Can I do this...Wireless router -> wireless router -> wired computers?

Hello.

I'm not sure what the correct term is for what I am trying to accomplish.
(Hub, router, bridge, etc?)

Rather than running a cable to connect one wired hub to another wired hub
in a different room, I would like to make the link between the two hubs
wireless; the computers connected to either hub will use UTP ethernet
cables.

I have a 2wire HomePortal 1000HW which apparently has wireless
capabilities built-in.

-------------------------------
Here's a crude diagram:

HomePortal----UTP---hub----several UTPs to computers
|
| <-wireless link
|
Wireless Hub---------several UTPs to computers
-------------------------------

Can something like a Netgear MR814v2 accomplish this? I see that it has
an antenna, and it has 4 jacks for ethernet connections. Can this thing
"talk" to my HomePortal 1000HW?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Wirless Distribution System (WDS) or Wirless Link... or a variety of other
terms.

Linksys, Dlink, and several other APs support this feature - but you should
use routers/aps of the same brand.

 

It's unlikely that this will work. What you're trying to setup is a
wireless bridge. The problem is that there is no standard for a wireless
bridge, so you must use devices that use the same bridging scheme. While
there have been some posts about doing this between brands, the only way to
be really sure is to use models that are documented to work together. Even
within a brand, not all devices will do this.

Assuming that there is also an Internet connection to the HomePortal that
you didn't show, you could replace the HomePortal with a wireless router
that supports wireless bridging, and in place of the "wireless hub" put an
access point that will bridge with the router and an Ethernet switch (APs
usually have only one Ethernet jack). For security and performance reasons,
use a switch and not a hub. If you go this route with new equipment, buy
802.11g router and AP; they'll give you more LAN performance and security
than 802.11b and they'll cost about the same.

Ron Bandes, CCNP, CTT+, etc.

 

Hub: Repeats everything that goes in one port, out all the other
ports.

Bridge: Checks if the MAC address of the destination is on either side
of the bridge. If on the opposite side, the bridge passes the
packets. If on the same side, no traffic goes across the bridge. The
bridge can be a transition between different media types and speeds.
For example:
DSL <--> ethernet
wireless <--> ethernet
fiber <--> 100baseT
10/100baseT <--> Gigabit ethernet

Switch: Same as a bridge but with 3 or more ports.

Router: Glues two networks together at the IP level (layer 3). One
network is your home LAN (local area network), the other is the
greater internet.

You're about to have a big problem. I'll assume that on each side of
this wireless link, you will have more than one computah. That means
that a switch will need to pass more than one MAC address through the
wireless link. If you install a common access point at one end, and a
generic client radio at the other, the client radio will usually only
pass one MAC address. This will cause problems.

In the past, it required that both radios were identical. For
example, the Linksys WAP11 and DLink DWL-900AP+ will both pass 32 MAC
address and would work well for glueing together your radio link.

Recently, a class of "transparent bridge" radios has appeared designed
to do exactly what you're trying to accomplish. The Linksys WET11 and
DLink DWL-810 (or DWL-G810) wireless bridges will pass more than one
MAC address. They also do not require that you use an identical radio
at the other end. You can use a common access point.

DWL-G810
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=241

Looks like the WET11 is no longer on the Linksys web pile. Replaced
by the WET54GS5. $150/ea. ARGH!
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=615

There are probably other models available.

Yep, with a somewhat higher power level than previous incantations.
http://www.2wire.com/?p=106

No. Access points do not talk to other access points.