Extender or switch or bridge

[roth79]

Hi Gurus,

I need some advise as not so savy with wireless and networking. In my home I have a cable modem wired to a linksys wireless router a wrt 300n in my office and I do not get such good distance to my back bedrooms with my laptop. I have run a ethernet cable dead center of the house for my directv reciever that is connected and wired to the 300wrt. Here is my question can I use a switch at the office at the cable modem and use the wrt300n router so that I get wireless on that side of the house. Or in reading here I see I can maybe use a bridge. I do have a old Linksys wrt150n sitting in a box.

I have read until my eyes are almost bleeding and am not sure.

Is there any suggestions for extending the wireless signal, I will buy another router if I need to.

Advise please.

Roth

 

[MysticMiner]

If you're willing to buy another router, and they're compatible with something like DD-WRT, you can set up WDS. Or if you don't need wireless on the other end, you could use WRT as a bridge.

You could also use the router you have to set up access at the cable modem, then using the wire you have, put your other router there, but configure it as an access point.

 

[roth79]

I think I understand use the 150 wrt at the modem kind of like a extension wired to the modem and use the wrt300n at the middle of the house wired and configure that as access point for all wireless connections? Do I have that right Mystic?

 

[MysticMiner]

Sure, that can work. You may want to keep the 300n at the modem, but that depends on what wireless signals you want where.

 

[roth79]

Is ther a how to I can read for configuring these 2 routers Mystic and thanks, Ill read some more...

 

[MysticMiner]

Linksys has a fair bit of documentation at their site, I'd offer to look at mine, but I replaced the firmware with DDWRT so I can't go through the process with you without flashing it back. They do have forums there where you can ask if nobody pops up here.

It looks like all you'll have to do is disable the DHCP on whichever router is second in line, and change the IP address to something besides 192.168.1.1 such as 1.2, though you may need to assign a different number depending on how your original router is configured. It should be on the first page on logging into the router, though you'll have to use the original IP first, which means you probably want to just be connected to the second router on its own, then change it.

 

[roth79]

Best answer selected by roth79.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

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