Setting up an open hotspot

I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a few
PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a wireless
access point so customers can pick up email and such while in the store.

We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.

I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.

Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up home
networks, which is a bit different.

Can someone guide me?
Thanks

On 20/12/03 4:18 pm, in article (E-Mail Removed), "Michael
S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a few
> PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a wireless
> access point so customers can pick up email and such while in the store.
>
> We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
> terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.
>
> I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.
>
> Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up home
> networks, which is a bit different.
>
> Can someone guide me?
> Thanks
>
Just buy a wireless router, and plug it into a free port on the back of the
wired one.

Do nothing more, and there will be, by default, be a WAP free WiFi node with
some kind of default SSID running there and then.

If OTOH, you want to restrict access to customers only, that¹s another whole
kettle of fish ......

"Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a few
>PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a wireless
>access point so customers can pick up email and such while in the store.
>
>We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
>terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.
>
>I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.
>
>Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up home
>networks, which is a bit different.
>
>Can someone guide me?

If you don't have any desire to set up some sort of billing system, all you need
to do is replace your wired router with a wireless one. Cost is between $50 and
$100, depending on the router you get.

If you want to set up a pay per hour/day/week system, it will get a bit more
complicated. Dlink sells gear that supports that kind of setup.

Graham in Melton wrote:
> On 20/12/03 4:18 pm, in article (E-Mail Removed), "Michael
> S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a few
>>PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a wireless
>>access point so customers can pick up email and such while in the store.
>>
>>We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
>>terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.
>>
>>I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.
>>
>>Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up home
>>networks, which is a bit different.
>>
>>Can someone guide me?
>>Thanks
>>
>
> Just buy a wireless router, and plug it into a free port on the back of the
> wired one.
>
> Do nothing more, and there will be, by default, be a WAP free WiFi node with
> some kind of default SSID running there and then.
>
> If OTOH, you want to restrict access to customers only, that¹s another whole
> kettle of fish ......
>
As Graham noted, that will work, except that you have your own computers
on that network. Could be a security problem.

To prevent customers browsing shares on your computers, you should at
least put your wireless on a different subnet and turn off the file
sharing ports. That is, add a router to the current router and add an
access point to it, or add a router/wireless ap combo to your current
router, use a different subnet for the wireless connection, and turn off
ports 135, 137, 138, 139 and port 445.

Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
right?

"Clark W. Griswold, Jr." <73115%2e1041%40compuserve%2ecom> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a few
> >PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a wireless
> >access point so customers can pick up email and such while in the store.
> >
> >We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
> >terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.
> >
> >I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.
> >
> >Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up home
> >networks, which is a bit different.
> >
> >Can someone guide me?
>
> If you don't have any desire to set up some sort of billing system, all
you need
> to do is replace your wired router with a wireless one. Cost is between
$50 and
> $100, depending on the router you get.
>
> If you want to set up a pay per hour/day/week system, it will get a bit
more
> complicated. Dlink sells gear that supports that kind of setup.

"Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
>right?

Yes. You will need to transfer the settings from your current router to the new
one, but that's it.

While it is possible to plug the wireless router into the current wired router,
that is overly complex. Most wireless routers have wired ports on them now in
addition to supporting wireless connections. Plug your current wired connections
in and you should be all set...

On 20/12/03 4:44 pm, in article kp-dnSYNJtXI4XmiRVn-(E-Mail Removed), "Michael
S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
> right?
>
Correct !

On 20/12/03 6:02 pm, in article (E-Mail Removed),
"Clark W. Griswold, Jr." <73115%2e1041%40compuserve%2ecom> wrote:

> "Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
>> right?
>
> Yes. You will need to transfer the settings from your current router to the
> new
> one, but that's it.
>
> While it is possible to plug the wireless router into the current wired
> router,
> that is overly complex. Most wireless routers have wired ports on them now in
> addition to supporting wireless connections. Plug your current wired
> connections
> in and you should be all set...

Its actually less complex as you do not have to transfer anything at all -
just plug it in.

Clark W. Griswold, Jr. <73115%2e1041%40compuserve%2ecom> wrote:
> "Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
>> right?
>
> Yes. You will need to transfer the settings from your current router to
> the new one, but that's it.
>
> While it is possible to plug the wireless router into the current wired
> router, that is overly complex.

Instead of getting a wireless router, just get a wireless access point, and
plug that into the existing router. Cheapest and easiest of all. No settings
to deal with at all.

miguel
--
Hundreds of travel photos from around the world: http://travel.u.nu/

Something else to consider is that if you have your cash registers
connected into that network, then you should be conscious of restricting
access from the wireless network to those systems.


"Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:kp-dnSYNJtXI4XmiRVn-(E-Mail Removed):

> Thanks. Nope, we just want to do it free. Our only cost is the router,
> right?
>
> "Clark W. Griswold, Jr." <73115%2e1041%40compuserve%2ecom> wrote in
> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> "Michael S." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>> >I work in a small shop where we sell, among other things, Palms, a
>> >few PocketPC's and converged phones. We're interested in providing a
>> >wireless access point so customers can pick up email and such while
>> >in the store.
>> >
>> >We have a DSL line, a wired modem/router and a couple of computer
>> >terminals/registers and a couple of PC's.
>> >
>> >I'm investigating how to do it, what's required and the cost.
>> >
>> >Most of the guides I've seen on the net are addressing how to set up
>> >home networks, which is a bit different.
>> >
>> >Can someone guide me?
>>
>> If you don't have any desire to set up some sort of billing system,
>> all
> you need
>> to do is replace your wired router with a wireless one. Cost is
>> between
> $50 and
>> $100, depending on the router you get.
>>
>> If you want to set up a pay per hour/day/week system, it will get a
>> bit
> more
>> complicated. Dlink sells gear that supports that kind of setup.
>
>