Repeater? Gateway? Access point?

I've got sort of a simple question. Here's my setup. My cable modem
runs a CAT 5 cable into my WRT54G router, a CAT5 cable comes out of the
router and into my desktop.. I've also got high gain antennas set up
for wireless. This works fine when my laptop is running windows..
however I recently decided to start using linux again on the laptop. I
supposedly could use 'ndiswrapper' to get my WUSB54G Wireless USB
adapter to work in linux.. but that's pretty much over my head. I was
thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there... but I'm a bit confused
and thinking that might not be the cheapeast way of doing that. Is
there another piece of hardware I could buy instead?

Thanks for your help.

"psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I've got sort of a simple question. Here's my setup. My cable modem
>runs a CAT 5 cable into my WRT54G router, a CAT5 cable comes out of the
>router and into my desktop.. I've also got high gain antennas set up
>for wireless. This works fine when my laptop is running windows..
>however I recently decided to start using linux again on the laptop. I
>supposedly could use 'ndiswrapper' to get my WUSB54G Wireless USB
>adapter to work in linux.. but that's pretty much over my head. I was
>thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
>and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there... but I'm a bit confused
>and thinking that might not be the cheapeast way of doing that. Is
>there another piece of hardware I could buy instead?

You don't need another box. All you need to do is run CAT5 cable from
one of the LAN ports on your WRT54G, to your Linux laptop ethernet
port.


--
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

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> "psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
> >I've got sort of a simple question. Here's my setup. My cable modem
> >runs a CAT 5 cable into my WRT54G router, a CAT5 cable comes out of the
> >router and into my desktop.. I've also got high gain antennas set up
> >for wireless. This works fine when my laptop is running windows..
> >however I recently decided to start using linux again on the laptop. I
> >supposedly could use 'ndiswrapper' to get my WUSB54G Wireless USB
> >adapter to work in linux.. but that's pretty much over my head. I was
> >thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
> >and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there... but I'm a bit confused
> >and thinking that might not be the cheapeast way of doing that. Is
> >there another piece of hardware I could buy instead?
>
> You don't need another box. All you need to do is run CAT5 cable from
> one of the LAN ports on your WRT54G, to your Linux laptop ethernet
> port.
>
>
Hah, I know that would work but I'm dealing with an area up 1 floor on
the other side of the house, and I'm not about to wire it with CAT5
cable

"psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>
>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> "psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>>
>> >I've got sort of a simple question. Here's my setup. My cable modem
>> >runs a CAT 5 cable into my WRT54G router, a CAT5 cable comes out of the
>> >router and into my desktop.. I've also got high gain antennas set up
>> >for wireless. This works fine when my laptop is running windows..
>> >however I recently decided to start using linux again on the laptop. I
>> >supposedly could use 'ndiswrapper' to get my WUSB54G Wireless USB
>> >adapter to work in linux.. but that's pretty much over my head. I was
>> >thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
>> >and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there... but I'm a bit confused
>> >and thinking that might not be the cheapeast way of doing that. Is
>> >there another piece of hardware I could buy instead?
>>
>> You don't need another box. All you need to do is run CAT5 cable from
>> one of the LAN ports on your WRT54G, to your Linux laptop ethernet
>> port.

>Hah, I know that would work but I'm dealing with an area up 1 floor on
>the other side of the house, and I'm not about to wire it with CAT5
>cable

Sorry. I misread your question. It appears you want to use a WRT54G
as a client adapter. CAT5 from laptop to this WRT54G. Wireless back
to the main WRT54G.

Well, that can be done but not with the stock firmware. Wireless
access points simply do not talk to other wireless access points.
However, if you install alternative firmware both WRT54G boxes, some
new features appear that will make it works. http://www.dd-wrt.com
1. WDS repeater. You can run your CAT5 to the 2nd WRT54G, setup WDS
and the 2nd WRT54G acts as an access point and wireless bridge
simultaneously.
2. Client mode. For this you don't need to change anything on the
main WRT54G. The client mode makes the 2nd WRT54G act like a client
bridge. I think this is what you were asking.

Watch out for WRT54G v5. It cannot be used for either method.
--
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

Problems with Linux?
Try a Linux group.


psx1337 wrote:

> I've got sort of a simple question. Here's my setup. My cable modem
> runs a CAT 5 cable into my WRT54G router, a CAT5 cable comes out of the
> router and into my desktop.. I've also got high gain antennas set up
> for wireless. This works fine when my laptop is running windows..
> however I recently decided to start using linux again on the laptop. I
> supposedly could use 'ndiswrapper' to get my WUSB54G Wireless USB
> adapter to work in linux.. but that's pretty much over my head. I was
> thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
> and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there... but I'm a bit confused
> and thinking that might not be the cheapeast way of doing that. Is
> there another piece of hardware I could buy instead?
>
> Thanks for your help.

"psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
>and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there

WRTs won't do that, use a WAP54G in client mode.

> >thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
> >and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there
>
> WRTs won't do that, use a WAP54G in client mode.

With the stock firmware, no. But load up dd-wrt firmware and you can
certainly use a WRT54G as a client device. Sort of overkill though seeing
as how a WAP54G is usually a bit less expensive.

William P.N. Smith <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
> "psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>thinking I could buy another WRT54G router and set it up in my room,
>>and run a CAT5 cable to the laptop from there
>
> WRTs won't do that, use a WAP54G in client mode.

It sure looks that way for the worthless stock firmware. I scratched
my head for a while trying to figure out how to turn off all the
"intelligent" nonsense the wrt54g tried to do. All I wanted from the
unit was to bridge packets from the incoming ethernet to the airwaves
and back. It didn't seem possible from the stupid gui hand-holdish
screens they provide to run the thing.

Running openwrt on it was a breath of fresh air. Configuring it as a
pure bridge with all the firewall, dhcp, nat crap turned off was no
problem.

Linksys might do well to preload the v5 linux version of the WRT-54GL
with openwrt.

As to the OP, if he wants simple/cheap/fast why not a nice piece of
cat5 cable?

-wolfgang
--
Wolfgang S. Rupprecht http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/

F8BOE wrote:
> Problems with Linux?
> Try a Linux group.
>
>
- Ahah. Troll.

Thanks to everyone else, I may actually just buy a lot of CAT5 cable
and come up with some way of wiring it through my house.

"psx1337" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>
>F8BOE wrote:
>> Problems with Linux?
>> Try a Linux group.
>>
>>
>- Ahah. Troll.

>Thanks to everyone else, I may actually just buy a lot of CAT5 cable
>and come up with some way of wiring it through my house.

Well, if wireless won't configure itself, and CAT5 cable can't be
easily run, there are other alternatives.
1. Ethernet over power wires http://www.homeplug.org
2. Ethernet over phone lines http://www.homepna.org
3. Ethernet over CATV coax cable http://www.multilet.com
4. Fiber optics (easy to hide).
--
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