Setting up Home Wireless Network

[ohfreak]

We're moving soon into a two-story house and I was just hoping to get some recommendations on setting up a solid wireless network.

The cable internet will be coming into the house on the upper floor where one machine will reside. I'm assuming just a Linksys wireless router will go right there. The problem lies in that there will be an additional four machines in the basement, two floors separate from where the wireless will be originating.

I have a Linksys 4-port wired router which I can use for a switch for the four machines. My question is two-fold: 1) What device would you recommend to possibly place on the 2nd floor in order to assure a strong signal down into the basement (i.e. - repeater) and 2) What device would you use to distribute the wireless signal to the four machines (i.e. - access point hooked up to the switch or something else)? Obviously I don't want to incur the expense of installing wireless adapters in each of these guys.

Thanks for all input!

--C

 

[cburwell]

Sounds like you pretty much answered your own questions. A repeater will amplify the signal between floors, and a access point with built in 4 point shwith will allow you to use the wireless signal on computers without wireless adapters.

 

[ohfreak]

Sounds like you pretty much answered your own questions. A repeater will amplify the signal between floors, and a access point with built in 4 point shwith will allow you to use the wireless signal on computers without wireless adapters.

Has anyone had experience with a particular brand and model of WAP with built-in 4-port switch? How about with a repeater/range extender?

I guess I'm on the right track so far.