Motivation:

I have 1 wireless router in office with several computers, 1 xbox in family room, 1 xbox in bed room. I want to connect the xbox in family room and in bedroom to the wireless router so that they can get to internet and I can FTP to those 2 xboxes from my office. Plus, I want to have options to connect xbox or PC to my network from family room or bedroom (LAN party).

Requirement:
1. Once I plug the computer/xbox to the network, it should be connected to network/internet instantly.
2. Scalability for Lan party. Any additional computers or xboxes can connect to office, family room, and/or bedroom.

Background:

An 802.11g wireless network adapter can operate in two modes, Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure. In infrastructure mode, all your traffic passes through a wireless ‘access point’. In Ad-hoc mode your computers talk directly to each other and do not need an access point at all.

Access points come in three varieties -- bridge, NAT router and NAT router+bridge. A bridge type connects a wireless network to a wired network transparently. Communication is possible between both networks in both directions. A NAT router type routes traffic from your wireless network to an Ethernet wired network, but it will not route traffic back. This type can be used to share an Internet connection. Lastly, there are hybrid NAT router + Bridge devices that bridge your wired and wireless networks, then route them both to the internet using a single IP address. This is good for sharing an Internet connection when you have both wired and wireless computers in your home. These are often called Cable/dsl routers with wireless .

WDS (Wireless Distribution System) is a Wireless Access Point mode that enables wireless bridging in which WDS APs communicate only with each other only (without allowing for wireless clients or stations to access them), and/or wireless repeating in which APs communicate both with each other and with wireless stations (at the expense of half the throughput).

Solution:
- First, make sure that the main router works properly.
I already have one wireless router in my office. This router has DHCP, and is connected to internet via cable modem.

Since it has DHCP, DHCP will config IP address, DNS info automatically. Any device connecting to that router will be connected to network/internet instantly.
This setup is commonplace.
This meets part of requirement 1 since it just satisfies any device that connects to this router.

Bought 2 additional wireless routers from Fry's. cost around $10-$30 after rebate.

- Config WDS for the main router. You will need 2 wireless MAC addresses from the other 2 routers. (Note: router comes with 2 MAC, one for wired, one for wireless).
- Install one in family room, one in bedroom. Config WDS for these 2 routers. You will need MAC address of the main router.

How To: Configure WDS (Wireless Bridging) with the 54g router
Router Configuration

1. Open a Web Browser
2. In the address bar type http://192.168.2.1 (see manual your router address)
3. Click on Wireless Bridge in the left hand column under Wireless or WDS under LAN Settings depending on your router
5. Check the box that says Enable Wireless Bridging
6. Add WDS partner using WLAN MAC address
Note: The channel must be identical on all devices.

Now you can connect any PC or xbox to any router will be instant connected to Internet.

Other considerations:
- Xbox wireless adapter: expensive, only 1 ethernet connector; therefore, it's not scalable.
- Most of wireless ethernet bridges in the market have only 1 ethernet port.
- Any wireless routers/bridges/access points that support WDS and have several ethernet ports will work.