[ale] What do I need to bridge two networks?

[Michael H. Warfield]

On Sun, 2014-02-02 at 15:00 -0500, Jim Lynch wrote: 
> I'm working in a lab that has a single wifi connection to the outside.  
> I don't have any control over the installed router.  I have a separate 
> router that I use to connect come of my systems together but would like 
> to be able to bridge the two routers somehow.  I don't have physical 
> access to the installed router so I'd have to bridge a wifi to my router 
> somehow.  It's difficult to attempt to put my systems (some of them) on 
> the installed router.

Your description is kind of confusing.  I'm not quite sure I have the
mental image of what you're trying to accomplish or if you're referring
to "router" when you mean "switch".

You say the lab as a single WiFi connection to the outside.  Meaning it
connects through WiFi to the greater Internet or that it as a single
WiFi access point that you can connect to?

Internet -> WiFi -> Lab -> Network

or

Internet -> Router -> Network -> Wifi ->Z--Z-> clients

Where does your equipment fall.  I assume it's inside the lab.  You say
"some of your equipment".  What's the problem with the others?  Not
enough ports?  You say you don't have access to the router.  Well,
that's not unexpected.  What is this router doing?  Is it a WiFi router?
Having access to one port off of it should be sufficient to throw an
etherswitch on and give you more fan-out.  What does your "separate
router" do?

> What's the minimum that that I'd need to make this happen, if it's even 
> possible?  The router I have is a Cisco/Linksys of some variety.  I 
> forget the model number but it is several years old. It's running the 
> stock Cisco software.

Well...  You asked for a minimum.  My minimum would be a Raspberry Pi
with a WiFi plugin dongle.  Then bridge the ethernet and the WiFi
interfaces to an internal bridge.  Then again, if you just need more
ports, a 5 or 8 port workgroup etherswitch would do just fine.

> Thanks,
> Jim.

Regards,
Mike
-- 
Michael H. Warfield (AI4NB) | (770) 978-7061 |  mhw at WittsEnd.com
   /\/\|=mhw=|\/\/          | (678) 463-0932 |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
   NIC whois: MHW9          | An optimist believes we live in the best of all
 PGP Key: 0x674627FF        | possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of it!

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 465 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
URL: <http://mail.ale.org/pipermail/ale/attachments/20140202/67161383/attachment.sig>