WIFI to wired hotspot router ?

[NYJimbo]

Scenario: Customer does not have a wifi card, nor will his computer support any wifi dongle, card, etc.
His computer does have a functional RJ45 port. There are known good local wifi hotspots in the area and we have passwords to get access into secure locations.

Can anyone recommend a router that will allow to connect to a hotspot, like one of the cable TV services, then hook up a RJ45 to the computer and use that with DHCP? I imagine there must be some interface to the router to set passwords for any secure wifi locations, so either it needs onboard LCD or hosts some kind of menu via 192.168.1.1 addressing.

Something cheap and easy to use would be nice. This would be for very specific situations like this and not for long term use so it doesn't need a lot of ports.

Let me know if this doesn't make sense or if you need more info.

Thanks.

 

[altrenda]

Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Univer..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0MFQEYQMKYZ98SFKA44M

 

[NYJimbo]

Something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Universal-Ethernet-Adapter-GWU627/dp/B004UAKCS6/ref=pd_sim_147_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=31QxwJoJabL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0MFQEYQMKYZ98SFKA44M

Yes looks like it. I will wait to see if I can get any recommendations from other members as I hate buying something and finding out there was some limit or gotcha.

 

[altrenda]

Yes looks like it. I will wait to see if I can get any recommendations from other members as I hate buying something and finding out there was some limit or gotcha.

Good idea.. I have not used this. I usually dislike solutions here from people who haven't tried things they recommend. I have seen these in use, but never configured one myself.

 

[Markverhyden]

Basically any router that can act as a WiFi extender will work. Here is an article about using DD-WRT to do that.

http://lifehacker.com/5563196/turn-your-old-router-into-a-range-boosting-wi-fi-repeater

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Basically a wireless bridge....I have done this with various routers that support DD-WRT firmware.
Also Ubiquiti Nanostation...have done those.

 

[fencepost]

I'm running OpenWRT on a Netgear WNDR3700 at home, and was pleased during a cable outage to find that it could A) connect to my phone hotspot as a client and B) share that connection onto my home LAN.

 

[Moltuae]

I used one of these recently for a similar scenario. Worked well:
http://www.tp-link.com/lk/products/details/cat-11_TL-WA890EA.html

Manuals:
http://www.tp-link.com/lk/download/TL-WA890EA.html