Disklavier

I have  a "Bridge" connected to the Ethernet port on my Mark 1v. As Carl
says it connects my piano to the existing network so I can use Disklavier
radio.

Neal

 

  _____  

From: disklavier@yahoogroups.com [mailto:disklavier@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Carl Youngblood
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 1:59 PM
To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [disklavier] Mark IV and wireless connections

 

Carol: "It is my understanding that internet is only available
on the Mark IV through the ethernet port. There is no
way to install any drivers for wireless hardware on the
Mark IV."

It's important to go into a little bit more detail about networking in order
to understand what is going on.  "Router" is a generic term used to describe
a device that takes other network devices and "routes" their data packets to
their intended destinations, usually to and from another network, like the
Internet.  Many routers also connect to or function as cable and/or DSL
modems, but the modem functionality is not the defining feature of a router,
so your assumption that a router by definition hooks to a cable or DSL modem
is wrong. 

Some routers only connect to ethernet devices, and some also connect to wifi
devices.  Wifi devices generally operate in two basic modes.  Either they
serve as a central coordinator that accepts requests from other devices
(called an "access point") or they connect to an access point, in which case
they are operating in "client" mode. 

More recent routers have the ability both to behave as an access point and a
client to another access point, in which case they can serve as a bridge
between other wifi devices and another access point that is connected to the
Internet.  This functionality is called WDS (wireless distribution system)
and is only available in wifi versions 802.11g or higher.

The wifi in the Mark IV is an 802.11b system--one of the first kinds to be
available, and therefore doesn't support WDS, so it can only behave as an
access point or a client but not both.  It is already behaving as an access
point for the Mark IV's palmtop remote controller, so it can't serve any
other purpose than that.  Your statement that there is no way to install
wireless drivers for the Mark IV is therefore misleading--the drivers are
already loaded and working, but the wifi device is serving another function
and can't be used for anything else. 

Because the Mark IV's built-in wifi is already being used as an access point
(AP) for the controller, the only available network device in the Mark IV is
the ethernet port.  That is why they are saying that you "can't use the wifi
in the Mark IV to access the Internet."  It's because it's already being
using for something else. 

Carol: "Therefore, I do not understand how that
wireless router will work. A wireless router is
connected to your internet connection - like the modem
that plugs into the telephone jack for DSL or or the
modem that plugs into your cable connection. That
modem is then connected to a wireless router. The
computers that see that wireless router usually have a
PCMCIA wireless card or USB antenna or bridge. For a
wireless connection to work on the Mark IV, it would
need an antenna and a driver to run it."

Now we get to the other part of the problem.  The confusion you are
experiencing is because you are misunderstanding the suggestions of some
others on this list.  They are not suggesting that you would plug another
PCMCIA or USB wifi device into the Mark IV. 

The wifi device inside routers is just like the kind in a PCMCIA wifi card,
and can be used as either a client or an access point.  Many routers out
today can be configured to run as a client and share (bridge) their client
connection with their other four ethernet ports.  So, if you have a wifi
router in your house that is serving as an access point to the other
computers on your network, and your Mark IV is too far away to be plugged
into it, then you can get a second wifi router, set it up in client mode,
and hook one of its ethernet ports to your Mark IV so that it connects your
Mark IV wirelessly to your access point. 

This is what I do.  I got a buffalo router, set it up for client bridging
mode, and attached it with velcro tape to the bottom of my piano.  I then
hooked its ethernet port to the Mark IV's ethernet port and I can connect to
Disklavier Radio. 

So, that router does not, as you say, need to connect to a DSL or cable
modem.  If you understand the big picture of networking, you will see that
you can literally have hundreds of devices in your home connected to a
single network over a variety of wired and unwired mediums, all behind a
single firewall connected to a single internet connection.  There is no need
to have more than one Internet connection to your house, because if you set
it up right, everything can connect through that one connection. 

Best wishes,
Carl