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StevenWRX · Jul 31, 2006, 10:47 PM

ok i will keep this as simple as possible.. please please help me..

I have a cable modem hooked to an airport express base station.. my powerbook runs perfectly as of now.

In 2 weeks, i will have a windows PC coming in for gaming use.

I would like to use a "wired" connection for the PC, AND keep the wireless basestation for my laptops and friends..

So how do i do this??

Can I just plug the cable modem into a switch/router thingy and then connect my airport into one jack and the ethernet cable into another( and run the ethernet cable into the PC)?

this is really confusing to type, yet so simple.. can someone please help me?

chabig · Jul 31, 2006, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by StevenWRX

Can I just plug the cable modem into a switch/router thingy and then connect my airport into one jack and the ethernet cable into another( and run the ethernet cable into the PC)?

That is exactly right. But you will want all of the devices on your network to use the same range of IP addresses. So you'll want the cable modem to assign the IP addresses for everything. This means that you need to use Airport Admin Utility to tell the Express NOT to assign addresses. This is done by unchecking the box titled "Distribute IP Addresses" in the Network pane.

Chris

StevenWRX · Jul 31, 2006, 11:22 PM

thank you so much.. so it must be a combo switch/router? or just a plain router?

security/sharing printers or files/ does not matter to me. i just need it to work easily lol.

thank you again.

chabig · Aug 1, 2006, 12:14 AM

Actually you just need switch. You do not need or want a router. Now, most routers have switches built-in and you might get a router for less money than a switch. So if you get a router, make sure to leave the WAN port empty and just plug your cables into the LAN ports. That will ensure you don't get router functions--switch only.

Chris

RJGill842 · Aug 7, 2006, 04:38 AM

drop the AirPort Equipment and buy a LinkSys WRT54G Wireless Router, which has 4 ethernet ports on the back of it. You can have wireless internet and wired all on one device, and its only $69.99 @ Best Buy! -RJGill

StevenWRX · Aug 8, 2006, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by RJGill842

drop the AirPort Equipment and buy a LinkSys WRT54G Wireless Router, which has 4 ethernet ports on the back of it. You can have wireless internet and wired all on one device, and its only $69.99 @ Best Buy! -RJGill

well i wanted to keep the airport express for the airtunes function. i love being able to stream music into my home theater setup.

i went and bought a linksys router/switch, plugged my airport express in and it worked.

ghporter · Aug 8, 2006, 10:26 AM

Why should he drop a device that he already has for one he'd have to buy? If you need more wired ports, get a cheap wired router and use its 4 wired ports as a switch-this is often less expensive than just buying a switch. Plug one port into the AEBS and the other three are now switched and in the same network and subnet. No problem.