Two WRT54Gs on one LAN

My new house is built like a bunker - steel studs, steel decking with
3" concrete floors. WiFi propagation is horrible. I have a WRT54G
connected to my cable modem and have run cat6 to my upstairs office.
I'd like to attach a second WRT54G and use the switch for my cabled
machines and have the WiFi signal for laptops. On the new device I'll
configure the LAN IP and wireless security, use a different SSID and
channel, disable DHCP and leave the WAN port empty, Am I forgetting
anything?

Thanks, David

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:57:45 -0600, David <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>My new house is built like a bunker - steel studs, steel decking with
>3" concrete floors. WiFi propagation is horrible. I have a WRT54G
>connected to my cable modem and have run cat6 to my upstairs office.
>I'd like to attach a second WRT54G and use the switch for my cabled
>machines and have the WiFi signal for laptops. On the new device I'll
>configure the LAN IP and wireless security, use a different SSID and
>channel, disable DHCP and leave the WAN port empty, Am I forgetting
>anything?

Nope. You have all the important points of converting a wireless
router into a wireless access points. The only details left out are:
1. Don't plug anything into the WAN port. It's not used.
2. Connect the CAT6 cable beween the LAN ports of the two WRT54G
boxes.
3. You can use the same SSID to allow roaming. Success in switching
between the upstairs and downstairs radios depends on how aggresively
the client maintains the initial connection. Some clients (i.e. Intel
Proset) are configurable making roaming easier.
4. Since you're already run the cable between the two boxes, it's
kinda late to suggest you try a WDS repeater. This will replace the
cable and allow the routers to simultaneously act as a bridge and an
access point. You'll need alternative firmware for your WRT54G boxes.
I suggest DD-WRT at:
http://www.dd-wrt.com
If you have a WRT54G v5 hardware, it cannot be upgraded with
alternative firmware and WDS will not work.

--
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 -

Thanks for the reply - since I am going to have several wired boxes
upstairs I don't regret running the cable - but I have taken a liking
to wandering from desk to chair with the laptop...

I'll definitely try using the same SSID - thanks for the tip.

David

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:41:34 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:57:45 -0600, David <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>My new house is built like a bunker - steel studs, steel decking with
>>3" concrete floors. WiFi propagation is horrible. I have a WRT54G
>>connected to my cable modem and have run cat6 to my upstairs office.
>>I'd like to attach a second WRT54G and use the switch for my cabled
>>machines and have the WiFi signal for laptops. On the new device I'll
>>configure the LAN IP and wireless security, use a different SSID and
>>channel, disable DHCP and leave the WAN port empty, Am I forgetting
>>anything?
>
>Nope. You have all the important points of converting a wireless
>router into a wireless access points. The only details left out are:
>1. Don't plug anything into the WAN port. It's not used.
>2. Connect the CAT6 cable beween the LAN ports of the two WRT54G
>boxes.
>3. You can use the same SSID to allow roaming. Success in switching
>between the upstairs and downstairs radios depends on how aggresively
>the client maintains the initial connection. Some clients (i.e. Intel
>Proset) are configurable making roaming easier.
>4. Since you're already run the cable between the two boxes, it's
>kinda late to suggest you try a WDS repeater. This will replace the
>cable and allow the routers to simultaneously act as a bridge and an
>access point. You'll need alternative firmware for your WRT54G boxes.
>I suggest DD-WRT at:
> http://www.dd-wrt.com
>If you have a WRT54G v5 hardware, it cannot be upgraded with
>alternative firmware and WDS will not work.