I had a thread a long time ago on this, but i can no longer post to it since it has been over 60 days so don't zap me for multiposting. I have a situation where a home and business are connected. There is a router in place that allow a laptop and a 2nd pc to wirelessly connect to the interent. However, I want to have customers to have the ability to connect wirelessly as well. I somewhat understand that I need a second router that is an access point to connect to my home router. Before I get help from you all in how this exactly would work, I have a question regarding security. Is it possible for customers to access the data on the house computers if they are connecting through the second router/access point?
does nobody know about the security question or is it just being placed aside. I know that there are some risks in people seeing what goes out, but is it possible for someone to actually see the files on the computers.
OK, I'm not network+ or network security certified so please dont take my post as your fix, I'm just thinking out loud here, but isnt that something a good firewall could help prevent? I mean your access point would have a slightly different network address than the personal computers on the network. Couldnt you just set firewall settings on your personal machines not to accept from that particular name? Maybe look into that area. Let me know if this helps, maybe someone else who knows more than I will chime in.
the firewall idea seems reasonable, i'll look into how i would do that. Another question: I was surfing around and saw something called open source DD-WRT firmware. There is one for the particular router I bought (Linksys WRT150N). I know that it is possible to brick it and all that stuff, but I've read that this firmware can actually improve performance, although I'm not sure how. Anybody ever use this firmware for their particular routers and can vouch for the fact that it might be beneficial to use it?
i've been using dd-wrt micro on a v5 WRT54GS for months, and it's been running stable with no problems. currently using dd-wrt v24. dd-wrt is way more flexible than standard linksys firmware, and allows overclocking (only advised if you have proper cooling). i've gained wireless range and stability by switching over to dd-wrt. you can prevent customers from viewing your files by changing the workgroup name of your computers. customers can still get on your wireless network, but won't be able to communicate to your computers.
cee43ja1---Cheers for vocalizing what I was thinking but not able to express properly. I knew there was something as far as names or addresses that needed looked after.
no probs, deadrum. one thing, make sure the workgroup name contains numbers and letters. or you can use a name no one would think of. by default, XP is NETWORK, and vista is WORKGROUP. even if you don't change the workgroup name, the c: drive is still unaccessable; only thing others can see is what you have in the public folder. anything outside of the public folder must have sharing enabled. but to be safe, change the workgroup name. that way, no one can see what's on your computer.
OK. I set up the new router as my main router. I have DHCP enabled in it. Now for the second router, i think that I have to have DHCP disabled. Once I do this, do I just connect a networking cable (I have a Dynex CAT6 Premium Network Cable) from one of the ethernet ports in the back of router1 to one of the ethernet ports in the back of router2. This would leave the internet port on the back of router2 open. Or do I need a crossover cable- which i am unsure what it exactly is and when/why i need it?
Okay, i think that i set it up correctly. For anybody else who might be looking to hook up two routers, i found this site quite useful: http://www3.nohold.net/noHoldCust56..._v1.xml&converted=0&bookmark=#Internet_to_LAN I have another question. I bought a 50' cat6 cable. But to put the cable up against the wall and make it look nice, I will not go that far without running out of wire. If I get a little female/female adaptor and a second long ethernet wire, will my transfer speeds be seriously hindered. Also, I found that a cat5e is ALOT cheaper at a local store of mine as compared to the cat6 cable i bought. Is a cat6 that much more beneficial than a cat5e? Please, any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Max length is about 100m, or 330ft http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_6_cable so you should be OK. I recommend 1 cable instead of 2 spliced together, but I dont think you'll have much noticeable signal loss unless you get closer to the max length than you are now.
