Wireless Network - Thanks

[Tom Watson]

Thanks for helping me out with this wireless network project.

I understand the difference between the hardware firewall and the software one, now. The Netgear setup showed the unit hooked to a desktop through a NIC and that threw me off. I thought that the settings were changed from a computer that was hard wired in - but found that it was done wirelessly.

I moved the modem and router to a different position, that was actually farther away from the shop but had two fewer 24" stone walls in the path. The signal strength in the shop went from low to very good and claims to be running at 11 to 24 Mbps. Much mo betta.

I tried setting up the MAC addresses for the four boxes that are on this network but hosed myself when I told the router to only allow access from those addresses - before changing the settings on the computers. Suddenly - no mo access.

Did a hard reset on the router and got access back but decided to do some more RTFMing before continuing. I used to love reading manuals but now wish that folks like Netgear provided a little more handholding in setting up and changing the defaults - 'cause life is short and manuals are long.

Thanks again.

(watson - who wishes that manuals were written by English speaking folks, instead of Engineers.)

Regards, Tom.

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

[RKON]

Where do you live in a Castle? 24" Stone walls? ;)

[Tom Watson]

Believe me, you'd never mistake this place for a castle.

The houses on my road were built about two-hundred years ago as places for the millworkers to live. (built next to a creek that provided power for the mills) The ones like mine are twins and held two families in each half of the twin.

I'm happy to report that only one family lives in each half these days.

The stone walls help keep the place pretty cool until the warmest part of the summer but when you have to penetrate a wall to run stuff to the outside - it can be a real chore.

(watson - who lives in an old stone house that has the plaster falling off up by the roof peak - and has to go up the forty-foot ladder next Saturday and fix it - sigh...)

Regards, Tom.

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

[Dustmaker]

Tom,

My hobby used to be computers. However, I gave up when Microsoft killed off the competition. Now I find woodworking to be much more of a hobby and less of a challenge. I just do the minimum for computers and try to have them work for me instead of me working for them.

Now all I have to do is get Bill Gates to fix my bandsaw. (Fat chance)

[Dave Hinz]

While gates has been snoozing thinking that was true, "the competition" has been busy. There are choices for the home and office user which don't involve Windows; Linux and Mac both enjoy similar technology and are free of Microsoft's "take me, big boy" security model. If what is available for either isn't enough for you, you can always run WINE or VMWare on the Linux box to run your windows stuff, or Virtual PC on the mac to run your windows stuff.

He's too busy deciding which monopolistic business practice to try next. Besides, I have a feeling that, if handed a set of hand tools, he'd go into "dummy mode". Doesn't seem like the type who, you know, uses his hands to work.

Dave "Some might say he doesn't use his mind for it either..." Hinz

[Morris Dovey]

Hunh! If he ever actually built anything, it'd be out of flakeboard and all the corners would be cut.

[charlie b]

You forgot a few other things. The customer would have to pay for the piece up front, sight unseen, sign a contract Gates legal department wrote, insuring that he (Gates) had NO liabilities of any kind, making no guarantees about the quality or useability of the piece, e-mail you upgrade offers so your piece would actually function for its intended use - for an additional cost of course and MAY send you the missing parts of the piece you bought - whenever he gets around to it and never tell you the piece has a remote built into it that will unlock your doors while you're not home, provide a voice message for any burglar, informing him/her of where your silverware, fine china and perhaps jewelry are in the house AND ... Did I mention Y2K and that the piece might - or might not - fall apart at midnight on December 31st, 2000?

To paraphrase - "In a free market economy, some are 'free'er than others" Rant mode off

charlie belden

BTW - anyone know when Webster equated "free" "market" with "republic" or "democracy"?

[Greg Millen]

for anyone interested, I've put a wireless network primer up for ftp at:

ftp://groggy.homeip.net/Wireless%20Document/oreilly%20-%20Building%20WirelessCommunity%20Networks.pdf