Will a wireless cable router also work on a local network in the
absence of a cable internet connect?  I would like to network PC's
wirelessly with the option of adding cable internet later.

Hi,

Thanks for your question.
Yes I am positive that this is the case, any modern end-user router
also comes with an integrated switch, whether this is wired or
wireless. I am currently using a Belkin wireless router, and whether
or not there is a connection on the WAN (Wide Area Network) port,
which is where you would plug in a cable modem, the wireless/wired
networking aspect of the router works fine.

If you visit http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=415
you'll see that it says:

"The Linksys EtherFast® Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router channels this
connection through the blazing, full duplex speed of its built-in
EtherFast® 10/100 4-Port Switch. This cutting-edge combination of
wireless router and switch technology eliminates the need to buy an
additional hub or switch and extends the range of your wireless
network."

In summary, yes you can use a router as an expensive switch or access
point if you choose to.

If you need any clarifications please feel free to ask.

Thanks.
endo


You can look at the FAQ about the router by searching for:

linksys wireless faq
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=linksys+wireless+faq

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Request for Answer Clarification by rohaab-ga on 05 Jun 2003 16:03 PDT

Ok. I need to use it as an access point for a few PC's until cable
internet can be installed.  This will work?

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Clarification of Answer by endo-ga on 05 Jun 2003 17:05 PDT

Yes, it's not a problem, as long as you configure your cards correctly.

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Clarification of Answer by endo-ga on 07 Jun 2003 20:09 PDT

Hi again,

Thanks for the great rating.

Just out of curiosity, how much are you going to pay for the router?
I could help you track down a good deal on a wireless router and
cards.

And just for your information, 802.11b devices have a stated speed of
11Mbps but real world speed is about 3Mbps (300 kbytes per second
approximately), which is still more than fast enough for most
applications, including gaming and internet access, but a bit slow if
you transfer large files regularly.

Thanks.
endo

Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks for the hyperlinks