Fairly straightforward question, can I use a router to pick up wireless signals. The only experience I have with routers is using them to broadcast the Internet coming from a hardline and then sending it out wirelessly, what I am trying to do is use a router to pick up a wireless signal in the far end of my workplace and send that back to a computer or switch to be distributed via ethernet. I've thought about using a bridge for this same concept but I am unsure whether a bridge will be able to accept wireless internet without using a similar bridge to send it out to this side of the network. I know I could use a computer to just pick up the wireless signal via a wireless PCI ethernet card but I need to use a high gain antenna with some KIND of coax cable and I need to keep the cable length to a minimum and there is no way to get the computer itself close enough to the antenna without running 25+ feet of coax. I'm also not sure the maximum length of coax I could use that will not degrade the signal beyong use, but I should be good keeping it under 25 feet.

My current theology on this setup is...

Existing wireless signal is picked up by the High Gain Antenna which is then run through coax to the Router which is run through CATV cable to the Computer via networking card which is run through CATV cable to the Switch which is run through CATV cable to the Access Point which can now broadcast that internet to be useable wirelessly by our company's computers.

I'll be using multiple Accesspoints which is why I'm using a switch, The only issue I'm having trouble with is keeping the coax cable to a minimum so I'll need SOMETHING between the Antenna and the desktop computer.

Any help with this is much appreciated.Few routers will do what you are looking for. You want a wireless to ethernet bridge. Some bridges will only work with others of the same model, so be careful.I've thought about using the bridge but I just don't know what kind of CONFIGURATION options they have, ie do I have to know the IP address of the Wireless I'm trying to pick up? Is there some special coding that passes between two bridges that make them see eachother? I'm just trying to find a way to make the antenna be at least 50 feet from my computer by either running it through something I can get closer to the antenna, LIKE a router or bridge which I can mount on a bulkhead/overhead wall/ceiling. It was even suggested to me from my boss to look into using a singal amplifier on the coax cable but I don't know much about them either or what kind of degredation that will CAUSE to my signal and if that will make it unuseable...