What do i need to turn a wired network into a wifi network?

Question

Im moving to a new student house soon and the landlord has said that, although there is a router, they don't activate the the wireless capabilities due to the amount of issues caused. There are ethernet ports in each room. It has been suggested that a wifi access point is what i need. i have found this one a a reasonable price.
.Is this what i need?
.Is it easy to set up?
.Will it be capable of running multiple devices (phones, tablets, laptops) for 5 people?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-WN604-100UKS-Wireless-Access-Point/dp/B003T0A03A/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t

Answer 1

That could work for you. Do you have more than one Ethernet port in your room? If not, the issue with the AP is going to be that it will use your one and only Ethernet port. If someone brings in a device that lacks wifi, there will be no way to plug it in.



Consider going with a wireless router instead. It is just an AP that also include additional Ethernet ports. This gives you the option of running both wired and wireless. Cost about the same, and the set up is the same. You still have to set up the AP part of either device. Plus running wired is always faster than wireless, so even if you have a lapop you may want to option of using when wire when speed is important (such as online games or streaming videos.)



Also, you probably already know that you will need a wireless card in your computer or laptop to be able to receive the wifi signal from either the router or an AP. If you have a laptop (tablet or smart phone) there is most likely a wifi card already build into it, However if you have a desktop you will need to purchase a wireless card (internal or USB) for it.



Finally, when purchase the router or AP, make sure that it is an "N" router and not a "G". The reason that they do not provide wifi in dorms is that with all forms of wifi before "N" (A,B and G) there were only 11 channels available and those overlapped with each other so that 1,6 and 11 were the only useable channels. You get 25 routers in a small area (like a dorm) and the signals overlap, conflict with each other, and no one can get on.



With "N" (and the new "AC" which is just beginning to appear), you have over 50 channels and any beyond the first 11 do NOT overlap with each other. You can set your router to a channel higher that 14 (channels 12 to 14 are not available in the US - they were taken away for other uses) and the odds that it will conflict with someone else are small.

Answer 2

If you get a wireless router with an Ethernet WAN/Internet port, you can connect this port on your router to the Ethernet port already in your room. Your own router must be on a different sub-net from that provided by the landlord's router. This will effectively give you your own private network and will block unsolicited incoming connections unless you configure port forwarding or a DMZ.



The advantage of using a router over a wireless access point is that any addresses that are picked up automatically by computers and other devices using DHCP will be getting the addresses from your router and not the landlord's router. If you need any static addresses on your sub-net, you are free to allocate them yourself.



You should be aware that in many similar situations where a landlord provides a router either with Ethernet or wireless connections, it can often be difficult to offer a server function that is accessible from outside the building. Many landlords do not like to configure port forwarding or DMZ settings, and this may prevent incoming connections from working. Skype has techniques for getting around this sort of problem.



A hotel near me has a single Internet connection, which is used both by the hotel owners and by guests. This hotel has two routers. The main ISP router provides Internet access for the guests, and a second router connected as described above provides a private wired and wireless network for the owner and key staff to use, and which is inaccessible to hotel guests.



I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Most routers can be converted into an AP. An AP is a dumb wireless switch, a router has firewalling, NATing, DHCP capability. (BTW, most APs like this one have a switch in them, so the comment about ethernet ports is wrong).



When you run in AP mode, any of your housemates can "see" you because you are in the same network. If you run in router mode, then they will be firewalled off.



Now running in router mode, you do create a separate network for wired/wireless. So for instance, if you have a shared network printer outside your network, you won't be able to "discover" it. Likewise, if you have a shared network printer inside your network, your housemates won't be able to access it (easily). File shares

are also a problem.





Since routers and APs are almost the same price, I would get a router that has AP capability. I know one of my ASUS-s has a tab that can change the mode with one click. Most routers CAN be converted to APs, most manufacturers supply a way to do it (you plug it in differently and turn off dhcp/firewall/routing,etc).

Answer 4

You need a wireless access point. I think they are extremely easy to configure and install but I am a network engineer.



It can run multiple devices.

Answer 5

A wireless router. D link has some good ones. If you want something more professional try Cisco