Managing WRT54G with one wireless PC ONLY, doable or asking 4 trouble?

[TheRebelMind]

If I connect a WRT54G to my ISP in another room, apart from my only PC...and connect that PC via wireless G NIC...how often will I have to take the router down and bring it to my PC for a temporary Cat5 connection for management in the normal course of things??

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the reason I ask is that in the recent past, Ive tried to do this and found myself having to run & power cycle the router because it went down...until finally I get sick of it and try to troubleshoot it so I bring it into my office where my only PC can reach with a cat5 to manage it.

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my question is whether or not this is normal? Dont get me wrong, i fully realize that the router going down every hour or so is anything but normal...but I mean having to use a Cat5 to manage the router...

actually, my real question is whether or not I should be able to do every management task 100% wirelessly (assuming there arent any out of the ordinary problems or issues) once I set the router up via cat5 one good time?

what do you guys think?

 

[JOAMON]

Linksys firmware can be somewhat buggy...make sure you have the latest frimware on the router. I use the BEFW11S4 myself and have no problems with it going down. The only thing I need to reset from time to time is my ADSL speedstream modem. I am just over 3 miles to the CO and with a 768 connection I only get about 600 of that. From time to time I lose the internet but still have access to the router which may be due to the mileage on my connection. It only happens once a week and not on a set time so it not really a problem. What you need to consider is if there are any other 2.4ghz devices in the house. A 2.4 cordless phone can sometimes play havock with wireless networks. Fix would be 5.8 ghz cordless phone.

Good Luck

 

[JOAMON]

Also depending on location could be that the next door neighbor has a cordless phone or device that is interferring with your network.

 

[TheRebelMind]

joamon,

thanks for the reply...

as for the 2.4 ghz interference, i should be fine...my only cordless is a 5.8 ghz with 2 cordless handsets in my apartment...and so far, my signal strength to my other room has been usually 80% or better. The length of the distance between my PC's NIC & the router (if it were sitting in my bedroom where I plan to have it) is approximately 30ft straight line, and about 50 ft walking distance around walls and through doorways. There's ony 1 interior sheetrock wall seperating the two.

I dont know what other household machines can interfere, but my router would be sitting on the same piece of furniture as a TV, a DVD player, a digital video recorder/cable converter and my XBox...at the NIC's end, theres obviously the PC, 2 monitors, and all the peripherals (external sound card rack, tv tuner card, external USB drives, USB printer/scanner, etc)

My neighbor's wireless networks (which I can see and even join with my NIC) maight be more of an issue, but have yet to pose a threat. There are approximately 45 other wireless B & G networks in range of my wireless NIC...my signal strength to them is typically between 10% and 60%...im not sure if this will pose a problem, but so far they havent...seemingly, anyway

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what about administration of the wireless features/settings on the router...can i manage these wirelessly?

I am refering to things that may knock my NIC off the router (by changing the connection to the router or by restarting the router) and require me to re-join the router's "network"...Im talking about making changes to things like NAT, Firewall, IP addressing scheme/DHCP, WAP/WPA security, etc etc??

Obviously, I am going to try to set everything up and test thoroughly while having the router here at my PC...where switching back n forth betweem wired and wireless is simply a matter of enabling/disabling the two existing network connections on my PC with their respective NICS...therefore, I will try to make whatever settings I make properly and they will stay that way in the (hopefully) long-term, before taking the router to its destination and redoing all of my nice wire-ties (which Ive had to undo more than once whenever I realized that despite thorough testing, I had NOT resolved all my issues)

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what do you think...is it possible for me to make changes to all those types of settings on the router via 100% wireless connection and not have to disconnect the router to bring it here for a Cat5 connection?

please reply...


thanks in advance for the help

 

[JOAMON]

With that many access points in range I would not even pay for my own Internet connection....just pirate bandwidth off the other most likely unsecure access points. Make sure yours is secure and that your PC is set to not connect to any unsecure access points.

 

[TheRebelMind]

true...i never thought about the neighbor's cordless phones...only their wireless networks. Especially since the majority of mid-level cordless phones right now are 2.4GHz.

hopefully this will not become a problem, since signal strength between the two rooms has been ok so far.

the problems that caused the router to go down, or caused me to have to go to the router and take it down to troubleshoot with a Cat5 had nothing to do with signal strength...

it was the widespread issue with BitTorrent clients bringing home broadband routers down (not just linksys...also my netgear...and many people describe the same problem with other brands of router)

Im currently troubleshooting this issue simultaneously...

so if you know anything about it (namely, a guide to the proper settings in BitSpirit BT client or why this problem even happens), let me know...

most people seem to suggest that its the number of remote simultaneous connections that gives the routers hell...others think its ports not being configured correctly (ive proven that this is not the issue with mine, at least, by using DMZ)

anyway, i digress...


awaiting reply to my prior post


thanks again

 

[TheRebelMind]

joamon...

yeah, I know what you mean...there are at least two of them which are totally unsecure...and since Im only interested in internet access, even 802.11B is more than fine.

I even managed the router on one of the unsecure AP's...standard factory IP address, standard admin login name, blank password. It seems that they have not changed a single factory setting...they plugged it up out the box and it worked so they left it alone.

On that one, I hit the internet at approx 2.5Mbit...not bad for the price of zero a month...that router is a US Robotics

on the other one, I hit the internet much slower...approx 700-800KbitPS...thats a linksys...havent tried to admin it yet.

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you better believe that in a pinch (like cut off by ISP for nonpayment) I'll be on them networks immediately.

However, since I use all of my 5.0Mbit currently, and I got the XBox needing internet access, it would be picked up pretty quickly by even the most oblivious neighbor...not to mention that Id have to buy my XBox a bridge for at least $60 and would at best be down to half of the bandwidth I have by paying my own way. The $55 monthly cost of my ISP is money well spent for a 5Mbit connection that is almost always problem-free.

Also, in a few days I am gonna make them give me the next 6 months at $32 per month, which is a deal they got going for new customers only, but they will give it to me too if I threaten to leave them for the competition ($30/month DSL at 3.0Mbit)...so its about to get even better. I gotta wait a few days cuz I cant ask for that until I make my payment which is past due right now.