D-Link DI-524 and Airlink Range Booster (SSID)

[p23185]

I have a laptop that sometimes connects to the distant router (a low signal) rather than the Airlink Range Booster. To prevent this I tried to set the SSID inside the booster to a different value. When I do that I can still connect, but cannnot get to the internet. The laptop is using Vista Home Basic, the Router is D-Link DI-524, and the Range Booster is Airlink AP311W. Some folks have told me to set the wireless card in the laptop so that it only connects to a specific MAC (the range booster), but that is not possible according to Dell.

Why will the router not allow access to the internet when the range booster has a different SSID than the router?

Any other suggestions on how I can FORCE the laptop to only connect to the range booster and ignore the router signal?

[kmac]

The thing to do is to set up access control on the router so the router only allows specific MAC addressess to connect to it. Do not inlcude the MAc address of your client WIFI card in the laptop so that way your laptop couldn't connect to the router.

[p23185]

The thing to do is to set up access control on the router so the router only allows specific MAC addressess to connect to it. Do not inlcude the MAc address of your client WIFI card in the laptop so that way your laptop couldn't connect to the router.

OK, but then wouldn't the client WIFI card in the laptop be denied access to the network since the router is the device issuing the 'lease' (IP address)? I wish I knew more about how the range booster works, the manual is useless. If the router denies access to the client WIFI laptop card, will the router still issue the 'lease' to the laptop through the connection to the Range Booster?

[p23185]

OK, but then wouldn't the client WIFI card in the laptop be denied access to the network since the router is the device issuing the 'lease' (IP address)? I wish I knew more about how the range booster works, the manual is useless. If the router denies access to the client WIFI laptop card, will the router still issue the 'lease' to the laptop through the connection to the Range Booster?

Denying the Laptop MAC address at the router appears to do what you said - ALL LOOKS GOOD at this point. Thank you very much. Guess what is happening is only the MAC is denied and the IP is still issued through the booster.

[kmac]

Hi

I don't log in on weekends but looks like you are sorted anyway.

Glad to know allis well

[p23185]

I have tried to make my network more secure by only allowing the known MACs to connect and by limiting the number of static IPs the DI-524 can issue to six (I set the permissible IP range from 100 - 105).

It appears that with the IPs limited to only the 3- PCs, NAS disk, net printer, and the range booster, the D-Link Media Player (DSM-520, wireless) still connects to the network WITHOUT any IPs available for issuance.

How can that be? Does the range booster open up the network to an unlimited number of devices (IPs) that can attach as long as they know the encryption key?