Re: [tlug] wireless router: beginner advice

[Stuart Luppescu <slu@example.com>]

On Fri, 2010-09-10 at 16:55 +0900, Darren Cook wrote:
> Any thoughts on this, BUFFALO 11n/g/b対応 無線LANルーター Air Station
> WHR-G301N, 5000 yen: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B002X79784 [1]

I had a Buffalo router that was a very nice machine, but the firmware
was terrible. I was about to return it, but then put Tomato on it, which
solved all my problems.

> Or this one, Planex FFP-PKR01, for just 3000 yen:
>   http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B003WMAZ8K

Don't know about this.

> I'm a bit vague on wireless LANs. Do I simply plug it in to my home
> LAN
> hub [2], and can then connect linux, windows and other devices that
> have
> a wireless LAN card in them? 

Not exactly sure what your setup is, but in my house, a wireless router
is connected to the DSL modem in the basement. There are wired and
wireless connections all over the house. The wireless signal is weak on
the second floor, so I connected another wireless router to an ethernet
port up there to act as an access point. The ethernet cable is connected
to one of the regular ports in the router, not the WAN port. I gave it
an IP address in the fixed IP space (below 192.168.1.100), and
configured it so it does not act as a DHCP server. DHCP is handled by
the router in the basement. I did give it an SSID and its own WPA key,
though.

> It gives a list of OSes it works with,
> naturally not a mention of linux, but I'm puzzled where an OS fits in.

The OS should have nothing at all to do with it.

> I assume I configure it somewhere to tell it where the gateway IP? And
> I guess it can also be configured by DHCP, and provides some
> rudimentary firewalling of its own? 

If your setup is like mine, you specify the gateway as the internal LAN
interface of the router connected to the DSL modem (192.168.1.1 in my
case). I think I have firewalling enabled on the secondary router/access
point, but I don't think it's necessary. Those functions should be taken
care of by the main router.

HTH
-- 
Stuart Luppescu -=- slu .at. ccsr.uchicago.edu        
University of Chicago -=- CCSR 
才文と智奈美の父 -=-    Kernel 2.6.33-gentoo-r2                
It was simple, but you know, it's always simple
 when you've done it.    -- Simone Gabbriellini
 (after solving a problem with a trick suggested on
 the list)       R-help (August 2005)

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