Adding Wireless to a Wired Home Network ?????

[randym431]

I've never looked into wireless. My router and network is all wired. Is there a way I can add and use wireless devices (like wireless webcams) to my wired router. I want to keep the router I now have, and just add whatever so I can use wireless stuff. Can I use a wireless "access point", plugging it into one of my routers ports, and then use wireless devices going thru the access point thingy???
And whats with the wireless terms, like wireless A, B and now G? Are they all compatible?

 

[bluntman]

Yes you can, I just did the exact same thing as what you want to do.

I have an SMC 7004 wired router that's worked great over the years connecting 3 desktops to the internet (1 PC next to the router in the basement and one length of cat5 connecting the router to a Linksys 4 port switch which services 2 PCs on the second floor). I just purchased a laptop that included an 802.11g wireless card so I wanted to take advantage of its wireless capabilities.

I looked over the selection at CompUSA and all of their wireless APs were around the same price, $100. I settled on a D-Link DWL-2100AP wireless access point which I brought home and connected it to the switch. After a few minutes configuring the AP for security I was surfing the net from my backyard with my notebook.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the "b" standard is 11mbps (same as standard wired networking) wireless networking and the "g" standard is a theoretical 54mbps wireless networking. The "b" and "g" standards are compatible with one another. The "a" standard is yet another wireless networking standard but is not compatible with either "b" or "g".

 

[JackMDS]

May be this can Help to explian the Thingies. 😉

Link to: Wireless What Should I Get?

You can keep using your Wired Router by doing the following.

Link to: Using a Wireless Cable/DSL Router as a Switch with an Access Point

:light:

 

[Kristi2k]

Yes, you can. My network is setup like this:

DSL Modem - Hardware Firewall - 16 port switch | 3Com AP connected to one of the ports and then I have a DHCP server.

So, it is possible for both to exist.