Question : Wireless and wired networks - help!

We have an existing wired office network with around 20 PCs, some assigned IP addresses dynamically, some static. We have an ADSL router for internet access.

I've just bought a wireless laptop and a wireless ADSL router to go with it. While I'm testing the router, we're retaining the internet connection on the other router.

My new router, a 3Com WL-540A, has a default address of 192.168.1.1. The network addresses for the existing network are 192.168.100.*, with the existing ADSL router at 192.168.100.88.

Because of the nature of our building, we've got switches and hubs all over the place, probably daisy chained. Right now I have the new router plugged into a switch, with a wired connection from that to my existing laptop. The TCP/IP connection is set to obtain an IP address and DNS servers automatically, and it's been assigned a 192.168.100 address - ie assigned by our existing server, rather than the new router (which is currently configured to assign addresses in the 192.168.1.* range). From this existing laptop I can access all local network resources, chat on MSN, and browse the internet.

Now, my new laptop has a wireLESS connection to the router. This also has been configured to obtain an IP address automatically. This one has got 192.168.1.2, ie one assigned by the router rather than the server. I cannot browse the internet, nor access the local network. However, if I assign an address manually, I can browse the internet, and access the local network, but cannot access the router's configuration any more! And I can't ping the laptop from any other PC either in automatically assigned or manually assigned IP mode.

In fact, I can't ping the router from my existing laptop, despite being connected directly to it!

I did read somewhere that the router needs to be in an access point mode. Yet I can't find this setting in the router's configuration pages.

Help please!

Geoff M.

Answer : Wireless and wired networks - help!

An easier way to do it is simply to connect your wireless router to your existing LAN using one of the numbered LAN ports on the wireless router (not the WAN port - leave it empty). Then turn off the DHCP server on the wireless router.  This in effect converts the wireless router to a wireles bridge. This will work fine as long as the LAN IP addresss of the wireless router is not an IP used by anyone else on your LAN and is outside the range of the LAN's DHCP server.