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[wibble]

Hi all, I have been set a challenge and subsequently failed. Consequently, I am passing the challenge to you..

Available hardware:
1x RTL WLAN w/ WinXP
1x Ethernet w/ Win95
2x TG585 v.7 w/ Tiscali
1x BT Homehub w/ no service

Objective:
Connect both WinXP and Win95 machines to the Internet without long RJ45 cables.

Discussion:
Currently, Win95 (with Winsock patch) connects to the Internet using an RJ45 patch cable and a TG585 with default settings.

The Win95 machine is a long distance from the BT wall socket and its long RJ45 cable prevents doors closing and is a hazard on the stairs. This is why a wireless solution is desired. However, Windows 95 does not include drivers for recent devices (such as USB and WLAN).

Consequently, I aimed to attach the Win95 to one TG585 using a short RJ45 cable, and to wirelessly route network requests to a second TG585 that is beside the BT wall socket. Initially, I thought the solution would be classified as a WDS.

I configured both TG585 to share the same SSID, WEP and Channel. WPA is not supported on the WDS. Each TG585 can auto-detect other WDS devices, and each appears to have identified the other correctly.

There is one side-effect to using WEP because the WinXP/WiFi laptop continuously disconnects when WEP is used instead of WPA. More significantly, the Win95 machine does not connect to the Internet at all and using Ping, destinations are unreachable.

My guess is that the problem stems from each TG585 defaulting to its own ADSL modem instead of a shared modem. I have observed users suggest that TG585 can be reconfigured using telnet. However, I have not found a relevant walk-through and, to me, the telnet menu is not more empowering than the web control panel.

Any replies?

[kitz]

If Ive understood properly, I think the problem could well be is that you are in effect asking the 2nd TG585 to act as a wireless repeater rather than a wireless access point which Im not sure if the TG585 allows (not all routers do).

You should be able to set the first router up as the adsl modem/router & turn off its wireless, then set a different static IP such as 192.168.1.1 for the AP, turn off DHCP on it, connect it to the first router via cable and allow the 2nd to be the Wireless AP.  However this would not suit your layout as it would still mean that the 95 machine would need to connect via wireless.

As you say the problem with 95 is wireless drivers and you would need a wireless adapter which has 95 drivers and you would also need to bear in mind the type of encryption.

Ive just had a quick search and I cant find any documentation about the TG585 being able to act as a repeater, and only found a post where someone had failed to do so.  :/
 The easiest solution may be using network plugs.

[orainsear]

Have you considered installing a wireless card in your Win 95 machine?

Also I wouldn't recommend using WEP - it is a very weak encryption method and susceptible to attack.   WPA is a much better solution and WAP2 even better again. 

[wibble]

Thank you both for responding to a new member

It is difficult to find a wireless card that has Win95 drivers. If you know of a model, then please tell me.

I'm not saying that suitable wireless cards do not exist. However, finding such a card would be unlikely. For example, only one company (Omega) sold USB drives for Windows 95. No other company did such a thing!

[tuftedduck]

Go to http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-MA401-802-11b-Wireless-Card/dp/B00005B8HO

Check out the NETGEAR's MA401 802.11b Wireless PC Card. Designed for PCs running Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, and 2000,

[roseway]

They certainly exist. Amazon sell a PC Card wireless adaptor which is Win95 compatible, and there's a win95 driver for the Ralink 802.11n here.

[Edit] TD got there first, but I'll post it anyway.

[kitz]

I did have a quick google but I couldnt find one still for sale that said compatible with win95 as many of them now seem defunct:/   I also found a couple of PCMCIA for laptops, but not PCI or USB.
Hence the suggestion of powerline adapters such as the following which are win95 compatible.... Unfortunately they're not cheap

[kitz]

>> and there's a win95 driver for the Ralink 802.11n here.

I stumbled across a similar site too..  but when looking at the Linksys WUB11

http://www.bestdrv.com/linksys_linksys_wub11_wireless_usb_network_adapter_driver_42072.htm

I noted that it said windows 95...  but when looking at the manufacturers specs it started at win 98.   
If those drivers do work with 95 then you can get that product from
http://www.gadgetys.com/en/linksys-wusb11-wireless-b-usb-network-adapter-v4-wusb11v4.html?currency=GBP

I suppose you could contact them to see if they know if it will work.

[roseway]

I rather agree with Kitz that powerline adaptors may be the best solution. All they require is a working ethernet connection, so they'll work with any network-capable operating system.

[orainsear]

Hmmmm apparently it's possible to set up the Speedtouch 585v6 routers to do what you want, so perhaps it can be made to work with the TG585v7.  You may have already seen these instructions but if you haven't you could try it out.  One thing to note is that the wireless security has to be set to WEP for it to work with the 585v6 setup, however I personally wouldn't be too happy about running with this level of security.

Link to instructions

The homeplug option certainly does look to be your best bet though.

[wibble]

Thanks all. I have looked at your suggestions

Netgear's powerline range extender has all the right physical ingredients. However, its RJ45 connector is sold as a physical connection to an ADSL router, rather than to a client machine. Consequently, I do not think the range extender addresses the problem.

The PCMCIA cards will not fit because the Win95 computer is a desktop with PCI slots. However, Netgear appear to have other Win95-compatible devices from the same period. These include the MA301 and ME102.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NetGear-MA301-Netgear-Wireless-Adapter/dp/tech-data/B00006IZVB

I'll watch ebay to see if one comes up. Having a lower connection speed is acceptable. Is there anything else I should be aware of when using the MA301 with a TG585?

Thank you for the TG585v6 link. The v7 is more automated and does not have the same options. Never the less, I did complete all of the milestones discussed in that thread and my WDS appeared to work. However, as in my opening post, traffic was not being directed from the 2nd router's ethernet to the 1st router's ADSL modem. Instead, the 2nd router returned the error: Internet not connected.

One of the things that bothered me was that both TG585 have the same IP address. However, the manual suggests this is not a problem because they are on different networks and wireless communications do not use IP addresses. I do not know how to carry out diagnostic tests without IP addresses *shrug*

Consequently, I hoped to change the 2nd router's mode of operation so that it bridged ethernet/WiFi, and disabled its built-in ADSL modem. However, I could not find this option. I do not fully understand the manual. Never the less, it appears to me that if you want a TG585 to bridge ethernet and wifi, then it must be setup with its default main mode of operation which has ADSL enabled. Consequently, the option that I sought was not found.

[roseway]

Netgear's powerline range extender has all the right physical ingredients. However, its RJ45 connector is sold as a physical connection to an ADSL router, rather than to a client machine. Consequently, I do not think the range extender addresses the problem.

All you have to do is plug one powerline adaptor into a socket near the router and connect it to the router with an ethernet cable, and plug the other adaptor into a socket near the Win95 machine and connect it via an ethernet cable. Functionally it's the same as using a long ethernet cable to connect the Win95 machine to the router. The XP machine can continue to work as it currently does by wireless.

You don't have to use the Netgear adaptors. There are several different makes at different prices. Devolo are probably the best but are rather expensive, but there are much cheaper makes, such as Solwise.

[wibble]

Oh, well the picture and manual shows that the Netgear kit has only one RJ45 connector between two adapters. In other words, one of the adapters does not have an RJ45 socket.

I'm not sure why, but Devolo includes a software installer, which on the face of it is a bit dozy. The Devolo installer is not for Win95. It might be that the installer relays instructions to the user and does not do anything functional. I just don't know.

Solwise is more terse and that might be better for Win95. However, I could not identify the desired adapter on their site

[roseway]

I think you're right - the Netgear kit referenced above is used to extend the wireless range, whereas the normal powerline adaptors which I've been talking about are ethernet extenders. I think they would probably suit you best (unless I've misunderstood something, which is always possible).

[wibble]

I think you may be right because your approach could side-step all the WiFi/TCP/WDS compatibility and setup problems!

However, do they need drivers or can Devolo installer be ignored?