Home Network Advice

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Level 1

8 points

Home Network Advice

Hi! I'd like to efficiently network my stuff (see below) to live happily ever after. Now, I'm willing to consider adding something to make this happen -- something like Apple TV or TimeCapsule 2T, maybe even used items if you can suggest the right models. (Our Internet router oddly uses PPPoE instead of Wireless, but it is wireless and I don't understand that...)

Down the line, I'd like to add a home cinema speaker system. If the rumours are true and an affordable iPhone hits the markets, I'd be willing to go there, too. Also, I'd like to be able to host folks who visit -- you know, when Mom (withher iPad) or sis (with her iPhone, MacBook and iCloud) come over, I'd like to be able to let them easily use our wireless Internet connection as well as home network.

I'd like to efficiently use wireless or as few connections, adapters, cables, etc. My IMac ports include: Ethernet, Thunderbolt, 4USB2s, in and out audio and FireWire.

Can you help advise how best to do this?

Any concrete ideas or heck even pie in the sky creative ones would be welcome!

Thanks!

J

Product

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Mid 2011, 16 G DRAM, 500MB HD

HP Officejet 5510 All-in-1 Printer

iPod nano

iPod touch, iOS 3.1.3, 8G

Lacey External Hardrive 320MB, Video storage not on iMac

Nintendo Wii

Panasonic Viera 42" HDTV

Samsung Galaxy SII

Telecom Italia Standard Router 7G

Toshiba Satellite M35X-S149, 2002, Windows XP

Trekstor 500MB external hard drive, Linked to TimeMachine

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Mid 2011, 16 G DRAM, 500MB HD

Posted on Jun 1, 2013 11:45 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

ds store

Level 7

30,715 points

Jun 1, 2013 5:27 PM in response to BABBOvicenza

Call a local PC/Mac network specialist to assist you, we can't help you with all this from behind a computer screen with someone who doesn't know much yet.

Sorry and...

Good Luck 🙂

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Answer 2

BABBOvicenza Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 2, 2013 12:01 AM in response to ds store

Thanks. In the meantime, I'm continuing my research (and making progress) and also hoping for other responses. Shortly, I'll update my notes for anyone interested in following/helping out.

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Answer 3

Jun 2, 2013 9:09 AM in response to BABBOvicenza

Here is an example.

I have an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station router. By default, no device can connect wirelessly unless I have previously configured its wireless hardware ethernet address into the router. Visiting guests and family members (phones, tablets, PC , Mac) provide this information to be entered into the router. When they arrive, their devices, if properly configured, will just connect to your network. An Apple TimeCapsule router could do the same job.

There is a networked synology diskstation in the house with several Terabytes of storage connected. In the living room, there is a LCD TV with a networked, Western Digital Media Live box connected by HDMI. The Western Digital sees the media on the Synology diskstation (as do other wired/wireless devices) and provides menu access to audio/visual media entertainment.

Printer access is a static (unchanging) IP address. You guests would need to have the appropriate drivers for this printer configured on each Mac/PC/Linux machine. If you had Printopia installed on your iMac, then iPhone and iPad users could print wirelessly to your printer.

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Answer 4

rccharles

Level 6

12,957 points

Jun 2, 2013 12:44 PM in response to BABBOvicenza

Telecom Italia Standard Router 7G

You already have a wireleless router. You should be able to do what you want already.

I do not know the capabilties of your router. Some literature from
Telecom Italia should tell you how to configure. You should set up a password for wifi.

(Our Internet router oddly uses PPPoE instead of Wireless, but it is wireless and I don't understand that...)

PPPoE from the router to Telecom Italia. Wifi is within your house.

Simply put, PPPoE is a protocol that runs on top of a communications channel: like a wire ( or wifi signal ).

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Answer 5

BABBOvicenza Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 6, 2013 10:36 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you. Very interesting. So the Synology DiSt acts (or would act) functionally as a TimeCapsule would, within storage limits. And, as you mentioned, a TimeCapsule could function as your Airport Extreme Base St, if I understand correctly. Then, the TimeCapsule could be the only unit (for me) to have to add to make a home network useful for my 'needs'.

This way, I could expand and consolidate backups and storage as well as affect the routing to include the TV-to-Internet-to-iMac connections.

Now, rrcharles suggestions I might already have the capability to do what I need without a second wireless router. I suspect that the Telcom system will be more cumbersome to add/register components than a Time Capsule might be -- if conneticity is so automatic with TimeCapsule.

By the way, my mother has just arrived and we can't seem to get a registration set up on the Telecom router, because, I believe, it requires using a USB flassh drive registered at the router and plugged into the iPad...which has no USB port. Perhaps there is a simple solution there I just can't see...

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Answer 6

BABBOvicenza Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 6, 2013 10:38 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks. Your response was helpful and informative. I'm still working on this (I don't seem to have the ability to click the 'was helpful' box. But it is and I'm looking into what you wrote. Thnx

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Answer 7

rccharles

Level 6

12,957 points

Jun 6, 2013 1:41 PM in response to BABBOvicenza

I do not have direct experience with this, but:

By the way, my mother has just arrived and we can't seem to get a registration set up on the Telecom router, because, I believe, it requires using a USB flassh drive registered at the router and plugged into the iPad...which has no USB port.

1) Try calling your ips and asking them.

2) do you have a wifi adapter on you mac? Try sharing the wifi on your mac.

blue apple > System Preferences... > sharing

3) Most routers you can logon to them via typing in the router address into your web browser.

blue apple > System Preferences... > network.

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