CHALLENGE: WiFi to Network Cable

[realdoyle]

I have a tech question/challenge concerning wifi for any knowing individual. I use Vonage VoIP for my phone service and I recently was transferred to a 13 week assignment for which my apartment is already set up. I'm here and found out that the only internet service available is set up as a wifi hotspot in the apartment building. This works fine for my wifi capable laptop but there is not physical cable to hook up my Vonage phone box.

I have a Compaq Presario 2100 laptop and MN-700 Wireless Router. I've thought about calling my internet provider and giving them the MAC ID for the Router (as opposed to the MAC ID for the ethernet card they have now), but I was told that wireless routers aren't made to receive signals just transmit. Is this true?

Otherwise, is there any hardware out there that can grab a wifi hotspot signal and offer a cable output? I was even thinking if there was someway to get the signal out of my laptop?

I would really appreciate any help you could offer.

Sincerely,
Josh

[coldfusion]

Okay, first off I am not an expert by any means, but I have a few idea's. If you are able to connect with your laptop you should be able to set up an internet connection sharing through network locations. At which point you will need either a crossover cable, or you could use a cat-5 cable to go between your laptop and the wan port on your router...configure your router to use the laptop as the static ip of your isp. Then plug your other network device ino your router. Your laptop would have to be connected for your phone thing to work but I think this would do it...otherwise if the phone ip is configureable you should be able to set it like the router but using a crossover cable to go directly to your laptop instead of through the router. There as also wireless gaming device that might work, though their usually used as a wired to wireless ap for use with another router...never used one my self...don't know if they could be configured to work with a hotspot. Good luck and God bless.

[wirelessoceans]

Hello,

This is a common problem for our company being that we are a WISP. It looks like your WISP uses mac filtering for network access. If this is the case you could buy a linksys wet11 plug it into the Vonage ATA, give the MAC to your WISP and it will work.

To answer your questions, no, that is incorrect. There are access point that have both AP and Client mode (client mode acts as the "reciever"). You should be able to have them pass the MAC of the router turned to client mode and use the LAN ports on the router to plug your Vonage ATA and your laptop in. However the router acting as a client will not allow you to connect wirelessly to it....you must be hard cabled to get internet access.

Good luck

[realdoyle]

ColdFusion, thanks for the tip. However I have already tried the Internet Connection Sharing process. The problem I had was for some reason when I bridged the connections I lost my wireless internet connection. I tried a bunch of different configurations.
I don't have have a crossover cable but I do have a wireless router and I was trying to use that to supply an internet connection to my Vonage phone box.

[realdoyle]

Wireless Oceans, thanks for the feedback. So if I may ask, just to clarify, you are saying if I gave my WISP the MAC ID number on the wireless router that I have (instead of the MAC ID number from the ethernet card in my laptop they have now) that I can simply use network cables to plug into my Vonage box and my laptop? The wireless router will pick up my apartment buildings wireless signal and allow me to output them through the LAN ports?
This sounds like it would work. I really appreciate your help!

[wirelessoceans]

Yes,

Only if your ap has a bridge mode. If you have the bridge mode then turn it on and connect to the WISP Access Point. You should be able to use your devices that are plugged into the lan ports like they were on a wired LAN (no authentication or filtering. Talk with your WISP first to make sure that my assumption about MAC filtering is correct.

Good luck

[realdoyle]

Thank you so much for your help. I thought for sure that was going to work but unfortunately for one reason or another it didn't. I don't know if it was that my specific wireless router was not made pick up signals or if my computer was not configured correctly. It was hard to tell, especially when I lost all of my internet access. I spent hours trying to figure out what went wrong and finally called my WISP only to find out that they were doing maintenance and my service wouldn't be back up for another few hours. That was really frustrating.
Anyway, I found out that my cable TV provider also offer cable internet, so I made the switch this afternoon. I really wish the wifi service would have worked out and if it hadn't been for me needing my Vonage VoIP, it would have.
Thanks again for all of your advice throughout this ordeal.