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Adding a wireless mac laptop to existing windows network

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daniel49

Diamond Member
We have a friend staying with us for a while. She has a laptop with Mac OS and a wireless modem.

I have 3 pc's running Windows and linux( all wired) . They all connect to a four port hub which I uplink through my router and into my dsl wall connection.

I am looking for the simplest way to tag her in without compromising my own systems security.

The only connections on hers appear to be cat5 cable slots and power.
So I assume that I would be able to simply plug her wireless into my four port hub and give her access to the dsl.

question 1) Is that correct?
question 2) As long as workgroup is unique from hers it should be secure?
question 3) I don't use wireless or mac so am unfamiliar with both. I will need to set up her OS version of encrytption. Is it any more difficult then windows wireless wizard?
thxs in advance
 
question 2) As long as workgroup is unique from hers it should be secure?
Click to expand...

Windows workgroups have absolutely nothing to do with security.

question 3) I don't use wireless or mac so am unfamiliar with both. I will need to set up her OS version of encrytption. Is it any more difficult then windows wireless wizard?
Click to expand...

If anything it'll probably be easier, XP's wifi support is crap.
 
Originally posted by: sonoma1993
What kind of router do you have? if she has wireless, why bother plugging it into the hub?
Click to expand...

well its supposed to be a modem/router.
in the truest sense it is not. all it has is a phone jack and an ethernet jack
and can be set up as wired or wireless.
I don't have any wireless gear though and like the speed and security of a wired system.
its an actiontech GT701-wg
http://www.qwest.com/internethelp/modems/gt701-wg/index.html

edit: so let me try and give a clearer picture.
As i reread above looks a little muddeled.
actiontech modem out to hub uplink all 3 current pc's on same workgroup coming out of same hub.

she has a mac powerbook g4 with a dlink wireless router dl-514
want to give her access to my dsl connection in the simplist possible way as its temporary maybe 3-6 months.
 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
question 2) As long as workgroup is unique from hers it should be secure?
Click to expand...

Windows workgroups have absolutely nothing to do with security.

question 3) I don't use wireless or mac so am unfamiliar with both. I will need to set up her OS version of encrytption. Is it any more difficult then windows wireless wizard?
Click to expand...

If anything it'll probably be easier, XP's wifi support is crap.
Click to expand...

Windows workgroups have absolutely nothing to do with security.

well maybe I am thinking wrong but to access my own files from comp B while on comp A, I have to be on the same workgroup.

so it would seem to me no boogeymen from her system could access my files either unless they were in the same workgroup?
At least thats the way I think of it. Although I admit networking is a weak point for me.



If anything it'll probably be easier, XP's wifi support is crap
well so far I have identified her wireless program as being airport and have read its compatible with windows standards so that should not be a problem.
but everything about mac is foreign to me.
 
well maybe I am thinking wrong but to access my own files from comp B while on comp A, I have to be on the same workgroup.
Click to expand...

Nope, the workgroups are just logical groupings for your convenience they don't actually mean anything.

well so far I have identified her wireless program as being airport and have read its compatible with windows standards so that should not be a problem.
but everything about mac is foreign to me.
Click to expand...

They're not Windows standards, 802.11x are IEEE standards.
 
Originally posted by: daniel49
Windows workgroups have absolutely nothing to do with security.

well maybe I am thinking wrong but to access my own files from comp B while on comp A, I have to be on the same workgroup.

so it would seem to me no boogeymen from her system could access my files either unless they were in the same workgroup?
At least thats the way I think of it. Although I admit networking is a weak point for me.
Click to expand...

Make sure your permissions are setup properly and you should have nothing to worry about. Although she probably does with all those Windows machines around. 😉

If anything it'll probably be easier, XP's wifi support is crap
well so far I have identified her wireless program as being airport and have read its compatible with windows standards so that should not be a problem.
but everything about mac is foreign to me.
Click to expand...

There is no Windows wifi standard that I know of.
 
ok now that you have corrected me on all my teminology and spanked me for using windows do you have any helpful suggestions.😉

restating main question:
want to give her access to my dsl connection in the simplest possible way as its temporary maybe 3-6 months.
 
Originally posted by: daniel49
ok now that you have corrected me on all my teminology and spanked me for using windows do you have any helpful suggestions.😉

restating main question:
want to give her access to my dsl connection in the simplest possible way as its temporary maybe 3-6 months.
Click to expand...

Use wires.

Hook up a wireless access point behind your router, use WPA or whatever, and connect her to that.
 
I'm not sure what the exact question is.

From what I understand, your hub is connected to your modem/router. So there should be no problem plugging her Wireless Access Point into your hub. If your modem/router is configured to assign IP addresses via DHCP, you should be all set. Otherwise you might need to configure the IP address of the WAP manually via its web interface.

The only thing you have to do with her Mac is configure its wireless network settings to match those of the WAP. If she is using a semi-recent version of Mac OS X, all you really need to do is select "Open Internet Connect" from the wirless menu on the top right side of the menu bar. (Or you can go to Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Network -> AirPort). Configuration of wireless the Mac OS X side of things is not much different from that in Windows XP.

Basically, the majority of your setup/configuration is going to be with the Wireless Access Point itself, though its web interface. You can use any computer to do that.... TCP/IP, Ethernet, 802.11 wireless, HTTP, etc are all open standards used by Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.

You don't have to worry about workgroups as that is Windows file sharing thing, it doesn't have anything to do with internet access. If you want to be sure her Mac is secure, you can go to Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Sharing to ensure that the various file sharing services are disabled, but it's not going to matter much as her PowerBook will be behind both the WAP and your modem's router.
 
You can isolate her from your own network by adding a second router:

DSL==>Router #1==>Router #2

Connect HER to Router #1, either wired or wirelessly.
Connect YOUSELF to Router #2.

You will be able to reach her computer, but she won't be able to reach your computer. Both of you will be able to access the Internet.

You'll probably want to set the IP addresses of Router #2 manually, to ensure that the address of the LAN side of Router #2 is on a different subnet than the LAN side of Router #1.
 
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Originally posted by: daniel49
ok now that you have corrected me on all my teminology and spanked me for using windows do you have any helpful suggestions.😉

restating main question:
want to give her access to my dsl connection in the simplest possible way as its temporary maybe 3-6 months.
Click to expand...

Use wires.

Hook up a wireless access point behind your router, use WPA or whatever, and connect her to that.
Click to expand...

first thing I tried was just sticking her wireless router into my hub.
airport on her mac was recieving the signal from her antenna 4 bars but she was unable to connect to net.
I figured that connectivity would be step 1 before encryption or wpa even comes into play.
also found her setting for enabling dhcp and that also seemed to give her no connectivity through my hub.
 
4 bars is a full signal (if you're looking at the signal indicator on the menu bar).

I would suggest using a paperclip to reset her WAP back to its original factory settings. Sometimes you hold down the reset button for 10 seconds, sometimes you have to hold it down while plugging it in. At any rate, reset her WAP to defaults and work from there. Sounds like there's something goofy going on.

At the very least, she should be able to fire up the Safari web browser and access her WAP's web interface (usually 192.168.1.1, username is usually "admin", usually no password).

 
Originally posted by: halfadder
4 bars is a full signal (if you're looking at the signal indicator on the menu bar).

I would suggest using a paperclip to reset her WAP back to its original factory settings. Sometimes you hold down the reset button for 10 seconds, sometimes you have to hold it down while plugging it in. At any rate, reset her WAP to defaults and work from there. Sounds like there's something goofy going on.

At the very least, she should be able to fire up the Safari web browser and access her WAP's web interface (usually 192.168.1.1, username is usually "admin", usually no password).
Click to expand...

ok we figured it out I think her router and mine were competeing for who got to be boss.
Its working now. Thx.
 
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