I want to share files, an internet internet connection and a printer wirelessly?

Question

Ok, here we go...

I have (2) wireless routers, (1) DSL modem, (1) Buffalo Linkstation, and (4) wireless capable computers, and one that is wired directly from the router.

My computers are all at other ends of the house, so if i can, i would prefer NOT to run ethernet cables to each

My computer is a mac, the rest are windows, I don't know if that has any thing that will make it more complicated

Now the Buffalo Linkstation has two usb ports for sharing a printer (what i want) and one for using an external hard drive, which i won't need giving this linkstation has a capacity of 300gb, and it also has one ethernet port

Both the routers have wired connections available, but again, i would rather not wrap my house in wires.

Any Help would be MOST appreciated

Answer 1

This is actually pretty easy since you already have all you need.

First, establish your wireless network. Unless your house is very large, you should be able to run everything off of one router. Regardless of how many wired ports are on your router, the wireless portion can support up to 254 devices at once.

If all of your equipment is "still in the box" - not hooked up yet - then first get your DSL modem up and running. Then get your router working using the setup disks that came with it.

Once you have your router and modem working together, then establish your wireless network. Wireless networks can be just as safe as wired if you want them to be. Options include:

MAC filtering (only specific hardware can connect to the network)
Disabling the SSID broadcast (so people will not easily 'see it' when looking for networks)
WEP keys - essentially passwords to connect wirelessly and also encrypting the communications

All of this is found in the router setup. In fact, most routers walk you through these options during the install process.

Once you are able to connect to the Internet wirelessly from all your computers, then you are ready for the next step.

Your Buffalo Linkstation will plug directly into your router, and then your printer into the Linkstation. I would setup the linkstation first just as a hard drive, then add the printer later. Remember, take one step at a time.

Follow the install steps for the Buffalo, and remember that you may need to enter some of the same information about your network that you entered in the router setup.

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN AS YOU GO!!

Once the linkstation is setup as a NAS, then get the printer setup. All of this should probably be done from the wired computer. Remember, your printer will now be a network printer, so when adding it in Windows, install it not as local but network. For you MAC, it will depend on your printer - you may be able to install it as a network printer if there are MAC drivers, or you may need to install it as IP printing. Yes, your printer will now have an IP address on the network (actually, the print server on the Buffalo does).

Since you have the Buffalo NAS, you probably don't need to do any file sharing between all your machines - just use the NAS as your shared space. (as opposed to opening up files on individual machines for others on the network to access).


Now the only 'problem' in all of this would be if your house is so large that you need to chain your routers together to spread out the wireless signal. This is not as hard as it sounds, but it involve doing some manual settings on the second router so that it is not using/issuing the same IP addresses that the first one is.

Try it first with only one router, and if it works, then put the other router back in the box. If signal is weak, consider getting a booster for the router. If you really need to, then set up your second router. Post another question on that, since it is too much for this post.

Good luck!!

Answer 2

You can do that, of course, but you may have to spend the money for wireless networking AND you need to understand that your new wireless network will be less secure and more vulnerable to any hacker that drives by with a laptop. Finally, wireless connections are less reliable than wired. I think I would just run a wire if it were me.