Recommend me a wireless switch

[StewartKnight]

Here's the senario.......

 

I have 5 computers at the back of a classroom, with a network point at the front of the classroom. What I want to do is put an AP at the front of the class, then add a switch at the back of the classroom that picks up the wireless signal and, via ethernet, wire the computers to the switch.

 

Saves me the hassle of wireing up a classroom!

 

Any recommendations?

[plexer]

Normally you would take 2 waps configured as a bridge plug one into the front socket plug the other into a 8 port switch or whatever and then plug the pc's into that.

 

Ben

[steveg]

For the price of 2 access points i would really look into getting it cabled, even if you dont run 5 new points, just run a long patch cable round the room and into a desktop switch for the 5 pc's. Its going to be a lot more reliable and faster than a wireless bridge.

 

Steve

[broc]

I would agree with steveg. If the long cable option is no good, how about a WAP at the front and wireless network adapters in the PCs?

[StewartKnight]

I find that wireless adapters don't work, as you need to log on before the machine starts to get the wireless signal.

[K.C.Leblanc]

Buffalo used to make wireless access points with a built in 4 port switch, however I've never seen an AP with more ports. You also get a lot of wireless routers with 4 port switches (never seen one with more), you could disable the router and then DHCP sever and use them as a switch/AP.

 

Personaly I think running cable makes most sence (but I havn't seen the calss room).

 

What OS are you using, if it's XP are you binning the manufacturers softwarein favour of windows Zero wireless.

[torledo]

Buffalo used to make wireless access points with a built in 4 port switch, however I've never seen an AP with more ports. You also get a lot of wireless routers with 4 port switches (never seen one with more), you could disable the router and then DHCP sever and use them as a switch/AP.

 

Personaly I think running cable makes most sence (but I havn't seen the calss room).

 

What OS are you using, if it's XP are you binning the manufacturers softwarein favour of windows Zero wireless.

 

Wireless workgroup bridges which were designed for this kind of setup became out-of-favour as a wifi option very suddenly

 

Cisco didn't replace the aironet 350 with a similar product. I suppose a point-to-point bridge using two AP's from front to back of the classroom would work....but unless it's a particularly huge classroom, i'd just run long parch leads from a switch at the front to the computers in the rear.

 

If you can run the cables thru existing trunking it's a bit more effort but a tidier result, otherwise just tack the cables around the walls. I've got a lovely little staple gun with adjustable depth ideal for tacking of cables. i recommend you buy something similar and keep it in you're tool collection

[plexer]

If you were going to run long patch leads surely you'd run one to the switch at the back of the class room and the plug the computers into that.

 

Rather that running 5 long patch leads?

 

Ben

[Southwell]

I don't get it, if you are wiring the pc's to a switch anyway why not just run a cable from your network cabinet to the switch, or fibre?

[StewartKnight]

Having one wire to the back of the classroom, from a network point, looks unprofessional. Wireing back to the cabinet is beyond the tools I have (sure I can network, but my DIY skills suck, and the walls are massively thicj anyway)

 

A nice ELEGANT solution... a wireless switch, as described above.

the AP is bridge mode looks like a botch job, I'd rather have a wireless switch that was bridged, than a AP bridged to a switch.

[Southwell]

Ah, so you can't go through the ceilings like we do then?