All the 'bridge' does is connect two or more high-speed connective systems that your computer has to the same network; say 1394/Firewire and 10/100 Ethernet. The idea is that any peripherals on the 1394 can talk both to the computer and the WAN. Shouldn't really bother the WiFi stuff - but I know it does! Usually the 'access permissions' bit only comes in when you haven't set file sharing options or one or other of the networked computers - or am I talking out my trousers? Ah well, it's happened before....!
Now, I have a wifi/networking problem that I've been working on for two months without success. I have mentioned it here before, but it's defeated the Creative and Linksys tech support people, so I throw it open for your deliberations.....
I have three computers in my house. I bought a Linksys WRT54g wireless router which is directly connected to my desktop, and wirelessly conncted to the other two (laptop) computers. This works fine! I wished to connect an ADSL ethernet modem to this router so that any computer can access the internet without any other being involved (so no Internet Connection Sharing wizard stuff, OK?). For this I bought a Creative 8133 ADSL modem which has a single-port router (DHCP server) included. Obviously, two DHCP routers can't be connected in series so Creative (clever chaps) allowed a 'bridge mode' which allows the 8133 to act as a simple ADSL modem. Trouble is, there are still a slew of other options to screw up!
The modem defaults to PPoA VMux connection mode. It also allows PPoE VMux, and PPoE LLC modes, among others. When bridged, the modem needs the password/user name information to be held elsewhere - in this case, by the WRT54g. Now, starting from scratch, with all resets duly pressed for an age, and with the modem bridged but the wifi router set to connect via DHCP, the computer (whichever one) will see an internet connection - but it can't connect, as the router doesn't issue the username/password in this mode. With the wifi router then reset to connect via PPoE (thus allowing it to issue a username and password) the internet connection promptly disappears and can't be persuaded back into existence.
This is a bleeding nightmare - especially as the GUI's for both boxes use the same IP address and therefore all sorts of wire swapping etc needs to happen to adjust anything - and then I have difficulty thereafter getting anything to talk to anything else without going through all the resets, ip release/renewals etc.!!
Surely there's an easier way?