Separate WLAN from wired LAN?

I'm sure this is a FAQ but I've been trying search queries all morning
trying to get a clear answer... I just want to let my wife's iPhone
access our internet connection unfiltered while keeping our wired LAN
segregated. The iPhone does not need to communicate with anything on
our wired network, and I don't want anyone from the outside world
being able to hack into my server or any of the desktop PCs!

Currently we're trying to give the iPhone access via a Mac Mini,
bridging/sharing its WiFi through its wired connection, but A: this
doesn't seem to let the iPhone's Email work reliably (even with the
Mac's software firewall turned off), and B: I need to physically
unplug my file server from the LAN while the WiFi is turned on, for
peace of mind...

So I'm considering the purchase of a WiFi router, such as the Linksys
WRT54G series, but I'd like to confirm that I can thoroughly separate
WAN from WLAN (whether with its default capabilities, or using open-
source firmware) before I spend the money. Thanks in advance for any
advice!

- B

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:59:23 -0700, Ben - Melbn wrote:

> I'm sure this is a FAQ but I've been trying search queries all morning
> trying to get a clear answer... I just want to let my wife's iPhone
> access our internet connection unfiltered while keeping our wired LAN
> segregated. The iPhone does not need to communicate with anything on
> our wired network, and I don't want anyone from the outside world being
> able to hack into my server or any of the desktop PCs!
>
> Currently we're trying to give the iPhone access via a Mac Mini,
> bridging/sharing its WiFi through its wired connection, but A: this
> doesn't seem to let the iPhone's Email work reliably (even with the
> Mac's software firewall turned off), and B: I need to physically unplug
> my file server from the LAN while the WiFi is turned on, for peace of
> mind...
>
> So I'm considering the purchase of a WiFi router, such as the Linksys
> WRT54G series, but I'd like to confirm that I can thoroughly separate
> WAN from WLAN (whether with its default capabilities, or using open-
> source firmware) before I spend the money. Thanks in advance for any
> advice!
>
> - B

I was curious myself. I have a Buffalo WYR-G54. The configuration page
allows you to restrict access by wireless devices to just the WAN, and
not the LAN. I had never tested that before, but I tried it and it seems
to work. I'll be very surprised if the Linksys doesn't have the same
feature. I'm sure someone will tell you specifically.

On Jul 1, 1:59*pm, Ben - Melbn <BenScott....@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm sure this is a FAQ but I've been trying search queries all morning

I should clarify here - I HAVE found some things, like
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...e_LAN_and_WLAN - along
with a number of posts by people who say it doesn't work! Also, since
posting the above I discovered using the search term "isolate" instead
of "separate" leads to a lot more relevant results, but still nothing
clear and straightforward - most of it seems more about maintaining
two simultaneous WLANs.

My grasp of networking terms and concepts is barely enough to follow
some of the explanations I've read, and since I lack the knowledge to
fully test the results, I'm trying to find a straightforward and
understandable process to do what ought to be a straightforward
thing. For instance, un-bridging the WLAN and setting a static IP
makes sense enough to me, but after that most of the discussion
threads I find turn into more complicated debates over what will or
won't work under various circumstances, and/or how to do things I
don't need. I guess I'm just surprised this question hasn't been
easier to find an answer for. Maybe I'm having a bad Google-day...?

On Jul 1, 3:34*pm, default <joel_seidmanNOSP...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I was curious myself. I have a Buffalo WYR-G54. The configuration page
> allows you to restrict access by wireless devices to just the WAN, and
> not the LAN. I had never tested that before, but I tried it and it seems
> to work. I'll be very surprised if the Linksys doesn't have the same

I've tried repeatedly to get the PDF user manual for Linksys WRT54G
from the website, but the download keeps stalling for some reason.
And I can't find the product model# you mention for sale on eBay, nor
in Froogle! I HAVE found some $300+ routers with this feature
explicitly mentioned, but that's more than even my wife wants to pay
after dropping so much on the iPhone itself.

In years past, this would've been an excuse to dive headfirst into
learning everything about the topic until I could write my own how-to,
but I'm old and tired now and I just want a little checkbox to click.
I don't plan on paying $250 extra for that checkbox, however, when I
should be able to do it for around $50 and some script-editing. But
even wading through the various versions of DD-WRT to determine what
runs on which model router is exhausting my appetite for learning!
Maybe the wife will just have to settle for coffee-shop WiFi... I
mean, I can cook my own dinners for a couple weeks, eh?

- B