DIY Office WiFi

[Redler]

Good afternoon chaps!

My dad has a small ofice with a handful of staff in who regulary bring back clients for meetings. The last couple of years a lot of clients have been asking if they have WiFi facilitates for their smart phones. The office only has wired internet with loads of Cat5 cables and sockets.

I have just changed internet providers so i have a spare WiFi router, is it possible to plug this into one of the Cat5 outlets and use this for a WiFi router, or is there other implications? I asume the WiFi password would be that at the back of the hub.

Many thanks for any help!!

 

[DannyR]

You can't have two routers on one network. You need a wireless access point.

Have a look at Draytek AP700 or even an Apple Airport Express

 

[Rob]

As above, WAP is needed. We bought one from maplins at work and it worked just fine.

 

[KDF]

You can't have two routers on one network.

You can, it's just not what he needs

Your wireless router may have a "Access point mode only" setting.. saves you buying one. Or quite often you can configure the router to act only as a WAP.

 

[Cliotoby]

You can, it's just not what he needs

Your wireless router may have a "Access point mode only" setting.. saves you buying one. Or quite often you can configure the router to act only as a WAP.

This.

 

[The Fatty]

You can't have two routers on one network. You need a wireless access point.

Have a look at Draytek AP700 or even an Apple Airport Express

what a load of s**t (the bit in bold) lol
You can setup most adsl wifi routers to work as a WAP, just make sure the DHCP setting is turned off. For example the DG834 as WAP: http://bobby.thebridgemans.co.uk/?p=3

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Not sure who he's with, but my Virgin router (superhub or something?!) does Ethernet but also upto 3 separate wireless networks. Standard + 2 guest networks.

They can't be the first company to do this, so I'm sure you could get something similar and this would mean your guests are not technically on the same network - for security reasons - as the rest of the company.

 

[DannyR]

what a load of s**t (the bit in bold) lol
You can setup most adsl wifi routers to work as a WAP, just make sure the DHCP setting is turned off. For example the DG834 as WAP: http://bobby.thebridgemans.co.uk/?p=3

How is it a load of s**t? It's not a router if you turn the routing function off and set it to a standalone WAP.

Most branded routers you can't usually do that with.

 

[The Fatty]

How is it a load of s**t? It's not a router if you turn the routing function off and set it to a standalone WAP.

Most branded routers you can't usually do that with.

you don't turn the routing off, just the DHCP server!! Your comment said you 'cant have two routers on one network' which is pure s**t. You cant have 2 DHCP servers as that will cause problems!!!!!!

 

[DannyR]

you don't turn the routing off, just the DHCP server!! Your comment said you 'cant have two routers on one network' which is pure s**t. You cant have 2 DHCP servers as that will cause problems!!!!!!

Considering routers are basically a DHCP server what I have said is correct.

Calm down please.

 

[The Fatty]

wtf?! Routers are NOT DHCP servers. DHCP is a additional feature bundled with most routers that can always be turned off. Clearly you don't know what your talking about. I'm perfectly calm, just dumbfounded by your responses.

 

[Cup_Phil]

Routers aren't a dhcp server at all - in fact most routers don't serve as a DHCP server

Routers use packet headers to determine the best flow of network data, switches don't.

It just happens that most broadband routers also act as a DHCP server.
The statement that you can't have two routers on the same network is entirely inaccurate.

But as others have said all you really need is a cheap wireless access point from Amazon.. will do the job fine

 

[The Fatty]

You can't have two routers on one network. You need a wireless access point.

Have a look at Draytek AP700 or even an Apple Airport Express

How is it a load of s**t? It's not a router if you turn the routing function off and set it to a standalone WAP.

Most branded routers you can't usually do that with.

Considering routers are basically a DHCP server what I have said is correct.

Calm down please.

 

[DannyR]

wtf?! Routers are NOT DHCP servers. DHCP is a additional feature bundled with most routers that can always be turned off. Clearly you don't know what your talking about. I'm perfectly calm, just dumbfounded by your responses.

I'm well aware of that, hence why any decent WAP will have the ability to give out IP's using DHCP.

99.99999% of the time in any standard network the router is also handling the DHCP addressing.

Your just trying to be pedantic, the OP asked a simple question and was given a simple answer.

 

[sbridgey]

When you say standard, what you actually mean is Home.

But yeah if you take what you said as a really really simple way of putting it, it can be sort of construed as correct. ish.

 

[The Fatty]

I'm well aware of that, hence why any decent WAP will have the ability to give out IP's using DHCP.

99.99999% of the time in any standard network the router is also handling the DHCP addressing.

Your just trying to be pedantic, the OP asked a simple question and was given a simple answer.

please stop lol.

 

[DannyR]

When you say standard, what you actually mean is Home.

But yeah if you take what you said as a really really simple way of putting it, it can be sort of construed as correct. ish.

No most small businesses that aren't running a server would also be taken into account. The OP didn't mention anything about a server so instantly assumed there wasn't one and the router was handling everything.

 

[DannyR]

please stop lol.

I'm sorry, can you please tell me what was wrong in that post? You seem to be able to in every other one.

 

[The Fatty]

When you say standard, what you actually mean is Home.

But yeah if you take what you said as a really really simple way of putting it, it can be sort of construed as correct. ish.

no it cant. It can never be construed as correct under any circumstances lol. sorry. He gave a correct and probably best solution, but based it on a total load of bollox. If the OP's spare routing is a DG834, just use the guide I posted above to set it up as a secondary router / WiFi access point.

 

[sbridgey]

I highly doubt there is any kind of infrastructure in place too. But small businesses will typically use the kind of routers found in homes.

For this situation i would just recommend using a standard router with DHCP disabled if the OP has one lying around or buying an access point, a nice simple cheap TP link would do the job perfectly.

 

[The Fatty]

I'm sorry, can you please tell me what was wrong in that post? You seem to be able to in every other one.

yes I can. first off, you were 'well aware of that'? I don't think so, you wouldn't have repeatedly posted the same false information if you were. Nice attempt at trying to back track.

Also 99.99999% of networks do not use the router as the DHCP server. Most business networks will use a server as the DHCP server along with a domain controller. 99.999999% of home network users will use the router as the DHCP server.

 

[sbridgey]

no it cant. It can never be construed as correct under any circumstances lol. sorry. He gave a correct and probably best solution, but based it on a total load of bollox. If the OP's spare routing is a DG834, just use the guide I posted above to set it up as a secondary router / WiFi access point.

No, you are wrong. Danny was just trying to give the simplest simplified option to the OP. Yes he is wrong but to make a second wireless router work requires some config changes which can get confusing for non-technical people.

Just buying an access point is by far the simplest solution.

 

[DannyR]

no it cant. It can never be construed as correct under any circumstances lol. sorry. He gave a correct and probably best solution, but based it on a total load of bollox. If the OP's spare routing is a DG834, just use the guide I posted above to set it up as a secondary router / WiFi access point.

I based it on b****cks? I based it on he had a router and that was it?! There wasn't anything else to go on!

I simplified for what would suit virtually every small application, but because you probably work with "bigger" networks you were trying to come across as a know it all.

You said I wasn't correct, now I am correct? And you accuse ME of back tracking

 

[DannyR]

yes I can. first off, you were 'well aware of that'? I don't think so, you wouldn't have repeatedly posted the same false information if you were. Nice attempt at trying to back track.

Also 99.99999% of networks do not use the router as the DHCP server. Most business networks will use a server as the DHCP server along with a domain controller. 99.999999% of home network users will use the router as the DHCP server.

Isn't that what I said?

I never posted false information, just took a simplified way of explaining everything.

 

[The Fatty]

No, you are wrong. Danny was just trying to give the simplest simplified option to the OP. Yes he is wrong but to make a second wireless router work requires some config changes which can get confusing for non-technical people.

Just buying an access point is by far the simplest solution.

then he should have said it 'can be done'. he didn't, he repeatedly said you cant have '2 routers' on a network and the proceeded to say all routers are basically DHCP servers.

I based it on b****cks? I based it on he had a router and that was it?! There wasn't anything else to go on!

I simplified for what would suit virtually every small application, but because you probably work with "bigger" networks you were trying to come across as a know it all.

Isn't that what I said?

I never posted false information, just took a simplified way of explaining everything.

No its not what you said at all lol. And as above. Its one thing to simplify things, its another to just talk s**t.

Anyway, I'm genuinely having loll's at your responses, but its not really helping the OP now we have got thing straighten out. If the OP has a Netgear DG843G router, he can use the guide I wrote to make it work as a second router + WAP.

 

[DannyR]

then he should have said it 'can be done'. he didn't, he repeatedly said you cant have '2 routers' on a network and the proceeded to say all routers are basically DHCP servers.

No its not what you said at all lol. And as above. Its one thing to simplify things, its another to just talk s**t.

Anyway, I'm genuinely having loll's at your responses, but its not really helping the OP now we have got thing straighten out.

The OP asked if he can just plug it in and work, of which case you can't just plug it and it'll work because the router is doing the DHCP. All routers in most environments people are familiar with on here ARE the DHCP server so to simply put it, if plugging it in it won't work,

I'm sorry for saying standard network rather than standard home network. But to virtually everyone in here a standard network is their router with possibly a couple of bits plugged in.

Now come down off your high horse.

Ps. I love how your pushing that if he has one kind of model of router he can use your guide to change it. Congratulations on writing a guide for the Internet.

 

[The Fatty]

Ps. I love how your pushing that if he has one kind of model of router he can use your guide to change it. Congratulations on writing a guide for the Internet.

That's me, always trying to be helpful and trying not to post utter s**t then backtrack The correct answer imo would have been 'yes you probably can plug it in and use it as a wifi access point, but you will need to turn of DHCP on it first'. But thats just imo

 

[DannyR]

Ha, sorry for giving a wrong correct answer.

 

[The Fatty]

Its worth pointing out also that there's probably an equal amount of setup required on a new standalone WAP; you cant just plug them in and expect have a secure network. So if the OP does go down this route, expect to spend a few mins making sure its setup up correctly. Either route is very easy to do.

 

[chaz1234]

A friend of mine was in a similar situation with his music studio he has attached to his house. In the end he has decided to get a 2nd phone line installed after trying everything to get a wireless signal from his house. I was there until 3 one morning trying to get it working he had bought this netgear wireless booster thing. That is the worst bit of pc equipment we have come across It would not communicate with router and when it did it did not boost the signal one atom. This Is something that should be avoided at all costs. He has said as soon as he gets 2nd line installed he will throw the bloody thing in the river close to his house. I will be there to cheer him on when he does, The problems that thing caused. were unbelievable This is the item to be avoided at all costs. http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sn...=ST&cid=41141&lid=1069630&acd=239715600820560

 

[DannyR]

Is it on the same fuse board? May be worth trying some home plugs before the effort of a new BT line.

 

[chaz1234]

Is it on the same fuse board? May be worth trying some home plugs before the effort of a new BT line.

​Good Idea But has seperate Power supply mate.

 

[KDF]

You cant have 2 DHCP servers as that will cause problems!!!!!!

Actually, you can... split scope ?

Routers use packet headers to determine the best flow of network data, switches don't.

Yes, and switches use telepathy :headno: lol

I'm well aware of that, hence why any decent WAP will have the ability to give out IP's using DHCP.

While true that most WAP's will provide DHCP services if required, why would you want a Layer 2 device taking on layer 3 duties ? that's over complicating things ! just leave the router handling it if that is the current set up.

 

[The Fatty]

Actually, you can... split scope ?

yes that's quite correct, the point was referring to a single scope network

 

[Munson]

Nothing quite like the IT Guys in a fight to the death.

 

[JonnyK]

Good afternoon chaps!

My dad has a small ofice with a handful of staff in who regulary bring back clients for meetings. The last couple of years a lot of clients have been asking if they have WiFi facilitates for their smart phones. The office only has wired internet with loads of Cat5 cables and sockets.


I have just changed internet providers so i have a spare WiFi router, is it possible to plug this into one of the Cat5 outlets and use this for a WiFi router, or is there other implications? I asume the WiFi password would be that at the back of the hub.

Many thanks for any help!!

if your dad's router isnt even wireless then he may also be on an old plan/tariff for his business phone line and broadband connection. Do you know which provider?