need a suggestion to a home network (wire or wireless) behind a Linux firewall

Hi,

I have DSL+linux firewall at home. I have a hub downstairs which I can
hook my laptop to. It works fine. NOw, I'm thinking of taking my
laptop to other place in the house, including upstairs. I have
researched two solutions.

(1) powerline network. It will serve my purpose, but I just could not
find those powerline ethernet adapters in local Fry's electronics. (I
like to be able to return if it does not work).

(2) wifi. I got a Linksys BEFW11S4 (router/AP) and a pcmcia for my
laptop last weekend at Bestbuy. I like to put Linksys AP behind my
linux firewal (so I will have more control). However, the BEFW11s4
simply would not talk to my linux firewall, even they are on the same
lan. I have googled, found out some message with the exact same
problem, but not answer. I have already spent too much time on this.

Would any one suggest an easy way, or a better product, or just a
simple trick that I can resolve the above wi-fi problem? I really do
not mind wire or wireless, as long as I don't have to wire the long
ethernet cable to upstair rooms.

Thank you.

Jun

In article <4514cbac.0307281428.5742b588@posting.google.com >, Jun wrote:
> (2) wifi. I got a Linksys BEFW11S4 (router/AP) and a pcmcia for my
> laptop last weekend at Bestbuy. I like to put Linksys AP behind my
> linux firewal (so I will have more control). However, the BEFW11s4
> simply would not talk to my linux firewall, even they are on the same

I have a D-Link DI-614+ WAP set up in just such an arrangement. The WAN
port is not in use. I gave it a static IP in my subnet, turned off DHCP,
and plugged everybody (and a patch cable to another switch) into the LAN
ports. It works just fine, bridging transparently between wired and
wireless. My WNIC picks up its IP from the Ethernet dhcpd.

> lan. I have googled, found out some message with the exact same
> problem, but not answer. I have already spent too much time on this.

Yeah, I did too. :) At first I was trying to use the WAN port, but that
was a wasted effort. I thought I could put the WAN in the wired subnet
and make the LAN/wireless a new subnet.

> Would any one suggest an easy way, or a better product, or just a
> simple trick that I can resolve the above wi-fi problem? I really do

BTW I have to say that D-Link's tech support did well. I have a Linksys
WNIC, and they were able to confirm that one or the other device was not
talking. I halfway expected them to say, "Please use a D-Link card to
connect to our WAP." :)

Turned out that the WAP was good and the NIC was bad; when I exchanged
it I had no trouble getting them to talk to one another. (The bad NIC
was what wasted most of my time.)
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