Multiple Wireless Routers

[Jme574]

1. 2 wire - 2701HG-E modem
2wire.com/index.php?p=106

2. 2 - Belkin FSD8233-4 Wireless N Routers
tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3173668&CatId=2668


Ok, what I have is a resturant who has ATT dsl with a 2 wire modem (don't care about the wireless apart, to far to be effective, would like to disable it).

They would like to have wireless internet for their customers in the dining room so i ran a cat 5e line from the modem to the first Belkin router and everything works fine. Its an open connection so anyone can come in and connect with their laptop.

From there i ran from port one jack to another Belkin router also in the ceiling for the owner. She wants this one to be secure so no one can access her files or laptop. I put this one as "access point" and secured it with a 128 bit wep key. Now for some reason as an acces point i can connect with my laptop using the network key, (i'm using xp) but we can not get her laptop (vista) to connect. It sees the signal when you "veiw availble wireless connections" but it won't connect.

Strange thing is, when i use that router (#2) as a regular router instead of an access point we can all see it as available but no one can connect, not even me.

This lady is very nervous about her signal and wants her part to be secure, she even had me hook up her all in one to the secured router so she could print/fax wirelessly over her secured router.

Any ideas why i can connect to the secured "access point" with my laptop but we can't connect with hers?

 

[gguerra]

Disable the wireless part of the 2wire and have it just act as a DHCP server through it's switch (I assume it is also a switch). Connect the belkin routers to your switch (2wire) with a cat5 cable. Set both belkin routers as access points with different ip's (you might have to do one at a time if they share the same ip) and have them use the same SSID and different channels. I know this works with two routers of the same type/brand.. not sure if it will work with your setup.. As far as people accessing your laptop files all you have to do is turn file and print sharing off on that particular pc/laptop and will not even show up when you browse the network.. If you need to have file sharing on you could set the appropriate permissions when you share a drive/folder so that only certain people (your boss) can access it as well as require a password for access. This way anybody can connect to the wifi without a password and no one can access your laptop. There is no way to gain access of her laptop if file sharing is turned off, not only that if if it is XP or later it will have a firewall built in to prevent exactly that.

Edit: You might not even need the second belkin if your laptop is within range of the first belkin and if that's the case you might just be able to use the 2wire. I dont know the distances you are dealing with.