PC upstairs that is currently connected to the wired router would be plugged into the new wireless router and the wireless signal would be available from a more strategic location.

 

[Guest]

Nexaira Wireless makes an inexpensive combination wireless-wired router for the home market. Their product has received excellent reviews, and can automatically switch between wired and wireless uses.

Because the product is relatively new, a lot of retail outlets don't carry it yet. It's worth investigating though, and if you can't find it locally, then I'd suggest checking out the company's website to order it direct or find out who in your area carries it.

Swift Eddie