Hi all

Just wanted some advice on a home WIFI networking set-up. I have a Netgear WIFI router, and have just invested in a LINKSYS WAG54G-FR MODEM router.

I have been using the Netgear WIFI router to provide wireless internet access throughout our fairly small home, and this has been fine.

Now, however, we have begun running holiday apartments built on land next to our house. The land that the apartments (and house) are built on is long and thin - about 80 metres from end to another. The netgear router has never transmitted strongly enough to cover this whole length - I have been out with my wireless laptop to check, but the signal disappears when you reach the annexe apartments.

I am keen to offer wireless internet access to our customers, so what I want to do is place the new Linksys modem-router at one end to cover half of the length, and the Netgear one somewhere near the other end, linking the two together with ethernet cable. The Netgear router will essentially extend the wireless coverage, and what I want it to do is "broadcast" the same network information and internet access as the Linksys router.

So the setup I want to create is this:

ADSL CONNECTION - - LINKSYS - - - - - NETGEAR

What do I need to do to set all of this up correctly?

Can someone tell me what type of cabling I need exactly (crossover?) and how I might link the various ports together?

I'd be very grateful.

Thanks

Jeremy

This should be fairly simple, but you have some choices to make. You can configure the wireless interface information for the Linksys pretty much the exact same as the existing Netgear, with a few exceptions. Definitely use a different RF channel, I would use 1 and 11 for the two routers. You can keep the SSID the same, but I would probably assign a new SSID to the Linksys. The routers have to be on the same logical IP Subnet. I think by default Netgear uses 192.168.0.0/24 and Linksys uses 192.168.1.0/24. I would make your Netgear 192.168.1.1, and your Linksys 192.168.1.2. Then setup DHCP as needed on only (1) router.

I am assuming that these routers have built in switches, so all you have to do is connect them with a CAT-5 cable via a switch port on each router. If at least one of the routers supports Auto MDI / Auto MDI-X, then you can use a straight through CAT5 cable. I would keep a crossover handy just in case.

That should be it.