using public WiFI on my WLAN

[hunter3316]

Hi everyone,

I have a wireless network setup at my home, but with no internet
connection. I have a public wifi near to my home, but I can barely
retrieve the signal on my laptop. I want to use a directional antenna
to grab the public wifi and pipe it to my wireless network. Can anyone
tell me a good cost effective way of setting this system up?

Can I sue a wireless bridge with a directional antenna, plugged in to my
wireless router, and then allow the wireless router to communicate with
my multiple clients?

Would it be better to use a range extender, and if so is it possible
to use both a directional antenna and the omni directional antenna at
the same time? One to grab the public wifi, and the other to transmit
in my house? I've seen an instructional web page on how to do this...
found it searching Google, but wasn’t sure how practical it was.

Any ideas would be appreciated?

[golfnut]

Most public networks are designed to support a single device. If you want to extend your network from theirs, you might consider contacting them to verify if they support this and if they offer a wireless bridge. A bridge is the best option to link two networks.

If you have an access point on your current network, you could try configuring it to work as a client, plug it directly to your laptop, and see if you can establish a connection with a directional antenna.

You could also try this device although I haven't had a chance to test it yet...

http://www.peplink.com/productsFeatures.php?productName=surf

Greg

[hunter3316]

Thanks Greg,

Actually the provider of the WiFi is a long time friend of mine, and I live just accross from his businiss (in a small town in Vt). I've already talked with him and he has no problem with me setting this up, I'm just not sure exactly the best/cheepest way to procceed. The PepLink product looks nice, and would provide internet wirlessly to my home, but not neccsarily on my wLAN, which would give me more complete coverage in my home.

I'd like to just set up a wirless bridge with a directional antena, pluged into my Wirless router's WAN port, as the internet connection, but don't konw if this is possible. I really don't think I could ask him to also set up a bridging device on his side, and not sure if you have to have two bridges to make a bridge work, or if only one on my side will do?

Thanks!

-David

[M/Q]

You do have that option. Thank you for explaining it in more detail. What is your wireless router’s make and model? You can in most cases get an access point, preferably from the same vendor (to avoid compatibility issues) and place it into what is called access point client mode (maybe called something else). If you do as you mentioned and connect it to your wireless router via Ethernet cable, along with some re-configuration, aka DNS server and default gateway it should be fine.

I would also as you mentioned get a small panel directional antenna. It would more than likely guarantee that the link will be solid.

Also just to be clear, you could use the device Greg mentioned to do this exact thing. That device appears to be more robust and “us business types” prefer to go that route.

[hunter3316]

Hi M/Q

So my wirless router is a lynksys (don't recall the make right now, and not at home).

would it be better to buy a AP that can be put into client mode, or to buy a bridge (like the WET54G)? Cheeper is always better... Would either work?

-Thanks again!

David

[M/Q]

You picked my weak suite. I am not a big fan of LinkSys, so I can only venture an opinion. At least you can then checkout the details. I am not sure if the WET54G will work with more than one computer downstream.
I have dealt with that before.

To be honest there is so much variety that I am not even sure the LinkSys AP’s will act correctly as an access point client. Maybe someone else can confirm that. But, I still would be careful as you do not know what the WISP has as an AP and how it is setup. It might be best to ask them first hand.

If it works, I personally would get the AP, they are so much more configurable and stable. I realize they cost more, but I still always recommend them.

But, I also suggest some caution as you can sense. I had on several occasions felt that the setup should work, but there was some impropriety that was caused by different vendored equipment.

[golfnut]

M/Q has a good point as that Linksys bridge will not work with more than one device connected to it (i.e. it won't work with your router to extend the network).

You'd probably have the same issue with an access point in client mode especially if users have to log in.

I'd almost try the PepLink product which appears to work as a client adapter bridge. According to their users guide, you can configure it to automatically log into the public network and it's designed to do exactly what you want; extend the public network.

You'd still need a small directional antenna and if you get a faint signal on your laptop, the PepLink should pickup the signal a lot better.

Greg

[hunter3316]

I guess I didn't diescribe the public wifi I'm coecting too. I'ts nothing special, it's not a WISP, is just my friends cafe', and he has a lynksys wirless router, the same as mine if I remember, and he calls it a WiFi hot spot to try and bring in some busniss to his cafe'.

So it seems like like the WET54G will not work to extend the wirless internet to my WLAN? And, mabey even a the lynksys AP will not work to do the same?

I supose I'm not uposed to buying a different router bridge/AP setup if you konw of some other set up that might work better?

Or perhaps it's better to use somthing like a repeater combinded with a directional antena, for internet usage. SEE: http://forums.wi-fiplanet.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=27842 But then I would have one wirless net work for internet connection and would have to switch wirless networks to gain access to my WLAN. Therer wouldnt' be any way of using them symultaniuosly in this situation correct?

Thanks so much for everyones input!

-David

[M/Q]

Repeating is never a good option, and as you mentioned will not work with your network. Please refer to the user guide and pages 39-41, for information on bridging or access point client.

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1126536803676&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

They mention that a bridge or access point client can only be setup with another access point. Repeating can be setup with the wireless router. Maybe you can get him to add a WAP54g to his network.

Using other vendors devices may or may not work. That is the problem with WiFi equipment, in that it is not very compatible as of yet.

[golfnut]

If you do get this to work, you should be very aware that there's a big security risk if you extend your network the cafe unsecured hotspot.

Basically anyone within range of the cafe signal could access your home network.

Greg

[M/Q]

Greg, his router and firewall should help quite a bit in that regard. Don't you think?

[golfnut]

I personally wouldn't run my home network over an unsecured wireless link to an unsecured Cafe hotspot trusting the firewall in a Linsys router while entering my credit card number to order a few books from Amazon.

Of course this is just my opinion...

Greg

[M/Q]

Even though the Amazon link is using https? I have tried to replicate the compromising of SSL over a wired or a wireless link and I have yet to accomplish it. If you are worried about that style of encryption then you would not use your credit card on the Internet at all?

[golfnut]

The Amazon example is not the point of my post....

I would hope that we are not encouraging folks to implement extensions of home networks over unsecured wireless networks.

In addition, if you add a second router to an existing network and the gateway IP of that second router is the LAN IP of the first router, resources can be accessed regardless of LAN IPs and firewalls. Try it...


Greg

[M/Q]

I am not encouraging anybody to do anything of the sort, at least it was not my intention. I told the OP that he would require another device at the hotspot as per LinkSys's op manual. If he was going to use that method I would have suggested that encryption be setup on that leg. Then it would have the same security any other wireless link.

As for the router I tend to agree with you, if the person has the skill set. I also mentioned that there was a firewall involved and that makes what you suggest a great deal more complicated. The penetrator would have to somehow gain access from the router/firewall's external interface to the internal interface, by creating a port forwarding scenerio or adding a route. That requires gaining access to the router/firewall's configuration application.

[hunter3316]

Hi,

Okay, so thanks so much for all the input! It definatly seems that using the WAP54G (AP) in client mode, will not work as an internet connection unless the wirless source is also a WAP54G, it seems not even the WRT54G (wirless router) as the source will work.

So I have found out that my friends WiFi source is indeed a WRT54G wirless router. Does anyone have a solution in this case, that would alow me to access the WiFi with a directional antena and pipe it to a wirless router for wLAN use?

-Thanks again everyone! You would think that this were a fairly common thing, that some companies might even make a wirless router that has a port for an external antena to grab WIFI for the WAN connection

Thanks!

-David

[M/Q]

Curious as to why you gave up on adding another WAP54g to his network?

And if you are asking if this is done? The way we suggested is how it is done, when you are using consumer grade equipment. You step up to business class equipment such as mentioned by Greg, it makes a major difference.