[Novices] wireless network range expansion?

[bill]

Lots of questions here, I'll try to answer a few.


On Fri, 2004-09-17 at 13:35, Steve Petersen wrote:
> Thanks for your suggestions about expanding my wireless network range.

Best suggestion is to try moving it, even a foot can make a difference
sometimes.  

> First, I'm not sure it's not an intereference problem.  

Note that 2.4Ghz cordless telephones can interfere with reception (does
your reception go bad when you're on the telephone?).

> This is where I display my ignorance of networking, and why I'm on the 
> novice list:  first, WAP is "wireless access point", right?  How does 
> that differ from a wireless router (if at all)?  

A WAP (sometimes called an AP) doesn't necessarily have a router built
into it, but always an antenna.  A wireless router is an access point
(note the antenna) and a router (note the ethernet jacks) with a hub or
switch.  To be as clear as possible, a wireless router generally has
more than one ethernet jack on the back, a wireless access point does
not.

> Second, I think I could 
> buy another WAP (if that's the right piece of hardware) and position it 
> one floor below the current one, where I know the signal from above is 
> good.  Then I wouldn't need to use CAT5 (that's ethernet cable, right?) 
> to connect it, and then I think then the broadcast should cover the 
> house between the two.  

Correct so far.  You would bridge the two with PTP.  But, it's very
unlikely you need two WAPs for one house.  Re-positioning is usually
better.  Even before I worry about positioning, I'd make sure I'm
setting up the receiving computers correctly first.  Best suggestion:
get a laptop working near the WAP, then wander from room to room with
the laptop.  That will show you where you have good signal.

> But I'm not clear on the networking setup 
> required.  Right now my wireless linksys router is, I *think*, a local 
> hub connected to an ethernetted desktop at 192.168.1.10 and my 
> wireless-receiving laptop set to 192.168.1.20.  

Where is the internet connected?  Or is that not part of this scenario?
What is the IP address of the WAP?

> The challenge is to get 
> the laptop to receive wireless downstairs in the living room, while the 
> WAP & desktop are in the study upstairs kitty-corner.  

Sounds fine, much like lots of other home wireless networks.

> Does the 
> second WAP (1 floor under the study) then get 192.168.1.20, 

No.  The first WAP has it's own IP address, the second one (if you get
one) will have still another.

> and if so 
> does it have to set up its own subnetwork to be able to talk to my laptop?

No.  You'd set it up as Point to Point bridge.  It would be on the same
subnet, 192.168.0.xxx

Again, you probably don't need more than one AP for a single house.

Not everything, but hopefully informative.

kind regards,

bill