Wireless broadband vs DSL

[Small Business Owner]

Currently using a Linksys (Cisco) G/WRT54g Wireless Broadband 4 port switch router in our garage, getting signal via a Hughes Network 7000s receiver in garage and dish on top of garage, and amplifying signal to computer in house (100 ' away from garage) with a Linksys N USB network adapter Mod # WUSB300N. Guests in our vacation rental home, 120' in another direction from the garage (220' feet from our home) get wireless broadband reception OK with this system.
PROBLEM: Now in the process of switching to CenturyTel DSL, with a 327W Westell Router in our house but don't want to pay for separate phone line at rental home. (Lines and jacks are there, but we disconnected service 4 years ago.) But, the DSL signal doesn't carry thru all the walls and across the 220' between houses.
Talked to CenturyTel techs about boosting the signal. They suggested I buy a Netgear or DLink Range Extender: either would be compatible. Researched a bunch of those online and read reviews/comments/criticisms until I was left with more questions than answers. Prices range from $79 to $300+++. Any suggestions as to which model to buy??? Is one better than another if only to get the best in SPI and NAT firewalls? Or is there any way to use the Linksis router I already have and dump the Westell Router, which has gotten alot of lousy reviews anyway?
HELP!

 

[thiggins]

You are right to steer clear of wireless range extenders. They are tough to get working and iffy in performance.

Two options:

- Run phone line to Garage and install the new router there.

- Use a pair of Homeplug adapters to connect the new router in the house to the Linksys router in the garage, converted to an Access point. If you like Linksys, use a PLK200 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit

How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point
How To Add an Access Point to a Wireless Router

 

[Small Business Owner]

You are right to steer clear of wireless range extenders. They are tough to get working and iffy in performance.

Two options:

- Run phone line to Garage and install the new router there.

- Use a pair of Homeplug adapters to connect the new router in the house to the Linksys router in the garage, converted to an Access point. If you like Linksys, use a PLK200 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit

How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point
How To Add an Access Point to a Wireless Router

OK. So if I use a Linksys PLK200 AV Ethernet kit in the house, the house becomes the main wireless router and the Linksys router out in the garage is changed into an AP, yes? Even tho the signal will be coming into the house via a DSL. So, do a site survey, leave the existing Westell 327 router in place, without changing its IP address, plug in the pair of adapters w/CA5, then DO change the IP address on the "old" Linksys router out in the garage to one outside the house's server range .. use a laptop at the rental house to access the net using the IP on the AP, not the Westell IP, and see if the signal works.
Then, safe to terminate contract with HughesNet, take down the dish and sell it?!
Some concerns: using Microsoft XP Home edition software and several photo and brochure publishing programs for the business. Will setting up an AP affect the speed at which I can send, receive and then print large files on my Lexmark printer?
In terms of security, can I configure tighter restrictions for browsing and receiving from the internet at the rental home using the AP than I do from the house?
Thanks again.

 

[thiggins]

Seems like you understood the articles correctly.

Some concerns: using Microsoft XP Home edition software and several photo and brochure publishing programs for the business. Will setting up an AP affect the speed at which I can send, receive and then print large files on my Lexmark printer?

You can still use the switch in the Linksys router that has been converted to an AP to connect devices via Ethernet. Everything, wired and wireless, will be part of the network formed by the "main" Westell router in the house.

If you connect the printer and computers via Ethernet, you shouldn't see a reduction in speed. If you are going from the garage to the main house, you might notice a reduction in speed, depending on what the speed of the HomePlug connection is.

In terms of security, can I configure tighter restrictions for browsing and receiving from the internet at the rental home using the AP than I do from the house?

Once you convert the router to an AP, then you lose any router functions.
You could leave the router as a router and then you would be able to apply routing and filter functions.

This would also prevent casual browsing of network shares by name, but they would still be reachable by IP address. So make sure that any network shares are password protected.