Setting up wireless network-Linksys WRT54G/Westell Wirespeed

some of these Westell DSL modems have an integrated router. You may have to change the modem to Bridge mode before it will work with your Linksys.

ICS? Whats that? How do I check if I used it, and how would I uninstall it?

You noted you used the ethernet to share the internet on the PC. As such, that could be ICS.

Sorry, you've got me what your setup is now.

Best of luck unraveling it.

Bob

What is ICS?

Internet Connection Sharing.

Widely discussed on the internet, but doesn't seem to apply to your setup.

Bob

and describe your previous physical setup. In your posts you mentioned a modem, a USB port, an ethernet cable, and "plugging in the internet." Can you be more explicit about what physically is plugged where, what exact devices you have, and any setup modifications you can remember having done.

For example, there is a phone wire from the jack in the wall to your DSL modem. You identified the DSL modem as a Westell Dual Connect. Would you turn the modem over and tell us the exact model number. Specifically, I am trying to determine whether you have a 2100 or a 2200 model. Next, you said something about a USB connection. Presumably this is a connection between the modem and your computer. Is this what you meant by "plugging in the internet?" Then you said something about an ethernet cable. Where is that plugged in - at both ends, i.e., where from and where to. Then you said something about "sharing" your internet connection. Sharing with what? Is there another computer in the picture? How is it connected to anything else physically? Do both computers access the internet simultaneously. And finally, regarding setup modifications to anything - do you know if your Verizon DSL connection is PPPoE or DHCP?

Once we have a better understanding of your configuration we might be able to help you sort it out.

dw

Right now, I have the modem connected through the phone jack, and connected to this computer with a USB cable. The model of my modem is B90-210015-04, so it is the 2100 model. This computer then supplies the internet to my sister's laptop through a cat-5 cable. What I am trying to do is set up a wireless network so that this laptop can leave the room. Both computers access the internet at the same time. I currently have this computer set up to serve as a gateway to the other computers on the network, which is why it is connected through USB to the internet.

and I dont know whether the connection is PPPoE or DHCP

In moving to a router, such is no longer going to be used.

Bob

The 2100 modem is a bridge modem only, it doesn't do either NAT or PPPoE. Don't worry what that means, just that it's good news. It is already a dumb plain pass-through, so you won't have to dumb it down so that it won't conflict with the router's functions. I am also going to make a wild guess here that you are in a part of the Verizon network that was GTE before it was bought by Verizon, and are not using PPPoE, but rather DHCP. If you were in an area that was BellAtlantic before Verizon that means you are on PPPoE and you have had your Verizon DSL for 3 or 4 years or longer (about then they started using the 2200 modem for PPPoE customers).

If the modem is connected by USB to your computer and then one computer to the other by ethernet, then you must be using ICS. There aren't many other options for doing what you say it is doing with the wires connected that way. You said you didn't know what ICS is. You will need to learn just enough about that to uninstall it.

After you get the ICS uninstalled, here is the wiring configuration of the new setup. The phone wire from the wall to the modem (unchanged from before) and then use the ethernet connection of the DualConnect modem to the WAN jack on the Linksys router. Then use another ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports on the router to your computer (which obviously means you will disconnect the laptop which previously was connected there). Do NOT use the same cable that was between the two computers - it was a cross-over cable. You will need a 2 new straight-through standard ethernet patch cables, for between the modem and router and from the router to your computer.

When you have all this set up, you should be able to use the Linksys setup CD to configure the router. When you have completed the wired connection from your computer to the internet, then start on the wireless configuration for the laptop.

let us know how it goes,
dw

I understood everything you said except for the part about ICS. I looked it up and tried to find out how to disable/uninstall it, but I couldn't figure it out. Could you please explain it to me? I'm using XP SP2 by the way. Thanks.

1) Click on Help and Support in your Start Menu. Lots of good information there about all kinds of things.

2) Google it. Lots of good information there about all kinds of things.

If you were to do either, you would discover:

A) Right click My Network Places and select Properties (or open Network Connections in Control Panel)

B) Right click on the Internet Connection item and select Properties

C) Click on the Advanced tab

D) Uncheck the Internet Connection Sharing items. While you are there, you might even click on the ''Learn more about Internet Connection Sharing'' link if you were so inclined.

When people commiserate to me that computers shouldn't be so difficult, I usually respond that actually they aren't. You just have to look for the easy answers that are already right there.

dw