Years ago, I set up a wireless system for my laptop. This worked great at the time, but now that the speeds of everything else have increased, I realized recently that the time had come to upgrade the wireless system.
When wireless systems first came out, you had to buy something called a “wireless access point,” which was basically a transmitter/receiver that plugged into your existing cable or DSL modem or network router.
This was pretty straightforward and simple, as there were few choices since wireless technology was in its infancy. Now, two or more generations later, there are dozens of choices: Wireless-G, Wireless-N, gigabit networks, integrated wireless/wired routers, and even combo modem/wireless/wired network boxes.
Obviously, a combo unit would simplify installation; but for people like me, who have several devices on the network and a router that has more ports than most all-in-one boxes, that won’t work.
I purchased a Netgear WNR854T, a 4-port wired and Wireless-N router for $45 (on sale), with the hopes of just installing it in the same way as my old access point since no one offers “just” an access point anymore.
Boy, was I wrong. These new devices are designed to be easy-to-install, integrated network solutions. They give you a high-speed combination of Wireless-N and four wired ports, all in one box.
Searching the web for solutions only turned up suggestions for a couple of older models. I tried these and found they worked with limited function. I was able to access the web but not the other devices on the main router; it was almost like a separate network.
A quick email to the Netgear tech support team got me detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to do exactly what I needed. It took me about 15 minutes to install it as an access point with full functionality.
One of the…