Setting up the Wireless Bridge

8:35 p.m.
I know the AudioTron will work nicely if I run a wire directly from it to my network, but I want to connect wirelessly. Wires running throughout my house are messy, and the distance from my computer to the living room is at least 40 feet. Wireless is just as fast, and much easier on the eyes. My next step is to configure the Linksys wireless bridge so that it, instead of an ugly wire, becomes the connection from the AudioTron to my network. To test the bridge, I unplug my computer from the cable modem and into the bridge. I pop in the Linksys CD and follow their setup program. Going through the forms in setup is a lot like watching an episode of ER. Technical terms fly at me like bullets. Half of them I know, half of them I just close my eyes and hope that the doctors know what they are doing.

The trickiest part with computer networking is getting an IP address. This address is how the computer, or in this case the bridge, identifies itself on the network. It's similar to your car's license plate. Like plate numbers, IP addresses can be handed out by a central authority, but if you want to be lawless you can choose your own number. I prefer having an authoritative answer, so I choose the centralized option. After this, setup demands that I provide the SSID of my wireless network. I have no idea what that means, so I make something up. The device whirs away, and then says "Congratulations!" I counter with "Liar!" because I cannot get the Web browser to work. I fiddle with things and use a program called "ipconfig" to double-check my computer's IP address. The program shows the address as all zeros, which is not good. I go back through the pages again, this time trying to choose my own IP number. No dice.

9:07 p.m.
I give up. I unplug my computer from the Linksys bridge and plug my computer back directly into the wireless router, so I can try to figure out my problem. Connecting to the router's configuration tool I discover an important fact. My wireless network has a name: F00C31GROUP. All this time, and we were never introduced. I go back to the wireless bridge and use this name in its configuration tool. It still doesn't work, so I resort to rebooting my computer and all the associated devices.

The reboot doesn't do a damn thing except give me time to build hatred for computer designers like myself. In a fit of inspiration I decide to do the most rational thing I can think of: surf the Web. I search through Google groups and find an audience of people who are doing very similar things to what I am attempting. One bulletin board dedicated to home automation is full of very related questions. Unfortunately, no one has answered them. At least I have company.

10:45 p.m.
In a very shameful moment for any self-respecting computer geek, I reach for the phone and call Linksys customer support. It is late on a Saturday night, so I'm pleasantly surprised when I get right through to Giovanni. He has a soothing Italian accent, and he grabs my electronic hand and leads me back through all those dialogues I went through before, but with the surety of a Boy Scout in the woods. We flip knobs and turn dials. We go back to my IP address and toggle it between automatic and predefined settings.

We even install an update to the software that is encoded inside the router (this software is called firmware). We then plug the computer back directly to the cable modem and learn how that connection worked.

None of this seems to help, but Giovanni is a brave soul. We fiddle around more and discover that the IP address we chose earlier was in the wrong range. Basically, we chose a number that was too large for the bridge to recognize, so the bridge assumed it was an illegal computer trying to connect to my wireless network. We pick a new address and the bridge starts lighting up like E.T. phoning home. I'm too nervous to do anything, but Giovanni urges me to open my browser. I do so and cry with joy at seeing the MSN home page. The first part of the puzzle has been solved. I don't have the AudioTron going, but I do have a functioning wireless extension cord, the bridge, and I'm ready for the next step. Giovanni bids me farewell, and I'm sad to see him go.

11:30 p.m.
I'm finally about to cut the tape off my AudioTron box after three hours of fiddling around. First, though, I watch Saturday Night Live to calm my nerves.