Linksys Neighborhood Network needs isolation!

[GrayJ]

We want to share a single satellite link with four homes via 802.11b.

WE DO >NOT< WANT TO SHARE FILES, PRINTERS, ETC. BETWEEN HOMES!!!! The setup must permit each home to have several computers sharing the connection. These “home LANs” need to share printers, files, etc. internally but MUST be isolated from other homes. Each home also needs a private wireless zone.

We want to use Linksys 802.11b equipment since used “b” equipment is cheap but still 10x faster than the satellite feed and we already have some Linksys stuff.

We have done the first step: (Family1), with the satellite equipment, and one remote family (Family2). We will add two more families when everything is working correctly.

The connections are ethernet except for the WiFi bridge.
All subnet masks are 255.255.255.0.
"gateway" computer refers to function, not brand.

"LOCAL"

Starband 380 Modem
|
gateway Computer
(running MS ICS, Starband data acceleration software)
Incoming NIC (192.168.0.1 - static),
Outgoing NIC (192.168.1.0 - static)
|
WAN SW - Linksys Cable/DSL Router/Switch (BEFW11S4 V.2)
(192.168.1.1 - static)
Configured as GATEWAY & DHCP server (192.168.1.101-111)
Incoming to WAN port.
Outgoing: Port 1 is wired service to Family1.
Port 2 to Family2 via WiFi bridge.
Wireless section is the Family1 AP using Ch. 6
and private SSID and WEP.

The above is required by the Starband 380 which uses “data acceleration” and MUST have the “gateway” computer to decode. Starbandusers.com says this exact setup is used by thousands of members to share the connection within a single LAN.

REMOTE CONNECTION

WAN SW Port 2
|
2ea Linksys Wireless Ethernet Bridges (WET-11)
with narrow beam, high gain antennae
(192.168.1.20&21 static)( Ch 1, “Ad Hoc”, WEP)
|
Linksys BEFW11S4 (192.168.1.22 – static)
Incoming Port 1. Configured as ROUTER,
DHCP service is OFF.
Wireless is OFF until we get this working correctly.

THE PROBLEM

This works BUT the two families are NOT isolated. Family1 can see all workstations and shares on Family2 and vice versa. We thought this could be resolved with IP addressing and tried several schemes but either had the same problem or no connection.

Can someone tell us how to make this work? Linksys won’t “support this configuration” saying "the services being supplied by the gateway computer duplicate those in the switch". Every example we can find on StarbandUsers.com and elsewhere are people that DO want to share everything.

 

[bcastner]

This is a mess.

1. You are not going to get where you want to be using BEFW11S4 and WET11 equipment alone.

2. You say nothing of the distances involved, but read and take note seriously the following:

http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030108S0003

http://www.internetwk.com/story/INW20021125S0007?ls=TW_010303_fea&fb=20030103_network

3. If you added a router at each remote location:

. one to handle the bridging
. one to handle the privacy of the local LAN

You would have a fighting chance. To use two routers in sequence in such a setup see:

http://www4.tomshardware.com/network/20030716/index.html

4. Selling all the equipment on E-Bay or another auction site and using true WDS with more modern equipment would be my choice. The Linksys WRT54G with even your existing WET11 devices could offer true WDS.

 

[GrayJ]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check out those ref's immediately. I'ts really disappointing that we have to go to much more expensive equipment.

The distances are 200 yd min and about 400 yd max.

The current hookup is the 200 yard one. Using Hyperlink Technologies HG2415G 15 db Wireless Lan Parabolic Antennae (16 deg beam) and LMR-400 low loss cable, the WET-11 reports 75% signal strength thru a thin row of trees. This connection is working at the full speed of the Starband link even when it's raining.

 

[GrayJ]

OK! I read bcastner's ref's. I don't see the application of the first two which concern "powerline networking" but the third one was useful.

As I study it, it occurs to me that we shouldn't need two routers in each house, only at the beginning.

If we inserted a non-wireless WAN router/switch between the gateway computer and the first BEFW11S4, ID'd it 192.168.1.1, re-ID'd the BEFW11S4 as 192.168.2.1 and took the remote links off the new router - renaming their routers 192.168.3.1, 192.168.4.1, etc. --- wouldn't we have what we want?

If so I'd assume that each home would have it's router handling it's own DHCP and each would use a address range within the same address scope as it's router... 192.168.2.100,101,102.. for the 192.168.2.1 router and so forth.

Am I getting close or am I still missing the point?