Small office setup

KAGY

Hi, I'm trying to throw together a small network for an office, hardware setup as follows

3xOffice PC -ethernet-> miniswitch -ethernet-> Wireless Access Point (dlink 2000AP

6xTraining PC -wireless-> DSL router (netopia 2247)

I would like to know how to set up the AP to access the DSL router, everytime I set the AP up to automatically get an IP address from the DSL router I lose it and can't access the setup web client on it.

And what should I set this AP up as, a client or bridge or what?

Thanks in advance for anysuggestions, I'm just getting into this networking thing now.

FSL

If your six training PC's are wireless then both the mini switch and the wireless access point should be plugged into the DSL router. The Office PC's which presumably are wired will connect to the router via the mini switch. (or directly if there are 4 Lan ports on the DSL router. The wireless access point connected to the DSL router enables the 6 wireless training PC's to connect to the DSL router and hence the rest of your network. If the Netopia is wireless then you don't need the access point, unless the office PC's are remote from where your DSL connection terminates, in which case you would need to bridge the router and the access point. I've never had to bridge an access point and a router so I'm afraid I can't help you with that.

KAGY

Sorry should have given more info;
training PCs are not the problem, the are all connecting to the router and being assigned IP's etc.

What I'm looking to do is to create a small network downstairs and wirelessly connect to the router upstairs via the wirelss Access point. I'm trying to work with the hardware that we have as we are a v small training college with v limited funding so no chance of getting even the small cost of another wireless AP to form a simple bridge.
Basically, rather than having to physically drill through walls and floors and install a CAT5 cable between the miniswitch and router I would like the something like the following:
3x office PC -cabled-> miniswitch -cabled-> wireless AP -wireless->router

I would like for the router to assign all IP's to the computers downstairs, or can anyone suggest an alternative

humaxf1

Hi Karl,

Just to clarify, the 6 PCs are wifi? They in turn connect via wifi to the netopia for LAN & broadband connections?

For the other 3 PCs, these are wired into a switch along with the D-Link AP. You then wish for the 3 PCs to connect to the netopia via wireless as you dont want the hassle of running CAT 5 from the netopia to the switch.

As you said, you need to put the D-Link in bridge (client) mode. This is possible providing you have the option in the D-Link setup (firmware upgrade?) and the signal strength. The D-Link will pass on DHCP to the 3 wired PCs etc etc.

KAGY

humaxf1 wrote:

Hi Karl,

Just to clarify, the 6 PCs are wifi? They in turn connect via wifi to the netopia for LAN & broadband connections?

For the other 3 PCs, these are wired into a switch along with the D-Link AP. You then wish for the 3 PCs to connect to the netopia via wireless as you dont want the hassle of running CAT 5 from the netopia to the switch.

As you said, you need to put the D-Link in bridge (client) mode. This is possible providing you have the option in the D-Link setup (firmware upgrade?) and the signal strength. The D-Link will pass on DHCP to the 3 wired PCs etc etc.

You got it in one!
I managed to get it working in the Training Suite (by working I mean I gave one PC an extra IP address by bring the switch and the ap upstairs). But it didn't work down stairs. At first I though that there was some problem with signal strength, but my laptop picked up the signal easily.
I'm just going to have to keep messing with it...

Thanks for your help anyway