terminology question

I am wanting to ascertain whether I can use my router in a particular
way, however I have found it difficult to do a search because I
unfamiliar with some WiFi terminology.

I am interesting in relaying wi-fi to wi-fi signals.

=== wired connection ... wi-fi connection


Among the many ways to relay a wi-fi signal I am interested in two in
particular.

It seems possible that a computer with two wi-fi NIC's could do it
even if a single router could not. I read a web page where someone did
something similar to METHOD 2 using two Linksys routers in place of
Router2.

Using the following text-diagram (fixed with font required)

Internet ===== Router1 ......... Router2 ......Comp3
. .
. .
Comp1 Comp2


METHOD 1: In this mode when comp2 or comp3 requested an IP, Router2
would pass the request over to Router1, then Router1 would assign the
IP for Comp2 and Comp3. From then on Packets packets going ether way
between the Internet and Comp2 Comp3 would pass through Router2 and
Router2.

METHOD 2: Router2 uses NAT. When Router2 is first turned on it request
an IP from Router1. When Comp2 or Comp3 make a request for an IP# it
is assigned a number by router2. From then on when Comp2 or Comp3 make
a request for data Router1 sends treated that data as if it were
destined to router2. It is Router2 that determines whether the data
goes to Comp2 or Comp3


I'm not sure if these types of wi-fi to wi-fi bridging have a name or
not. From what I've read it seams that WDS is not exactly the same as
method 1, because WDS use a vendor specific protocol is usually not
work when Router1 and Router2 have different manufactures. In METHOD 1
I would prefer to use standard IP protocol or tunneling.

PS. in case anyone is interested, I will be placing the router in the
house owned/build by my roommates fiancee who is the father of the
person of the Internet connection. They don't want a lot of wires
running around the house.

Steven Feil wrote:
> I am wanting to ascertain whether I can use my router in a particular
> way, however I have found it difficult to do a search because I
> unfamiliar with some WiFi terminology.
>
> I am interesting in relaying wi-fi to wi-fi signals.
>
> === wired connection ... wi-fi connection
>
>
> Among the many ways to relay a wi-fi signal I am interested in two in
> particular.
>
> It seems possible that a computer with two wi-fi NIC's could do it
> even if a single router could not. I read a web page where someone did
> something similar to METHOD 2 using two Linksys routers in place of
> Router2.
>
> Using the following text-diagram (fixed with font required)
>
> Internet ===== Router1 ......... Router2 ......Comp3
> . .
> . .
> Comp1 Comp2
>
>
> METHOD 1: In this mode when comp2 or comp3 requested an IP, Router2
> would pass the request over to Router1, then Router1 would assign the
> IP for Comp2 and Comp3. From then on Packets packets going ether way
> between the Internet and Comp2 Comp3 would pass through Router2 and
> Router2.
>
> METHOD 2: Router2 uses NAT. When Router2 is first turned on it request
> an IP from Router1. When Comp2 or Comp3 make a request for an IP# it
> is assigned a number by router2. From then on when Comp2 or Comp3 make
> a request for data Router1 sends treated that data as if it were
> destined to router2. It is Router2 that determines whether the data
> goes to Comp2 or Comp3
>
>
> I'm not sure if these types of wi-fi to wi-fi bridging have a name or
> not. From what I've read it seams that WDS is not exactly the same as
> method 1, because WDS use a vendor specific protocol is usually not
> work when Router1 and Router2 have different manufactures. In METHOD 1
> I would prefer to use standard IP protocol or tunneling.
>
> PS. in case anyone is interested, I will be placing the router in the
> house owned/build by my roommates fiancee who is the father of the
> person of the Internet connection. They don't want a lot of wires
> running around the house.


this is a realy easy thing to do ,but you didn't tell us the model of
the router!
if it is a linksys wrt54g or gs you will have no problem as long as it
is not a ver 5.
if it is a wrt54g or gs you can email me i will help you step by step
(even if ya only
buy one wrt54g or use another cheaper ap i could help ya. walmart sells
the thing for 49 bucks ya can't go wrong! before ya go shopping though
d/l the list of serial number that way ya don't end up with a ver 5

Question 1:
Is there a name for these type of relaying of WiFi signals?

Question 2:
In my particular case Router1 is am ISP supplied SMC router, that
Michale does not want to change out. Router2 in my router that is a
Linksys wrt54g v5 that I am willing to get alternative firmware for.
Can I do it with the standard firmware? Do I need to get an
alternative firmware for this router?

Steven Feil <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I am interesting in relaying wi-fi to wi-fi signals.
>
> === wired connection ... wi-fi connection
>
> [snip]
>
> Internet ===== Router1 ......... Router2 ......Comp3
> . .
> . .
> Comp1 Comp2
>
>
> METHOD 1: In this mode when comp2 or comp3 requested an IP, Router2
> would pass the request over to Router1, then Router1 would assign the
> IP for Comp2 and Comp3. From then on Packets packets going ether way
> between the Internet and Comp2 Comp3 would pass through Router2 and
> Router2.
>
> METHOD 2: Router2 uses NAT. When Router2 is first turned on it request
> an IP from Router1. When Comp2 or Comp3 make a request for an IP# it
> is assigned a number by router2. From then on when Comp2 or Comp3 make
> a request for data Router1 sends treated that data as if it were
> destined to router2. It is Router2 that determines whether the data
> goes to Comp2 or Comp3
>
>
> I'm not sure if these types of wi-fi to wi-fi bridging have a name or
> not. From what I've read it seams that WDS is not exactly the same as
> method 1, because WDS use a vendor specific protocol is usually not
> work when Router1 and Router2 have different manufactures. In METHOD 1
> I would prefer to use standard IP protocol or tunneling.

What you want to do is to connect two physical networks. That function
(or "layer") is separate from IP routing. Most wireless base stations
now include built-in routing functions and are designated as "wireless
routers" to distinguish them from the "wireless access points" that
don't perform NAT. As far as linking Router1 and Router2 wirelessly, it
doesn't really matter whether one or both or neither is doing NAT.

To have the two boxes communicate wirelessly, either Router2 has to
function as a client on Router1's wireless network or Router1 and
Router2 have to do WDS with each other. Using Router2 as a wireless
access point for Comp2 and Comp3 rules out its use as a wireless client
of Router1. At least I don't know of any consumer box that can operate
in client and infrastructure (or base station) modes simultaneously.
You'll either have to use WDS or add a third device (between Router1 and
Router2 in your topology) that would connect to Router2 by wire and to
Router1 as a wireless client.

If you don't need to grandfather any existing wireless hardware into
this system, it would be much easier to get a pair of WDS-capable
routers and turning off the NAT and DHCP functions on the box in the
Router2 postion.

1. Setting up WDS
(http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt...15dbcaa2148583)
is where a second router wirelessly extends the range of the first.
(Th elink refers to my successful attempt at setting WDS up.)

2. v5 WRT54G routers can't be flashed (at present?) as, unlike their
predecessors, they do not run firmware under Linux.