[Apologisenow]

Hey everyone I have a wired router Netgear DG834 v3. I have my xbox and my computer plugged into this. However, I am purchasing a laptop and was wondering if there was anything I can buy to make this router wireless so I can use my laptop around the house?I don't want to purchase a new router unless I have to. Thanks guys!

[jcdill]

No, you can't upgrade a non-wireless router to a wired router. You need to buy a new router. Sorry! You can plug the wireless router into the wired router if you don't want to mess with changing the wired router - just setup the new wireless router with a different subnet. Normally the routers come configured to use 198.162.1.1 - setup your wireless router to use 198.162.2.1 and tell it the default gateway is 192.168.1.1. Your laptop will get a wireless IP in the 192.168.2.x range while all your wired devices (plugged into your first router) will be in the 192.168.1.x range.

[LuckyONE17]

I would get a Linksys wireless router and plug it directly into your modem. Connect the laptop to the router and go to 192.168.1.1. The defaulted username and password for the router will be admin : admin. Configure the wireless security settings to your liking then configure the wireless network into the properties of your wireless network connection. If you do not know how to do this let me know and I'll go into more detail.

[Apologisenow]

Okay thanks. Do you know anywhere where I can get cheap wireless routers?

[chuckhole]

You can simply add a wireless access point to your wired router. No need to change out the router. There is no upgrade path for your router but you can add to it. It would be much easier if your router has a 4-port switch built in. This would preclude you from having to purchase a switch as well. This would bring the price up to about the same as buying a new router with wireless builtin.

[Apologisenow]

Okay could you tell me a little bit more about wireless access points? Thanks :)

[LuckyONE17]

Here's a link to a description of Linksys' wireless access point and what it does

Linksys.com - Products/Wireless/Basic Networking/Access Points/Wireless-G (802.11g)/WAP54G

[jcdill]

A "wireless access point" and a "wireless router" are the same thing (in this context).

Linksys is a good brand (as is Netgear) and the WAP54G is a good model. You can also use a different model or different brand - there aren't many differences between them these days - the biggest difference will be in the quality of the manuals and support desk if you need help. It will set you back ~$50-$100 depending on the brand, model, and the markup at your local computer store. It's a good idea to buy an item like this locally (rather than order it online) because if you have problems installing it or it's defective you can take it back to the store and exchange it or get a refund and buy a different brand or model.

You can either replace your existing (non-wireless) router with a new one with wireless built in, or you can daisy-chain the new one on the old one as one-more-wired-device on the old router - which is what I recommended in my first answer above. If you choose to replace the old router, the new one needs to be configured with the "Internet Setup" settings you have on the old router so that the new router can connect to your ISP. If you daisy-chain the new router onto the old one you just need to change the IP address on the new router (because it comes pre-configured to use the same IP addresses as the old one, and you can't have 2 devices that use the same IP address). There is no problem mixing brands, you can connect a Linksys router to your Netgear router. The only thing you need to be careful about is remembering which IP address you assigned to each router, and the login details (username, password) for each router. I recommend writing this info on a small piece of paper and taping it to the bottom of each router, so that it's handy if you need to login to the router and can't remember the details.

In order to keep neighbors and hackers out of your wifi, you need to setup wireless security on the wireless router, including a password or passphrase or key for the wireless connection. Again, it's useful to tape this info to the bottom of the router so it is handy if you want to let a visitor connect to your wireless (wifi) signal. There is no security risk in taping this info to the bottom of the router because anyone who has physical access to the routers can simply connect with an ethernet cable and get the info off the router.

[Apologisenow]

Okay thanks. If I was to connect a wireless access point to my wired router what would I have to do in order to do this? Thanks.

[ScottGem]

A "wireless access point" and a "wireless router" are the same thing (in this context).

I wouldn't say that. Actually a Wireless router is generally three devices in one box. It's a router which takes an external WAN signal and shares it among devices on a LAN. It's a switch (usually 4 port) whch connects network devices into the LAN and it's a wireless Access point (WAP) withch allows wireless devices to co0nnect to the LAN. A standlone wireless access point generally does not have the switch or connection to a WAN.

The problem is that WAPs often cost as much or more that a wireless router. So its often cheaper to buy the router then a standalone WAP. If you do get a router and add it to your existing network you need to disable the routing features (specifically DHCP).

[jcdill]

Sigh.

"In this context" they mean the same thing because they are the same device - a wireless router. (Since the OP is looking to save money they aren't going to go looking for and paying more for a specific "wireless access point" - if they ask for a "wireless access point" at their local computer store, they will be sold a wireless router.)

It is not necessary to disable DHCP in the wireless router when installed as a second router (daisy chained). Disabling DHCP would make it much harder to use the router as intended for the laptop and for visitors to connect to the wireless router. I daisy chain routers all the time and have had no problem with both routers running DHCP. As long as both routers can route traffic to the internet it doesn't matter which router gives out a DHCP address - you just need them to use a different subnet for their DHCP addresses - this goes back to the first comment I made which is that you have to change the IP addresses used by the second router when you daisy chain routers.

[jcdill]

Okay thanks. If i was to connect a wireless access point to my wired router what would i have to do in order to do this? Thanks.

As I noted in my first answer above, you need to change the IP address for the second device, so that it doesn't use the same IP address range as the first device. Normally they come pre-configured to use 192.168.1.1. Setup the second device to use 192.168.2.1 and to give out IPs via DHCP in the 192.168.2.x subnet - (just change the first .1. to .2. in the router config and DHCP config). Set the default gateway for the second device to the IP address of the first device (the Netgear router) - normally 192.168.1.1.

Once you get it working with this setup and test that the setup works with "wide open" wireless to your new laptop, you need to setup wireless security in the wireless router, and then provide the password or key to your laptop so it can connect to the router with the wireless security enabled. Then tape a piece of paper with the password or key to the bottom of the wireless router.

[NeedKarma]

In my opinion for this user will limited experience it would be simpler to replace the wired router with the wireless one instead of attempting to add an access point.

[ScottGem]

It is not necessary to disable DHCP in the wireless router when installed as a second router (daisy chained). Disabling DHCP would make it much harder to use the router as intended for the laptop and for visitors to connect to the wireless router.

Not at all. When I originally added wireless to my home network, I contacted Linksys on the best way to do it and that's what they advised. The DHCP server in the wired router provided IP and NAT translation through the wireless router. I had no problems with my laptops or guests connecting. And dealing with subnets is much more confusing to most people trying to setup a home network. A lot easier to disable DHCP in the wireless.

Yes, the default address of the daisy chained device does need to be changed.

Of course, if its more cost effective to buy a wireless router than a standalone access point, then its probably better to just replace the wired router.

[Apologisenow]

Okay thanks for all your responses. If I was to replace my wired router for a wireless one. Can I use a wireless router for wired as well?

[NeedKarma]

Yes, most consumer models have at least 4 ports in the back.

[Apologisenow]

So if I buy a wireless router I can conenct my xbox 360 and desktop computer to it using an ethernet cable and I can connect my laptop using wireless? Also could you please give me an idea of some good models of wireless routers to buy. I don't want to spend too much but I want it to have good coverage thanks a lot.

[NeedKarma]

Here's one of the most popular models:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...45&catid=21119

[ScottGem]

Almost all wireless routers currently on the market, include a 4 port switch for wired connections. You can expand this by daisychaining another switch.

[chuckhole]

So if i buy a wireless router i can conenct my xbox 360 and desktop computer to it using an ethernet cable and i can connect my laptop using wireless? Also could you please give me an idea of some good models of wireless routers to buy. I dont want to spend to much but i want it to have good coverage thanks alot.

Your original post stated you were reluctanct to replace your router so adding an access point satisfies that option. However, as already has been stated, there is not much of a cost savings if at all.

If you do purchase a new wireless router, get the one with a builtin switch and make life easy and replace what you have. As to brands, I also like the LinkSys but there are as many opinions as there are brand names. I like the varied selection at CDW and the prices are good. Some of the other site members may have some other shopping suggestions for you as well. The faster wireless devices will increase your home network performance but will not help much with Internet performance since it is still the slowest of all your network connections.

Wireless Routers at CDW