Need to add access point

Despite my lack of networking and wireless expertise I've managed to get a
wireless network operating on our Comcast cable connection using a Linksys
WRT54G hardwired to my desktop and connecting to 5 wireless devices
throughout the house. I've got WEP and Mac filtering set up to provide some
level of security.

My wife was given a new laptop from work and wants to have a wireless
connection to our network for working at home. Her new laptop is locked down
and can only use the WEP settings from work. Her company gave her
instructions to set up their home network to duplicate conditions on their
work network. Can I set up a spare WRT54G we have as an access point using
the wife's work setup to allow her laptop to connect to our network?

Would I need to change settings on the house router or just the second
router? What settings would I need to change to make the second router an
access point to the first? Would I be able to set it up to only allow her
laptop onto the second router and only allow the devices we have now and the
second router to access the original router?

Sorry If the questions seem all over the place but I'm risking a hull breach
on my knowledge about this stuff.

Jon

Use of WEP by any business is just plain crazy! That said, what you need to
do is configure your wireless to match the work wireless, with the same SSID
and WEP key.

In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Thu, 25 May 2006 10:45:18 -0400,
"Zeppo" <zeppo<nospam>@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Despite my lack of networking and wireless expertise I've managed to get a
>wireless network operating on our Comcast cable connection using a Linksys
>WRT54G hardwired to my desktop and connecting to 5 wireless devices
>throughout the house. I've got WEP and Mac filtering set up to provide some
>level of security.
>
>My wife was given a new laptop from work and wants to have a wireless
>connection to our network for working at home. Her new laptop is locked down
>and can only use the WEP settings from work. Her company gave her
>instructions to set up their home network to duplicate conditions on their
>work network. Can I set up a spare WRT54G we have as an access point using
>the wife's work setup to allow her laptop to connect to our network?
>
>Would I need to change settings on the house router or just the second
>router? What settings would I need to change to make the second router an
>access point to the first? Would I be able to set it up to only allow her
>laptop onto the second router and only allow the devices we have now and the
>second router to access the original router?
>
>Sorry If the questions seem all over the place but I'm risking a hull breach
>on my knowledge about this stuff.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

"Zeppo" <zeppo<nospam>@hotmail.com> hath wroth:

>Despite my lack of networking and wireless expertise I've managed to get a
>wireless network operating on our Comcast cable connection using a Linksys
>WRT54G hardwired to my desktop and connecting to 5 wireless devices
>throughout the house. I've got WEP and Mac filtering set up to provide some
>level of security.

Switch to WPA if possible.

>My wife was given a new laptop from work and wants to have a wireless
>connection to our network for working at home. Her new laptop is locked down
>and can only use the WEP settings from work.

I just ran into exactly the same problem. What the employees are
doing is installing a PCMCIA card in the same (IBM/Lenovo) laptop. WEP
is supposidly fine for the company security because all their wireless
connections, even local connections, go through a VPN. When they take
the laptop to work, they unplug the PCMCIA wireless card. I can't
guaranteed that this will work because the admin may have prevented
adding new hardware or drivers.

>Her company gave her
>instructions to set up their home network to duplicate conditions on their
>work network. Can I set up a spare WRT54G we have as an access point using
>the wife's work setup to allow her laptop to connect to our network?

Sorta. You can't add a 2nd router to your existing network, but you
can add an access point (i.e. wireless bridge). Any wireless router
can be converted into an access point by simply:
1. setting up the IP address so that it does NOT conflict with the
main router. If the WRT54G on the Comcast router is 192.168.1.1, then
the added WRT54G should be 192.168.1.2.
2. Disable DHCP server.
3. Don't plug anything into the WAN (internet) port.
4. Connect a CAT5 cable between the two router *LAN* ports. You may
need a crossover ethernet cable (not sure).

However, there's something wrong with this picture. There's nothing
in her laptop that ties her to a specific encryption type. That's
tied to the SSID of the wireless router. If you can add additional
wireless connections with Windoze Wireless Zero Config, you should be
able to configure that connection for your SSID and WPA (or WEP)
connection. On the other hand, if the admin has prevented adding any
additional wireless connections, you'll have to do it some other way.
Basically, the question is how extensively is this laptop locked down?

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

WEP is really insecure anyway. use WPA2. However, what is stopping her
adding a new network in windows as jeff says?

On 25 May 2006 14:32:38 -0700, "hackman_3vilGuy" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>WEP is really insecure anyway. use WPA2. However, what is stopping her
>adding a new network in windows as jeff says?

What's stopping her is the Windoze Group Policy Editor found in XP Pro
(not Home). This is commonly used on company issued laptops to
prevent users from screwing around with the settings, installing
software, and trashing the system. The settings can be anything from
permissive to draconian. I deal with a few insurance and banking
customers. Judging by the way the laptops are setup and by the
written policy statements, they do not want their laptops being used
at hot spots, coffee shops, and random wireless connections.

There are some boiler plate templates for security and a Wireless
Security plug-in for the GPE.
| http://technet2.microsoft.com/Window....mspx?mfr=true

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

Jeff,
I was hoping to set up the second router/AP to match the network settings
her laptop is looking for doing MAC filtering on it to her laptop's network
device. Then add the MAC address of the AP/Router to my list of allowed
addresses in my home network router.

The pieces I was missing are those you've listed below.

Do you think this would work?

Jon


"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Zeppo" <zeppo<nospam>@hotmail.com> hath wroth:
>
> >Despite my lack of networking and wireless expertise I've managed to get
a
> >wireless network operating on our Comcast cable connection using a
Linksys
> >WRT54G hardwired to my desktop and connecting to 5 wireless devices
> >throughout the house. I've got WEP and Mac filtering set up to provide
some
> >level of security.
>
> Switch to WPA if possible.
>
> >My wife was given a new laptop from work and wants to have a wireless
> >connection to our network for working at home. Her new laptop is locked
down
> >and can only use the WEP settings from work.
>
> I just ran into exactly the same problem. What the employees are
> doing is installing a PCMCIA card in the same (IBM/Lenovo) laptop. WEP
> is supposidly fine for the company security because all their wireless
> connections, even local connections, go through a VPN. When they take
> the laptop to work, they unplug the PCMCIA wireless card. I can't
> guaranteed that this will work because the admin may have prevented
> adding new hardware or drivers.
>
> >Her company gave her
> >instructions to set up their home network to duplicate conditions on
their
> >work network. Can I set up a spare WRT54G we have as an access point
using
> >the wife's work setup to allow her laptop to connect to our network?
>
> Sorta. You can't add a 2nd router to your existing network, but you
> can add an access point (i.e. wireless bridge). Any wireless router
> can be converted into an access point by simply:
> 1. setting up the IP address so that it does NOT conflict with the
> main router. If the WRT54G on the Comcast router is 192.168.1.1, then
> the added WRT54G should be 192.168.1.2.
> 2. Disable DHCP server.
> 3. Don't plug anything into the WAN (internet) port.
> 4. Connect a CAT5 cable between the two router *LAN* ports. You may
> need a crossover ethernet cable (not sure).
>
> However, there's something wrong with this picture. There's nothing
> in her laptop that ties her to a specific encryption type. That's
> tied to the SSID of the wireless router. If you can add additional
> wireless connections with Windoze Wireless Zero Config, you should be
> able to configure that connection for your SSID and WPA (or WEP)
> connection. On the other hand, if the admin has prevented adding any
> additional wireless connections, you'll have to do it some other way.
> Basically, the question is how extensively is this laptop locked down?
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

That's exactly what it is, Jeff. We can't add any new networks to her laptop
or I would just add our home networks to hers. Her laptop is an HP/Compaq
NC6000 with a built-in Altheros wireless device. I've tried adding a
wireless card to the laptop to see if that could be set up to connect to my
network, but it won't let me edit or add any network settings either through
Windows or Altheros config utility.

I was planning on switching from WEP to WPA in June when all the kids are
home from college with their computers. I need to replace some older non-WPA
able devices to do this.

Thanks,
Jon


"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 25 May 2006 14:32:38 -0700, "hackman_3vilGuy" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >WEP is really insecure anyway. use WPA2. However, what is stopping her
> >adding a new network in windows as jeff says?
>
> What's stopping her is the Windoze Group Policy Editor found in XP Pro
> (not Home). This is commonly used on company issued laptops to
> prevent users from screwing around with the settings, installing
> software, and trashing the system. The settings can be anything from
> permissive to draconian. I deal with a few insurance and banking
> customers. Judging by the way the laptops are setup and by the
> written policy statements, they do not want their laptops being used
> at hot spots, coffee shops, and random wireless connections.
>
> There are some boiler plate templates for security and a Wireless
> Security plug-in for the GPE.
> |
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Window....mspx?mfr=true
>
> --
> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
> # 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
> # http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
> # http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

"Zeppo" <zeppo<nospam>@hotmail.com> hath wroth:

>That's exactly what it is, Jeff. We can't add any new networks to her laptop
>or I would just add our home networks to hers. Her laptop is an HP/Compaq
>NC6000 with a built-in Altheros wireless device. I've tried adding a
>wireless card to the laptop to see if that could be set up to connect to my
>network, but it won't let me edit or add any network settings either through
>Windows or Altheros config utility.

Wonderful, you're stuck. About the only way to get it to work is to
duplicate the setup of the office wireless LAN with a 2nd access
point. You have to know the WEP/WPA key used at the office. If it's
setup with RADIUS authentication, you get to build up a RADIUS server,
and try to guess your way through its settings. Yech.

If you just want connectivity, and don't care what it looks like,
perhaps the ethernet port might be more useful. First, make sure it's
setup for DHCP and that it works by plugging a CAT5 cable from the
laptop to the router directly. Don't skip this step as it won't work
if they've locked down the ethernet port. If that plays, then buy a
"wireless bridge", "client adapter", "game adapter" or whatever.
Basically, it's just an extension cable for ethernet. Kinda ugly to
drag around but at least it's wireless.

Also, if you're just trying to get connectivity for the laptop in some
remote part of the house, rather than roaming around the house, you
might wanna consider power line networking (HomePlug) or phone line
networking (HomePNA). I would run CAT5 cable but that may not be
possible.

>I was planning on switching from WEP to WPA in June when all the kids are
>home from college with their computers. I need to replace some older non-WPA
>able devices to do this.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

"Zeppo" <zeppo<nospam>@hotmail.com> hath wroth:

>Jeff,
>I was hoping to set up the second router/AP to match the network settings
>her laptop is looking for doing MAC filtering on it to her laptop's network
>device. Then add the MAC address of the AP/Router to my list of allowed
>addresses in my home network router.
>
>The pieces I was missing are those you've listed below.
>
>Do you think this would work?

Maybe. It would work only if you knew the exact setup at the office
and all the requisite passwords, encryption keys, configs, and
incantations used at the office. If there's any form of
authentication being used at the office (i.e. RADIUS server), it won't
work. The easiest way to test it is to temporarily turn your existing
wireless contrivance into a simulated office enironment. If that
works, buy another wireless router or access point and you're done. If
not, you're stuck. See my other rant for suggestions.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Just out of curiosity, can you add a USB device? if so, maybe one of those
USB WiFi dongles, it will still be wireless, but a different device than the
built in... Could maybe do that for your kids too when they come home..


> That's exactly what it is, Jeff. We can't add any new networks to her
> laptop or I would just add our home networks to hers. Her laptop is
> an HP/Compaq NC6000 with a built-in Altheros wireless device. I've
> tried adding a wireless card to the laptop to see if that could be
> set up to connect to my network, but it won't let me edit or add any
> network settings either through Windows or Altheros config utility.
>
> I was planning on switching from WEP to WPA in June when all the kids
> are home from college with their computers. I need to replace some
> older non-WPA able devices to do this.
>
> Thanks,
> Jon
>
>
> "Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> On 25 May 2006 14:32:38 -0700, "hackman_3vilGuy" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> WEP is really insecure anyway. use WPA2. However, what is stopping
>>> her adding a new network in windows as jeff says?
>>
>> What's stopping her is the Windoze Group Policy Editor found in XP
>> Pro (not Home). This is commonly used on company issued laptops to
>> prevent users from screwing around with the settings, installing
>> software, and trashing the system. The settings can be anything from
>> permissive to draconian. I deal with a few insurance and banking
>> customers. Judging by the way the laptops are setup and by the
>> written policy statements, they do not want their laptops being used
>> at hot spots, coffee shops, and random wireless connections.
>>
>> There are some boiler plate templates for security and a Wireless
>> Security plug-in for the GPE.
>>>
> http://technet2.microsoft.com/Window....mspx?mfr=true
>>
>> --
>> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
>> # 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
>> # http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
>> # http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS