Need to extend building wifi into private network on different subnet

[Joem]

Hi,
My building now offers Internet via WiFi with AP on every floor to be shared by everybody.
There is no real isolation among residents, and problem connecting to my wireless printer.

As a quick solution I managed to put together a two box setup:
Box1: Wireless client, connects to common WiFi and brige to wired LAN on building subnet.
Box2: Wireless router, WAN is the input from box1, LAN and wireless SSID on different subnet.

Is there a better way? Is there a single box solution with original or modded firmware?
I'll need my own subnet and SSID and wish to maintain full wireless speed, not halved due to extension.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[coxhaus]

I hope your building runs some type firewall. I would not want to connect to an open internet wireless AP and then base my whole network on it. You don't want to install more wireless in contention with the building wireless. Are you going to be located always in one area of the building? Then maybe a site survey of your area will help to plan your network.

 

[coldwizard]

Do a search for "wireless Internet service provider (WISP) client router"

 

[coxhaus]

I am not up on WISP so I will pass.

 

[sfx2000]

Hi,
My building now offers Internet via WiFi with AP on every floor to be shared by everybody.
There is no real isolation among residents, and problem connecting to my wireless printer.

As a quick solution I managed to put together a two box setup:
Box1: Wireless client, connects to common WiFi and brige to wired LAN on building subnet.
Box2: Wireless router, WAN is the input from box1, LAN and wireless SSID on different subnet.

Is there a better way? Is there a single box solution with original or modded firmware?
I'll need my own subnet and SSID and wish to maintain full wireless speed, not halved due to extension.

Thanks,
Joe

Sounds like you have a working solution... the Building's wifi network sounds a bit scary if their not using any kind of encryption - as Open WiFi is very vulnerable to sniffing out other people's data.

 

[cHarley]

I would not want to connect to an open internet wireless AP and then base my whole network on it

But if you need to make the best of what you have to work with, I strongly recommend using a VPN service, like PIA (private internet access) for example. I run it full time on all my mobile devices.

 

[Joem]

Sounds like you have a working solution... the Building's wifi network sounds a bit scary if their not using any kind of encryption - as Open WiFi is very vulnerable to sniffing out other people's data.

Thanks. Sorry I did not mention that the building's AP is secure with WPA2 password, but this is known to all residents.

I'll continue using my approach for the time being.

J.

 

[sfx2000]

Thanks. Sorry I did not mention that the building's AP is secure with WPA2 password, but this is known to all residents.

I'll continue using my approach for the time being.

J.

That's good news at least - with WPA2 everyone on that WLAN at least has some level of privacy - the group key will be the same, but each client (STA) has it's own PairWise key.

I think your approach is probably best - using a bridge to attach to the building network, and then bringing it into your routers as a WAN connection allows you to protect your own wireless devices.

The one risk I see, and it's not really a risk, is that depending on how the building network is set up, you might be in a double-NAT situation, which can impact gaming consoles, VOIP connections (sometimes), and apps that assume one-hop instead of many...