wireless confusion

[J_C_COOL]

Right,
am a bit confused as to the name of what i need. My net connection (virgin media) is upstairs, this goes through the modem to a wireless router to provide connection via LAN for my pc upstairs and wireless for my laptop upstairs.
Unfortunately the wireless is too weak to work downstairs, so i woz gonna get a homeplug kit to get a network point downstairs.
Now what is the name of the gizmo that I want to plug into the network point downstairs to give me wireless and wired connections?
As far as I can tell its gonna do all the things a wireless router would do, but they all (even the non-adsl ones) seem to say that the input must be internet.
This is where I'm confused.
Help.

 

[tolien]

A router with the homeplug downstairs connected to one of the switch ports would do, provided you disabled DHCP et al. You aren't really using it as a router, just a switch and wireless AP.

Bear in mind you'd need to disconnect from one network and connect to the other though, and both routers would need to have different IPs.

 

[J_C_COOL]

A router with the homeplug downstairs connected to one of the switch ports would do, provided you disabled DHCP et al. You aren't really using it as a router, just a switch and wireless AP.

Bear in mind you'd need to disconnect from one network and connect to the other though, and both routers would need to have different IPs.

sorry mate I'm a bit of a noob, would u mind explaining how that'd work?

 

[tolien]

Which bit?

All you need downstairs is the Homeplug thing (to connect to the router upstairs), a switch (to give you the wired connections), and a wireless AP (to give you the wireless bits). That way all the kit's transparent, and you should be able to connect to the internet and the machines upstairs without too much messing about.
A router has all of that, plus obviously the router bits (WAN port, NAT, DHCP server et al), so provided you disable those (DHCP's the only one that's really going to cause a problem) everything will work.

The two routers would need to have different IP addresses or they'd conflict, and you only want one DHCP server (presumably the existing routers does that already) or Bad Things happen.

 

[J_C_COOL]

Which bit?

All you need downstairs is the Homeplug thing (to connect to the router upstairs), a switch (to give you the wired connections), and a wireless AP (to give you the wireless bits). That way all the kit's transparent, and you should be able to connect to the internet and the machines upstairs without too much messing about.
A router has all of that, plus obviously the router bits (WAN port, NAT, DHCP server et al), so provided you disable those (DHCP's the only one that's really going to cause a problem) everything will work.

The two routers would need to have different IP addresses or they'd conflict, and you only want one DHCP server (presumably the existing routers does that already) or Bad Things happen.

Cheers that makes more sense and is what I was thinking. Just a couple more questions:

Do i plug in the signal from the homeplug thing into the input/broadband socket or 1 of the 4 switch sockets on the router?

Would it be better to stick with the same brand of router as what I have upstairs?

thanks again.

 

[tolien]

Do i plug in the signal from the homeplug thing into the input/broadband socket or 1 of the 4 switch sockets on the router?

the homeplug downstairs connected to one of the switch ports would do

Would it be better to stick with the same brand of router as what I have upstairs?

Doesn't make much odds.