Home network questions 1

[CapitalData]

Hello network gurus!

I would appreciate if someone can help me with the issue I'm about to describe:

I am with Bell Sympatico, so I have a DSL modem connected to a phone line. Then I have an ASUS router that talks to my DSL modem. There are 2 PCs connected to that ASUS router.
All that is in my basement.

On my main floor I have another PC, A/V Receiver and PS3.
I would like to know if there is a solution to have the following:

Basement:
1) DLS modem
2) Wireless Router "A"
3) 2 PCs connected to the router

Main floor:
1) Another Wireless Router "B" that will talk "wirelessly" with my router "A" in the basement.
2) Home theater PC (connected to router B via ethernet - wired).
3) PS3 (same as above)
4) A/V Receiver (save as above)

I can connect the PC with the wireless card, but I can't do that with the A/V receiver. I'm simply looking for a device that will allow me to connect two floors without dropping a wire from router "A" to my equipment upstairs.

Thank you all in advance!

Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com

 

[smah]

What you really need is not another router for your "B" device, but a wireless access point that can be used as a [google]wireless bridge[/google]. Most will only have a single ethernet ports, but an inexpensive switch would solve that. Personally, I've been [mostly] happy with the D-Link DWL-7100's. The only annoyance being that you can access the web-based management interface with IE7 if Silverlight is installed.

 

[CapitalData]

Smah,

Thank you VERY MUCH for your reply.
Gotta research that. I thought about an AP, but didn't know how to set it up. Gotta figure out. Shouldn't be a rocket science.

Thanks again!

Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com

 

[CapitalData]

Since you pointed me towards this direction, I would appreciate if you could help one more time.

I have an Asus router (WL-500g Premium) which I love. I would like to get the AP from ASUS as well.

There 3 different types that Asus makes. Which one should I get?

1) WL-330

http://ca.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=12&l2=41&l3=0&l4=0&model=58&modelmenu=1

2) WL-330gE

http://ca.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=12&l2=41&l3=0&l4=0&model=1710&modelmenu=1

3) WL-300g

http://ca.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=12&l2=41&l3=0&l4=0&model=60&modelmenu=1

Number 2) has a drawing there and that seems like what I need. Just wanted to get a professional advice before I order one.

Thank you again!

Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com

 

[smah]

The 330 says that it can be a bridge in the description, but doesn't seem to state so in the specifications like the 300g does(see the 'operating mode' section of

http://ca.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=60&l1=12&l2=41&l3=0&l4=0).

From the feature set, I susupect that the 300ge will also work in a bridge mode, but it doesn't seem to specifically state so (unless I missed it).

I'd be 99% sure that any of them would do the job, but a quick e-mail to their customer service group should be able to answer it with certainty.

A lot of people look for this sort of functionality, but don't know what it's called and therefore can't really find the information - once you know that you're looking for a wireless bridge, the rest is a matter of preference, convenience, price/performance and asthetics (if I were going to wall mount one of these, I'd pick the 300ge).

 

[CapitalData]

smah,

Thank you again.
Sent email to Asus. Waiting.

What concerns me is that it seem like you can only have one connection with 300ge. I would then need to connect it to a hub or router to split this into 3 devices that I want to connect.


Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com

 

[smah]

That's true of all 3 devices and what I mentioned in my first reply (and meant to mention again in the last one) - you'll need a wired switch (the more capable version of a hub).

 

[CapitalData]

Thank you!

This is what I found by the way:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge

Very interesting. Seems like they can do that just with two routers.


Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com

 

[smah]

Yes, some routers can be configured to act as a wireless bridge out of the box and some can be flashed with 3rd party firmware to add this capability. That is what is being discussed in that article and it's a fairly common procedure, but be aware that flashing that router with that firmware won't be supported by Linksys. If you're comfortable with that, go for it. Just check the version of the router that you're using because there are some minor differences.

 

[CapitalData]

Ok... here I am. Back with more info that I'm sure many will find helpful.

So, I have a router in my basement (WL-500g Premium) which is connected to the DSL modem.
All my laptops are connected to this router via wireless connection.

On my main floor I have a home theater where I have:
PS3, PC and A/V Receiver. All of them I wanted to be connected to internet, but didn't want to drop cables and drill holes in the wall, so...

... I got my friend's broken (kinda) Linksys WRT54GS router. Flashed it with DD-WRT firmware (

http://www.dd-wrt.com),

set everything up using a very easy step by step guide (

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge)

and voila! Now I have a super-fast, secure connection!
All my gear is connected to this newly flashed "Client Bridge" and I'm more than happy!

So, no point to waste money on Access Points or a bunch of other adapters that can actually connect one unit only. With my router I managed to connect all 3 units and have 2 more unused (wan port can be used as switch as well).

Good luck to all who wants to try that out!

P.S. Read the manuals well. Wrong move and your router goes to garbage.

Best Regards,
Karen
Capita Data Recovery Inc.

http://www.capitaldatarecovery.com