I just installed a new router/multi-chan n wifi (Netgear WNDR3800) because my old Linksys WRT-54G was having to be constantly reset and also wanted 1000 bit wired ports. That's working great so far, but I have a problem that this Netgear only supports WPA security and I have an old laptop I sometimes use that's only WEP. So I was wondering if I could use the old WRT-54G and bridge to my regular LAN. Would I go out the WAN port on the WRT-54G into a regular switched LAN port on the Netgear, or something else? How to handle IP address assignment? Maybe turn off DHCP in the WRT-54G and hard-set addresses in my LAN's range?scott s..

How old a laptop are we talking about here. I have two old XP laptops that have no problem with WPA. One is a Dell and the other is a Compaq.

It's an old old Toshiba, but thinking about it I don't really use it so probably not worth the effort to try to get a setup just for that special case. As it is I bought my wife a new laptop, so now I have two "spares" that both work on wpa2 and that should suffice (the spares get repurposed as fs support systems and for guest access).scott s..

ScottRemember that they are routers and not bridges. Routers route between two separate network subnets while bridges bind single network segments. Your solution is to use Different ip address ranges.New router will connect your ISP ip address x.x.x.x/x to your home network i.e. 192.168.0.1/24.Old router will connect your old network i.e. 192.168.1.1/24 to new network 192.168.0.1/24. Your old router and new router will share a common subnet so they can talk to each other. Plug your old router to a LAN port on the new router via the WAN port and give it a static address or set it for dhcp and allow your new router to give it an address. Fiinally set up dhcp on your old router for your old laptop. the dhcp on your new and old network segments won't conflict because DHCP is a broadcast and routers do not forward broadcasts between networks.(ISP)-----(wan port)(LAN port)-----(wan port)(wireless)------(laptop)------------------new router------------------old router-------------------------(internet segment)------------(LAN)-----------------------(WLAN)-----------

Edited January 12, 201214 yr by Mike T

ScottRemember that they are routers and not bridges. Routers route between two separate network subnets while bridges bind single network segments. Your solution is to use Different ip address ranges.New router will connect your ISP ip address x.x.x.x/x to your home network i.e. 192.168.0.1/24.Old router will connect your old network i.e. 192.168.1.1/24 to new network 192.168.0.1/24. Your old router and new router will share a common subnet so they can talk to each other. Plug your old router to a LAN port on the new router via the WAN port and give it a static address or set it for dhcp and allow your new router to give it an address. Fiinally set up dhcp on your old router for your old laptop. the dhcp on your new and old network segments won't conflict because DHCP is a broadcast and routers do not forward broadcasts between networks.(ISP)-----(wan port)(LAN port)-----(wan port)(wireless)------(laptop)------------------new router------------------old router-------------------------(internet segment)------------(LAN)-----------------------(WLAN)-----------

Thanks. Was going to blow this off as not worth the effort, but maybe I will take a stab at it just for the learning experience. Meanwhile, the laptop I bought has some sort of Intel Wifi solution that I don't really understand. I guess it is intended as a substitute for Bluetooth and designed to create an adhoc or peer to peer wifi net while also connected to an access point net.scott s..