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Wireless BridgeFollow

#1 Mar 22 2013 at 1:49 PM Rating: Excellent
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2,232 posts
Hello.

I'm going to be moving soon and the layout of my new place is going to prompt me into shuffling some tech around. I want to have my router in the same room as my PS3 so that I don't have to be FFXIV'ing over wireless. My main TV is not Wi-Fi and is going to be a ways off in a different room, so I'll be needing a bridge for it. I picked out 3 inexpensive models, and was wondering if you guys could give me some guidance.

I've posted a 'compare' link below, but I just grabbed 3 random models as I'm not really familiar with the technology apart from plug and go. Would any of these three work? If so, which do you think would be best? If not, can you recommend one? I'd like to stay in the <$100 range.

Bridge Comparison

TV (Pay no attention to the "no longer available box". Just "X" out of it.

Thanks Smiley: smile



Edited, Mar 22nd 2013 12:54pm by LebargeX
#2 Mar 22 2013 at 3:15 PM Rating: Excellent
Any chance you have a Good Will nearby with some old Linsys WRT54G routers? Those are super cheap and you can flash them using DD-WRT firmware to turn them into wireless repeaters. Good Will has an electronics only store in our town.

Other than that I've no experience with wireless bridges.
#3 Mar 22 2013 at 3:35 PM Rating: Excellent
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2,232 posts
Wint wrote:
Any chance you have a Good Will nearby with some old Linsys WRT54G routers? Those are super cheap and you can flash them using DD-WRT firmware to turn them into wireless repeaters. Good Will has an electronics only store in our town.

Other than that I've no experience with wireless bridges.


They don't have one close by unfortunately. I did find a few pretty cheap on E-Bay. I also googled for how to do what you're suggesting and it looks a bit daunting. Is it really as time consuming and difficult as the web page makes it sound? Keep in mind, I'm about novice level with networking and such.
#4 Mar 22 2013 at 3:55 PM Rating: Excellent
Just depends on how much you're willing to fiddle and how good you are at googling for answers. I'm no networking pro either but I managed. However if you have a budget for a bridge, it might be best to just buy one.
#5 Mar 22 2013 at 7:13 PM Rating: Good
Glancing over the reviews and comparisons, I'd go with the Engenius. The TP-link is some no name and visible, physical antennas are so 2001. The D-Link is a well known brand and fairly well respected, but a bit overpriced for what it is. Save yourself ten bucks and get the Engenius.

That is, if you don't follow Wint's advice.
#6 Mar 22 2013 at 7:54 PM Rating: Good
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3,825 posts
Have you looked into the ones that use your power lines? A few have really good reviews.
#7 Mar 22 2013 at 8:10 PM Rating: Excellent
Perrin wrote:
Have you looked into the ones that use your power lines? A few have really good reviews.


In case you don't know what Perrin is talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-85Mbps-Powerline-Network-Adapter/dp/B001AZUTCS

Edit:

Essentially it's using the existing copper in your house that runs electrical to send network signals. It's a brilliant idea, I've never tried it though so I don't know what kind of reliability it has, but 85mbs is near to what most routers will do that aren't gigabit.

Edited, Mar 22nd 2013 9:11pm by Wint
#8 Mar 22 2013 at 8:50 PM Rating: Excellent
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2,232 posts
That's not a bad idea. Since it would just be for Netflix and updates I think it might work. Thanks again for all the suggestions! If it doesn't work I'll o with the Engenius.

:)
#9REDACTED, Posted: Mar 22 2013 at 9:57 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) Meh... Smiley: dubious
#10REDACTED, Posted: Mar 22 2013 at 10:00 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) by the way, I say this for both my benefit AND yours. I think you could get more help from networking experts. It's unlikely that you would find any here, unless by some stroke of luck.
#11 Mar 22 2013 at 10:15 PM Rating: Excellent
Poubelle wrote:
by the way, I say this for both my benefit AND yours. I think you could get more help from networking experts. It's unlikely that you would find any here, unless by some stroke of luck.

and on the other side of that coin, I come here to check for updates on FFXIV and such, not discussions on routers.


Then go somewhere else. I'm the admin here, I'll decide what is on topic and what isn't. That is not your job.
#12 Mar 22 2013 at 10:24 PM Rating: Excellent
Poubelle wrote:
by the way, I say this for both my benefit AND yours. I think you could get more help from networking experts. It's unlikely that you would find any here, unless by some stroke of luck.

and on the other side of that coin, I come here to check for updates on FFXIV and such, not discussions on routers.


If you don't like the topic, then just don't post in it. A simple click on the topic (or just hovering over the topic to read the preview that pops up), then hitting go back when you found it wasn't relevant to your interests would have saved you and the rest of us so much time (you for not having to type it out, and us for not having to read it, because I personally feel a little cheated).

Edited, Mar 23rd 2013 12:28am by Vlorsutes
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#13 Mar 22 2013 at 10:29 PM Rating: Excellent
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We have a tech support forum, it's quite a good one if I do say so myself. Poubelle, since repeated warnings don't seem to be doing the trick, Bye bye.

Administrator Kaolian
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#15 Mar 22 2013 at 10:52 PM Rating: Excellent
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Dread Lörd Kaolian wrote:
We have a tech support forum, it's quite a good one if I do say so myself. Poubelle, since repeated warnings don't seem to be doing the trick, Bye bye.

Administrator Kaolian


Yeah, I was going to post in the tech support forum, but this is really the only forum I post in, and I "know" the people here, so it just felt more comfortable. With all the laptop and build threads I guessed it was safe, and if not I figured Wint would have just put a move link in rather than replying. I even purposely put "FFXIVing" in my post so it was on topic too. Smiley: lol That being said, I think I got exactly the advice I was looking for. Smiley: nod

Also... did I hear a toilet flush? Smiley: eek



Edited, Mar 22nd 2013 9:53pm by LebargeX

Edited, Mar 22nd 2013 9:53pm by LebargeX
#16 Mar 22 2013 at 10:58 PM Rating: Excellent
Hey, I hang out in the tech support forum Smiley: bah

PoubelleDeux wrote:
Well, goodbye


And nothing of value was lost.
#17 Mar 22 2013 at 11:01 PM Rating: Excellent
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2,232 posts
catwho wrote:
Hey, I hang out in the tech support forum Smiley: bah

PoubelleDeux wrote:
Well, goodbye


And nothing of value was lost.


I guess the intimidation got to me. lol


And yeah, I concur. I mean wow....

#18 Mar 23 2013 at 3:31 AM Rating: Excellent
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837 posts
Well well lebargeX you should now fill proud. Your thread managed to do something that many hoped for a long time!! Smiley: lolSmiley: lol
#19 Mar 23 2013 at 9:44 AM Rating: Good
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3,825 posts
Lebarge is now my hero! And Kaolin... it's about time, I'm sure you guys wanted to do that sooner (I know we all wanted you to) ^.^
#20 Mar 23 2013 at 9:51 AM Rating: Good
He was a rank amateur compared to some long-banned trolls that ZAM has dealt with. (I'm not allowed to name names here.)

Back on topic, I'm pretty picky about not using wireless to game. Everyone else in the house has wireless, but my PC desk is right in front of the live phone jack, so I get to babysit the modem/router/WAP and have the only Ethernet line.

Our house was the "show house" for the neighborhood, and the moron contractors wired the entire thing up with 6 cable lines to various places. Like, there are 2 cable lines going to the master bedroom, 2 going to the kiddie bedrooms, and 2 in the living room. If I had had any say in it (the house was foreclosed, unfinished, when we bought it) those would have been Ethernet lines instead and we'd have a properly networked house. And I could keep my computer in the bedroom like normal people -_-
#21 Mar 23 2013 at 2:48 PM Rating: Good
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1,112 posts
catwho wrote:
those would have been Ethernet lines instead and we'd have a properly networked house


This is actually a great way of adding value to a property, and one I've done myself previously. In this day in age with a lot of devices wanting some sort of network access, running shielded CAT6 around everywhere (lay in if you're running round with a chaser doing electrics, nice and neat!) with posh face plates and terminating somewhere central like an under-stair cupboard really adds a good selling point to a home.

Back on topic, I totally back the "obtain a WRT54G and stick DD-WRT on it" suggestion. Have a few of them personally, absolute work horses for the money you pay. A plethora of CFW available, DD-WRT being the most popular but ones like Tomato also very powerful. They give you simple straight up standard OOTB function or, if you know what you're doing/willing to do a bit of research and play, you can get them to do things normally reserved for business end switches. VLANs on a home network might be overkill, but you want to keep things neat in the virtual world if you've gone to that trouble in the physical! :) Plus, QOSing your greedy torrenting flatmates down is a god send.

Or you could turn it into a weather station!
#22 Mar 23 2013 at 4:06 PM Rating: Good
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3,825 posts
catwho wrote:
If I had had any say in it (the house was foreclosed, unfinished, when we bought it) those would have been Ethernet lines instead and we'd have a properly networked house. And I could keep my computer in the bedroom like normal people -_-


I'm in the process of doing this now, same issue... however many people owned my house before me... they seemed to have multiple lines installed everywhere. The awesome thing is that you can use the cable as phish tape and the hole is already cut for the receptacle! I just keep an eye out for people selling scrap runs of cable.
#23 Mar 23 2013 at 4:28 PM Rating: Good
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1,341 posts
Is it wrong that I rated up LebargeX for possible the wrong reasons in this thread? Smiley: lol
#24 Mar 24 2013 at 12:20 AM Rating: Good
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2,232 posts
Drulian, Pie Eating Champion wrote:
Is it wrong that I rated up LebargeX for possible the wrong reasons in this thread? Smiley: lol


Smiley: blush

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward just getting a bridge that will work right out of the box. I know I'll be just all kinds of miffed at myself if I try to get a cheap router, then have to buy 3 more because I keep doing it wrong and breaking them lol.

And to all of those thanking me for recent events, I can only reply by saying "it takes a village". We all played some small part in the eventual melt down. So kudos to all of us!

Thanks again for all of the advice!!
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