wireless network setup w/ no optical drive or modem reset capabilities

I have an unusual problem that I'm hoping someone can help me with.

I'm studying abroad in Japan, and my dorm has no wifi. As stated in the title, I have no optical drive on my computer, so I will need to install a wireless router manually, without an installation wizard. I'm subscribing to the only internet service provided (there's an ethernet jack in my wall and it magically started working when I paid them for internet), but I don't have access to a modem which I can reset as required by the setup instructions online for installation without a CD.

I would like to know how I can set up an encrypted wireless network with these conditions, as well as what equipment I would need to pull it off.

In addition, can someone explain the difference between a broadband router and whatever kind of wireless router that isn't broadband? Just shopping around to see how much wireless will cost me, I see some labeled "broadband" but can't figure out the difference.

Please let me know if you can help. Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not completely following what you are trying to do.

You are in a dorm and paying for internet gets you a wired connection but not a wireless connection. You want to connect wireless to the one connection. Be aware that it may or may not work, depending on how the main network is being handled. I'll assume that it's similar to what I have in my office and it works there.

I have a netgear rangemax router. I didn't not use the setup wizard because I"m not connecting to a modem and I use static IP's. When you connect to a network that is already configured, not all of the steps apply.

The short version would be to set your computer to the same IP range as the router -- in this case I make the computer 192.168.1.10. Connect to the router with an ethernet cable. Type 192.168.1.1 into a browser. Login iwth the defaults. Netgear has a setup wizard as an option there and you can try running it.

When it asks what kind of connection, user, password, that all does not apply to you unless you need to enter some sort of password when you connect to the wall.

There will be some steps to remove the IP that you set in the computer and for the router and to setup the wireless network that the wizard should walk you through

There is a longer setup procedure if the wizard doesn't work. It's a bit of a pain and in the end it may not work well if you end up in a double NAT situation.

If you just need to share a connection to more than one computer, the easiest, most reliable way would be to install a basic network switch ($15 in the US) and a few ethernet cables to the various computers. Try to stay at 50ft or less. Limit for an ethernet cat5 cable between switches is documented at 100ft (people will say it's more or less than this.)

 

The wired option for sharing assumes that you can get multiple IP addresses via DHCP on the network.

When 3 of my staff were living is Saudi Arabia for 2 months, they only had one ethernet port. I gave them the same solution. I can't remember if they could get more than one IP on the network or if they just shared the 75ft ethernet cable around the apartment. It was the low-tech solution but it worked and it was temporary and kind of funny too.

You didn't say you were sharing, just that you wanted wireless. If you are trying to get wireless to access something like ipod downloads, there is a way to bridge the laptop from the wired internet connection to the wireless to have your devices attach to your computer wirelessly and see the internet.

 

Thanks for the reply, handygal. I think you more or less summed up my situation, but allow me to rephrase and see if I can clarify anything.

Sharing the connection is not my main concern, but it would be a nice feature. I just don't want to be chained to my room while using internet, and I don't want to bother my roommates with a 30-40 ft. cable running down the hallway.

I don't know anything about how the service/network to which I subscribe is being handled. I plug in and it works, but I can't change anything.

I have accepted that, if I get a wireless router, I will need to install it manually because I don't have an optical drive to use any included install wizards, plus they'd probably be in very difficult Japanese... All the manuals I've found online state that, if I am to run a manual install, I will have to reset my modem, to which I don't have access.

In other words, I need to figure out how to do a manual install without being able to change or reset any part of the existing network. However, assuming that the network I use is already configured in some unchangeable manner, I conclude that the steps to install a router will be different from any instructions the manufacturer would be likely to provide with the product.

Do you have any advice for such a situation with so many unknowns? If I can find out any network info for you, just let me know how to find it and I'll be glad to provide it. Although, I have intermittently seen very weak signals in the area, so I'm think that wireless setup should be possible somehow. I just need to know how, and if I need a specific type of router for this purpose.

 

I'm not great at adding wireless to an existing network like the one you are on. I've done it a few times and I know how it worked for me.

If you want to try it, I can try to walk you through how mine is setup. I use Netgear Rangemax routers. You do not need the CD for these, the setup wizard is on the list of options when you log into the router.

If you post your ipconfig /all when you are connected, I can customize the screen shots for how the setup would be.

I never reset a modem or firewall hardware when I install these. That applies when when the router is controlling the login for something like a DSL account. You can ignore that part.

Attached are two images of the setup that I have on a network. The main network in the office is 10.0.92.X and the attached wireless devices are on 10.0.93.X

 

Thanks for the offer to help, but I'm still in the process of planning my great escape from wires.

I have not yet purchased a router but was thinking about buying one as a reward for completing my first semester here, budget allowing. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out whether or not wireless is possible/reasonable to set up given my situation.

On my last trip to the local electronics store, I didn't see anything by Netgear, so that in itself will be a difference in your setup vs. mine. The one I am most likely to get is a wireless b/g router for about $35 (the cheapest they have). Is it normal for all the setup options to be configured by logging into the router, rather than using a CD setup wizard?

I guess at this point, what I'd like to know is 1) what factors will determine whether or not I can set up wireless here and 2) how can I figure out if my computer/internet connection/still-to-be-purchased router will enable the successful creation of a wireless network?

 

Brand of the wireless router you found? I have a netgear and linksys here, a/b/g. I don't have any belkin. I am familiar with d-link's interfaces and I'd have to look that up if it's a d-link, they do sometimes need install program but you might be able to download the contents of the CD.

Run an ipconfig /all and copy it here. That will tell a lot about the connection. I can't think of any where it wouldn't work at the moment.

 

I could've sworn that I typed the brand... But anyway, it's an IOgear. I wasn't even aware that they made routers until I saw the one in the store.

http://www.iogear.com/product/GWA502/

^This may or may not be the same model. The one I saw had a lot more Japanese... There was an N-150 for a bit more, but I'm fine with G.

It seems that drivers are included on the website. I'm running Windows 7 x64, but I can probably still use this model, right?

ipconfig/all results: see attached jpg.

 

They can't spell antenna, but it looks to be a very simple interface and one of the easiest step-by step quick starts that I've seen. It has all the options that you need to set this up so yes, chances are very good that it would work.

Chose the setup type cable modem and DHCP client during the setup.

When you set it up, i would select to NOT broadcast the SSID, it just alerts your neighbors that there is a new wireless device close by.

 

Got it. I'll keep that in mind when I set everything up.

Thanks for all your help and sorry for being hard to understand.

 

You're welcome. It isn't that you're hard to understand, it's sometimes hard to imagine a situation correctly and a wrong assumption gives a completely wrong answer.

I like your quotes. I have a new one right now