Suggestions for my network setup

[sakage.shinga]

Hi guys,

Just switched over to Shaw's BB50 plan yesterday but I have a few questions regarding how I've got it set up right now.

Currently, I've got my desktop computer connected directly to the Shaw wifi modem via ethernet cable. I've disabled the onboard wifi signal on the Shaw wifi modem, and instead have a D-Link router connected to the Shaw modem. I'll attach a picture to illustrated this set up.

The reason for doing this is simple - when I connected my desktop to the router instead, I see a speed drop of around 5-6Mbps, which is why I've now directly connected the desktop to the Shaw modem via ethernet cable. At the same time, I can't use Shaw's onboard wifi feature because its signal is definitely weaker than my old D-Link, meaning my mom's desktop at the other end of the house can't get a decent connection. So while my desktop is directly connected to the Shaw modem, all other wireless devices in the house sees the D-Link router and are connected to it instead. My questions are the following:

1) Is turning off the wifi on the Shaw modem all I need to do to allow the D-Link wifi router function properly? i.e. are there other settings on the Shaw modem that I need to change or disable?
2) Does the Shaw wifi modem offer the same level of firewall protection as the D-Link? i.e. will connecting my desktop directly to the modem open up my computer to attack?
3) I have a printer connected to the D-Link router via its onboard USB port. I used to be able to share this printer across the four computers in the house. Now that I've got my desktop connected to the Shaw modem, is it still possible for my computer to see the D-Link router, and more importantly, the printer connected to it?

Thanks all!!!

[enaberif]

1) Being with Eastlink I had to disable ALL router features on the modem I have to allow my Asus router to function properly.
2) The Shaw Modem is essentially a router and will provide the same as the D-link for protection
3) The DLink router should create the share for the printer if not go into the router and check your options.

[sakage.shinga]

Actually, I don't know how I did it, but I managed to leave the wifi signal on for BOTH the Shaw modem and my old D-Link. All I did was enable WDS on the Shaw wifi (I didn't even enter any MAC address), changed the SSID so that the D-Link and Shaw modem had different names, and lastly changed the router IP address for the D-Link so that it is different than the Shaw wifi modem, and voila!

EDIT: just tried changing the SSID on the Shaw modem to the same name as the D-Link, and everything still seem to work. Guess all that mattered was me changing the router IP and turning on WDS...

EDIT: my only problem now is that I can't share the printer anymore. Connecting it to the D-Link will allow all my wireless devices to print from it, but my desktop, which is connected directly to the Shaw modem, can't see the D-Link router and thus can't see the printer either. I can't connect the printer to the Shaw modem since the USB port onboard apparently can't be used to share devices...sigh...

[Ardric]

Don't plug the ethernet cable from the Shaw router into the D-Link's Internet/WAN port. Plug it into one of the LAN ports of the D-Link instead. Then the D-Link will bridge the wireless to the LAN, and you'll be able to see the printer again.

Also, it's fine to have two wifi's turned on at once, but always give them different SSID's.

[Ardric]

Also, give the D-Link a static IP address on it's LAN interface that's inside the Shaw modem's subnet but does not collide.

For example, if the Shaw modem is 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0, then make the D-Link 192.168.1.2 on the LAN side with a static IP. Don't care what the Internet/WAN side is. Turn off the DHCP server on the D-Link too. All we need it to do is be a bridging wireless access point (AP).