Sharing DSL connection in a Bed and Breakfast

[marquis]

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right forum or not, but here goes (if it's not can someone clue me in :))

My wife and I just bought a bed and breakfast in vermont and I have set up a shared dsl network for our own personal computers. Currently I have a D-Link 713-p router and two machines with wireless cards (one d-link and one smc). A few other machines wired in via 10-base-t. The current machines are running a mix of OS's - Win2K, Win98, WinNT and Linux.

I would like to provide the network to our guests to use as well but would like to isolate our machines from the guests. In addition, our network is set up on the first floor, but all the guest areas are on the second and third floors.

I'm imagining setting up a separate subnet for guess access up on the second and third floors. I'd also like to provide the choice of either wireless or 10-base-t for those poor souls without wireless capabilities. In my nieve thinking the ideal component for me would be a hub or router that connected up via wireless to my d-link router and also provided some 10-base-t ports that I could just place in the common space and let people hook up there. That way there's no wires to run. I don't think it's necessary at this point to wire each of the guest rooms individually.

So, am I heading in the right direction? Is there such a piece of equipment out there that would get me connectivity like I'm describing? Anything else that I'm missing? Am I making sense? :)

Thanks,
Marquis

[Greenstead]

Hi Marquis

Vermont - said to be a nice place I hear.

You seem to already have a good idea of networking from what you have already done. Your requirement is pushing the frontiers a bit (well, my frontiers anyway). But it is interesting so I did an experiement which seems to work and may be a solution for you.

I have a wireless network with a wireless router, a few PCs connected, and broadband connected to the WAN port. ( rather like your current network). This wireless network has subnet 192.168.0.* subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and SSID= Home. (Thats probably the same subnet as your D-Link 713.) I use MAC authentication on the router to resrtict access to only my wireless clients.

I set up a second wireless router and gave it a different subnet. 192.168.1.31 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and SSID=Guest. I set the Guest router to get its IP address from the Home router and to use its own DHCP LAN service to give its own IPs to any guests that connect to it. MAC authentication on the Guest router is off so it will allow any wireless guest to connect to it. To get internet access I connected the Guest router WAN port to the Home router on a LAN port.

Then I denied my wireless laptop access to the Home router by using the MAC authentication on it and removed the MAC address of my laptop. My laptop was then unable to connect to the wireless Home router and it automatically found the Guest wireless router and got its IP address from it on the Guest subnet. I cannot access my other home PCs anymore so...so far so good. I now have internet access (which is how I am typing this).

This looks like the sort of solution you are seeking. But, it needs more checking to ensure security is sufficient to keep guests out of the Home PC lan.

What would it mean for you:
Another wireless router in principle. However, wireless range is limited and may not cover all your floors (you can check if you have a wireless laptop and walk it around the house). But you might place the Guest router on the 2nd floor. Of course you have to wire it to the Home router with CAT5 cable. Another 713 might be a good idea so you could give the guests their own printer off it and connect extra switches it you want to wire in some rooms.

Consider this just thinking aloud for now.

[marquis]

Greenstead,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, this is exactly the way I was thinking of heading. Your experiment sounds like exactly what I had in mind.

I figured that the multiple floors would be pushing the limits of the 802b.11 lengths, and that is definitely the case. The reception on the third floor is marginal at best, but does seem to link up. You're reading my mind about putting the second router on the second floor. That way it should be close enough to the router on the first floor to get a reasonable connection and still provide connectivity to the third floor.

I was hoping to avoid having to run any cat5 cable though to hook up the second router. That's why I was wondering out loud if there is any such router available which would let me extend the network the way this is heading without having to hard wire the two routers together. Oh well, c-est la vie.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it all works out once I get it all hooked up.

Marquis

[Greenstead]

Yes - I realise you would like to avoid the cabling.

Wireless routers contain an Access Point which you have to run in Infrastructure mode. They cannot talk wireless to each other.

You can avoid the wiring using a wireless bridge. Two wireless bridges (one at each end) connected by cable to the routers. Downside - cost.
e.g. Linksys WET11 ~ $200 each.
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=22&prid=432
(btw - I can't prove this will work on the WAN port - cos I don't have any - so if you consider it get a 'try and return' agreement.)

There may be a better way of doing what you want - but I dunno off hand. I'll come back if I spot anything.

Good Luck.