Setting up a home network and need some help

[Eightball3]

I'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction. I'm trying to put together my home network. I am a Comcast subscriber and have one of their wireless cable/modems. It does not have the range that I need. I own a ASUS wireless router that I would like to incorporate into the system. I have 3 areas I'd like to have wireless coverage; upstairs, downstairs, and in my shop. The Comcast router is upstairs. I'd like to put my router downstairs, and from that run a cable out to my shop and put in a wireless access point. I've attached a drawing of what I'd like. Is this possible to do or am I way off base? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[carnageX]

Yes you can do that.

You'd basically just have to turn off DHCP on the Asus router, so it basically acts as a switch/access point.

 

[Eightball3]

Thanks for the reply carnageX,

So would there be 3 different SSIDs or could they all be the same? I'd like to share files and printers, does this configuration support that?

 

[carnageX]

I believe you should be able to have them all the same SSID, as long as you have them as the same password as well. Then it will bounce to the highest signal if moving.

Yes you should be able to have sharing capability as long as they're all on the same subnet.

 

[Eightball3]

Excellent! I'll give it a try. Thanks for the help!

 

[Celegorm]

Carnage is correct, they can all be the same SSID so long as the password is the same - I have that same setup in my own house.

That said, it won't automatically bounce to the stronger signal - my laptops cellphones and tablets all stay connected to the first one they see no matter where I am in my house. Within my router (Asus RT-N66U) there's a "Roaming Assist" feature that I can configure which will disconnect you when your signal gets too low so your device will connect to a new (and in theory stronger) network. Not sure which router you have but it might be worth checking out to see if yours has that.

Also going off of the drawing I see that you could put the access point in the spot of the switch and not have the switch at all (the router would act as that). Just make sure when you do this the DHCP is off as Carnage said and you do NOT plug in the run from the downstairs into the INTERNET/WAN port, but in one of the standard switch ports (labeled 1-4) instead.