Can you mix wired and unwired hardware in a simple home LAN

Can you mix wired and unwired PCs in a simply home LAN where 2 wired PCs and
1 unwired laptop are plugged into a wired 4 port d-link router which is
connected to a cable modem and thus to the Internet? How would the
configuration look? I'm assuming the answer will be that I need a wireless
router to accomodate the wireless laptop and I'm hoping that there are
wireless routers which can accomodate both wired and wireless PCs because I
don't want to have to get wireless adapters for the 2 PCs. Am I right?

All PCs are running XP sp2.

It might look like my current home mixed LAN using a Buffalo WBR-G54 4-Port
Broadband Router/802.11b/g Wireless Access Point..

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/LAN/LAN.jpg

...or if you only wanted to purchase a wireless access point like this
network...In this case the Buffalo is configured and used as a wireless
access point only...

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.or...xampleLAN.html

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual
benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...

"phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:F6D8B857-073C-41C5-9EB0-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Can you mix wired and unwired PCs in a simply home LAN where 2 wired PCs
> and
> 1 unwired laptop are plugged into a wired 4 port d-link router which is
> connected to a cable modem and thus to the Internet? How would the
> configuration look? I'm assuming the answer will be that I need a
> wireless
> router to accomodate the wireless laptop and I'm hoping that there are
> wireless routers which can accomodate both wired and wireless PCs because
> I
> don't want to have to get wireless adapters for the 2 PCs. Am I right?
>
> All PCs are running XP sp2.

What exactly is the function of the NAT (what's that mean?) router, i.e., why
a separate router for the firewall function? Isn't that normally part of the
function of routers? Doesn't the Buffalo router provide that function or
worst case, couldn't you use a software firewall and get rid of the NAT
router firewall function altogether?

Beyond that concern and question, the diagrams help a lot. So, it looks
like I can have a mxid environment but there is no wireless port off a
standard router. I'd have to use one port with an ethernet connection to a
separate wireless router and access point. Right? What does a wireless
router/access point combination get me that a router alone wouldn't? Since I
only want to go to a laptop, couldn't I just use a wireless router?

Thanks for helping out!

"Sooner Al [MVP]" wrote:

> It might look like my current home mixed LAN using a Buffalo WBR-G54 4-Port
> Broadband Router/802.11b/g Wireless Access Point..
>
> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/LAN/LAN.jpg
>
> ...or if you only wanted to purchase a wireless access point like this
> network...In this case the Buffalo is configured and used as a wireless
> access point only...
>
> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.or...xampleLAN.html
>
> --
>
> Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)
>
> Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual
> benefit of all of us...
> The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights...
>
> "phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:F6D8B857-073C-41C5-9EB0-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Can you mix wired and unwired PCs in a simply home LAN where 2 wired PCs
> > and
> > 1 unwired laptop are plugged into a wired 4 port d-link router which is
> > connected to a cable modem and thus to the Internet? How would the
> > configuration look? I'm assuming the answer will be that I need a
> > wireless
> > router to accomodate the wireless laptop and I'm hoping that there are
> > wireless routers which can accomodate both wired and wireless PCs because
> > I
> > don't want to have to get wireless adapters for the 2 PCs. Am I right?
> >
> > All PCs are running XP sp2.
>
>
>

I, for one, use a wireless router to connect my two computers to the
Internet
and between themselves.

My router contains a firewall.

I can also connect via RJ45 cables to one or more of the ports also present
on the router.

"phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> a écrit dans le message de news:
7658F184-5F41-4B35-A7C6-(E-Mail Removed)...
> What exactly is the function of the NAT (what's that mean?) router, i.e.,
> why
> a separate router for the firewall function? Isn't that normally part of
> the
> function of routers? Doesn't the Buffalo router provide that function or
> worst case, couldn't you use a software firewall and get rid of the NAT
> router firewall function altogether?
>
> Beyond that concern and question, the diagrams help a lot. So, it looks
> like I can have a mxid environment but there is no wireless port off a
> standard router. I'd have to use one port with an ethernet connection to
> a
> separate wireless router and access point. Right? What does a wireless
> router/access point combination get me that a router alone wouldn't?
> Since I
> only want to go to a laptop, couldn't I just use a wireless router?
>
> Thanks for helping out!
>
> "Sooner Al [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> It might look like my current home mixed LAN using a Buffalo WBR-G54
>> 4-Port
>> Broadband Router/802.11b/g Wireless Access Point..
>>
>> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/LAN/LAN.jpg
>>
>> ...or if you only wanted to purchase a wireless access point like this
>> network...In this case the Buffalo is configured and used as a wireless
>> access point only...
>>
>> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.or...xampleLAN.html
>>
>> --
>>
>> Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)
>>
>> Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual
>> benefit of all of us...
>> The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights...
>>
>> "phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:F6D8B857-073C-41C5-9EB0-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > Can you mix wired and unwired PCs in a simply home LAN where 2 wired
>> > PCs
>> > and
>> > 1 unwired laptop are plugged into a wired 4 port d-link router which is
>> > connected to a cable modem and thus to the Internet? How would the
>> > configuration look? I'm assuming the answer will be that I need a
>> > wireless
>> > router to accomodate the wireless laptop and I'm hoping that there are
>> > wireless routers which can accomodate both wired and wireless PCs
>> > because
>> > I
>> > don't want to have to get wireless adapters for the 2 PCs. Am I right?
>> >
>> > All PCs are running XP sp2.
>>
>>
>>

The NAT (Network Address Translation) firewall function is actually built-in
to the router, ie. both the Linksys or the Buffalo. I was simply trying to
illustrate that a firewall, of some form, existed at that point. I guess the
drawing would be clearer if I got rid of that or put a box around both the
Linksys BEFSR41 and the firewall image.

Both the Buffalo WBR-G54 and the Linksys BEFSR41 provide the same
functionality except for the fact the Buffalo also has a wireless component.

In your situation you could easily just use a combo wireless access
point/router like the Buffalo illustrates in the first link. That is my
normal network.

The second network simply illustrates, or tries to, what a network would
like if I used a purely wired broadband router for the internet front end
and added a wireless access point (or in this case a combo wireless access
point/router configured to act only as an access point) to the network.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual
benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...

"phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:7658F184-5F41-4B35-A7C6-(E-Mail Removed)...
> What exactly is the function of the NAT (what's that mean?) router, i.e.,
> why
> a separate router for the firewall function? Isn't that normally part of
> the
> function of routers? Doesn't the Buffalo router provide that function or
> worst case, couldn't you use a software firewall and get rid of the NAT
> router firewall function altogether?
>
> Beyond that concern and question, the diagrams help a lot. So, it looks
> like I can have a mxid environment but there is no wireless port off a
> standard router. I'd have to use one port with an ethernet connection to
> a
> separate wireless router and access point. Right? What does a wireless
> router/access point combination get me that a router alone wouldn't?
> Since I
> only want to go to a laptop, couldn't I just use a wireless router?
>
> Thanks for helping out!
>
> "Sooner Al [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> It might look like my current home mixed LAN using a Buffalo WBR-G54
>> 4-Port
>> Broadband Router/802.11b/g Wireless Access Point..
>>
>> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/LAN/LAN.jpg
>>
>> ...or if you only wanted to purchase a wireless access point like this
>> network...In this case the Buffalo is configured and used as a wireless
>> access point only...
>>
>> http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.or...xampleLAN.html
>>
>> --
>>
>> Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)
>>
>> Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual
>> benefit of all of us...
>> The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights...
>>
>> "phasti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:F6D8B857-073C-41C5-9EB0-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > Can you mix wired and unwired PCs in a simply home LAN where 2 wired
>> > PCs
>> > and
>> > 1 unwired laptop are plugged into a wired 4 port d-link router which is
>> > connected to a cable modem and thus to the Internet? How would the
>> > configuration look? I'm assuming the answer will be that I need a
>> > wireless
>> > router to accomodate the wireless laptop and I'm hoping that there are
>> > wireless routers which can accomodate both wired and wireless PCs
>> > because
>> > I
>> > don't want to have to get wireless adapters for the 2 PCs. Am I right?
>> >
>> > All PCs are running XP sp2.
>>
>>
>>

Hello,

Most wireless broadband routers support 4 LAN Ports and 802.11 WLAN ,
I also have 2 computer connected to a router on a hard line, a laptop
connected by a wireless adapter and also I have a wireless PDA connected.
you must have a wireless router to do this though and expect wireless speed
to vary from wired connections. Home netowrks work fine with mixed
connectoin types, as long as your only using one router. The router should
have a setup for wireless, be sure to encrypt your wireless.

Thanks to everyone for all the good input! I appreciate it.

"me2005" wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Most wireless broadband routers support 4 LAN Ports and 802.11 WLAN ,
> I also have 2 computer connected to a router on a hard line, a laptop
> connected by a wireless adapter and also I have a wireless PDA connected.
> you must have a wireless router to do this though and expect wireless speed
> to vary from wired connections. Home netowrks work fine with mixed
> connectoin types, as long as your only using one router. The router should
> have a setup for wireless, be sure to encrypt your wireless.