9/5     Home Networking problem.  I managed to get a set of 5 real IPs.
        (ok, 8... minus broadast, gateway, etc).  I want to set up a wireless
        network at home, as two of the computer, one wirelessl connected
        will be running server.  Ideally, I would like to have a sort of
        DHCP running so occationally, family member with their labtop can
        get a dynamic IP and access to the internet.  What kind of functionality
        should I look for when I am buying a wireless access point /router?
        \_ Uhm, get one with DHCP, what else did you think you need?  They all
           support DHCP.
           \_ most of them doesn'tallw you use real IP behind the
              wireless router
              \_ the servers shouldn't have DHCP addresses and the laptops
                 don't need real addresses and should be behind a firewall
                 anyway.  OP shouldn't be doing what OP is trying to do.
        \_ Hook up an 8-port switch (not a router, and no wireless) to the
           DSL/cable modem.  Any computer directly connected to this switch
           will need to configure a static IP.  Hook up wireless router (one
           with more than one Ethernet jack) to the switch.  DHCP and NAT will
           be active on the wireless router.  Now, anyone who plugs into the
           wireless router or turns on their wireless card will get a
           private dynamic IP.  Is that what you want?
           (The above assumes you are not using PPPoE.  Also, sometimes
           the ISP provides DHCP, too, so you won't need to configure
           static IPs on those computers directly connected to the
           8-port switch.)
           \_You can't be using PPPoE when you got static, it's usually
             an ADSL bridge type configuration if you have static. The ISP
             will not provide DHCP for a static service. DHCP needs to be
             configured on your end. If you do DHCP on the bridge, then it
             will assign either internal dynamic ips (in which cause you'll
             waste the statics) or use the static ips. AFAIK on the cheapie
             bridges they give you you can't do both, so you'll need to
             setup a DHCP server somewhere (you do not necessarily need it
             on the wireless part, in fact you can get a wireless access
             point and do DHCP on one of the static IP boxes if you install
             another ethernet card on it, but that is probably more trouble
             than just getting a wireless router and hooking it up to
             the bridge). You also don't need the switch if you've got
             what I think you have (i.e. cayman bridge with four ports
             on the back).
             \_ Actually, at the small office I worked last, we got static,
                and we got DHCP-assigned addresses through the DSL modem.
                Verizon.  I believe the DSL modem was a bridge, it never
                had an IP.
                \_ Yes, the bridge can be a DHCP server also, and it can
                   either serve static or internal IP addresses, it depends
                   on how you configure it. It cannot, unless you have a
                   a really advanced bridge, do both. In reality, all
                   DSL "modems" are bridges. The term modem refers to
                   modulation and demodulation, which never really occurs.
                   You can also setup the bridge so that it assigns certain
                   static IPs as dynamic, and certain ones remain configured
                   to point at specific MAC addresses. However, you usually
                   can't do both 192.x.x.x numbers and mix them with static
                   IPs. For that you essentially need to create a subnet off
                   of one of the static IPs and route it through a dhcp server.
                   \_ That DSL modem that behaves as a bridge:  I can't
                      configure it at all, it doesn't have an IP, doesn't
                      do DHCP serving itself, and it lets the upstream router
                      handle DHCP requests.  To end users, all they see is
                      DHCP being served, but it's not from the DSL modem
                      technically.  That's my interpretation.
                      Most DSL modems these days are smarter, I think.
                      \_ That doesn't sound like a very efficient setup from
                      the ISP's point of view. But since it's a small business
                      maybe that's the way they have it configured. Cable
                      modems are similiar, they "hide" the dhcp server within
                      the modem from the enduser, so you have to get unsupported
                      utils to mess around with it. I believe that the IP
                      address of your bridge should be the default gateway when
                      your dhcp is configured. See if you can login to it or
                      something.
                         \_ Well, theoretically, but when you ping that IP
                            you notice 30ms pings.  That DSL modem just
                            doesn't have an IP; it's a bridge.
                            Anyways, that was three years ago.