networking

[stumpgc]

Alright we have a belkin wireless n router in our bedroom I would like to connect my receiver(Onkyo tx-nr807) as well as the xbox 360 and ps3 in the living room which as across the house I would like to do it wirelessly. What would be the best way to do that for the minimal cost? I only have 1 wired spot open on the router if that helps I thought about doing the wireless adapters however the receiver has no usb ports. Could I use an access point? Thanks Greg

 

[bandphan]

Alright we have a belkin wireless n router in our bedroom I would like to connect my receiver(Onkyo tx-nr807) as well as the xbox 360 and ps3 in the living room which as across the house I would like to do it wirelessly. What would be the best way to do that for the minimal cost? I only have 1 wired spot open on the router if that helps I thought about doing the wireless adapters however the receiver has no usb ports. Could I use an access point? Thanks Greg

You could install a wireless repeater w/built in hub, but imo hard wiring to a new switch would be the best way to go.

 

[sholling]

What you are looking for is called a bridge. I use DLink DAP-1522 4-port dual-band wireless N bridges in two rooms but they are not super easy to setup. When setup as a bridge (it can also be used as an access point) it's designed to do exactly what you want to do and has four Ethernet jacks for whatever you want to connect. I've been though the pain of figuring out how to configure them manually and if you follow the undocumented steps below it's not too bad. Just be sure to use strong security.

In theory you push a button on it and one on the router and they find each other and sync keys but I have two of them and the one-button setup didn't work even with a DLink router. I had use a network cable to attach it to the router for configuration, set it via switch to be an access point and restart it so it would get an IP address, then check the router to see what IP was assigned to it, then flick the switch to bridge to configure it as a bridge. You have to go through those gyrations because it only grabs an IP when in access point mode, but doesn't drop the IP when switched back to bridge (unless you restart it). Once all those steps are done you can use your browser to configure all of the security and then move it to your AV rack. It's PIA to setup the bridge but once done it works seamlessly and has plenty of bandwidth for internet surfing and streaming media (youtube etc.), and for playing music or DVD rips stored on a home media server however not quite enough for Blu-Ray rips. For those you'll need wired.

 

[10010011]

Watch your local craigslist for a Linksys WRT54G.

Flash it with DD-WRT firmware then run it in bridge mode.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Watch your local craigslist for a Linksys WRT54G.

Flash it with DD-WRT firmware then run it in bridge mode.

I run my 54G on DD-wrt and i love it, but i got 15 years experience in IT field, which I doubt OP have, so burning dd-wrt firmware, might be a tad complex for him....

 

[sholling]

One other idea I hesitate to suggest is powerline networking. These have been going on sale a lot lately, probably because (IMO) 802.11N is better but if your home wiring is compatible and up to the task it's a dummy simple solution. The original homeplug standard was fairly slow. I forget the exact rated speed (15mbps rings a bell) but a 3-4mbps was a good real world number. There is also an 85mbps "turbo" version and the latest is about 200mbps. Figure about 1/4 of those official numbers for real world speeds. You plug the base station into your router and plug it into a wall plug. Then you plug the remote hub into an unfiltered wall plug by your AV rack and press the sync buttons to establish security and 30 seconds later you're surfing. It uses your home's electrical wiring for network cable. I used to use one. Some allow you to add additional remote hubs for other rooms.

Disclaimer: Most of the time they work just fine but if the wiring is funky maybe not and they may interfere with X10 controllers. Finally since you can't use them with surge suppressors you risk losing gear if you have a bad power surge.

I haven't tried any of these but they will give you an idea what I'm talking about.

Netgear
Lynksys

 

[bandphan]

I run my 54G on DD-wrt and i love it, but i got 15 years experience in IT field, which I doubt OP have, so burning dd-wrt firmware, might be a tad complex for him....

I dont think its that hard

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

While I had several failed linksys units, netgeat 85Mps seem to hold it together for long run (over a year now)
ymmv
speedwise- its comparable to real 50-60mpb (bits )

 

[bandphan]

While I had several failed linksys units, netgeat 85Mps seem to hold it together for long run (over a year now)
ymmv
speedwise- its comparable to real 50-60mpb (bits )

The heat kills

 

[stumpgc]

wireless access point

I already have a belkin wireless N router could I use another router as an access point in the living room? I would like to use the belkin vision with the lcd display so I could see what was going on. Is that possible? thanks Greg

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I already have a belkin wireless N router could I use another router as an access point in the living room? I would like to use the belkin vision with the lcd display so I could see what was going on. Is that possible? thanks Greg

According to Belkin N1 vision router manual - it can work as access point, which is different from bridge. What sholling said in his 1st post in this thread is 100% true. You can also go with Linksys WRT54G and DD-WRT firmware, but it's a tad complex, regardless what bandphan thinks

If you still not scared by the latter option here is step by step guide how bridge with dd-wrt:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

 

[sholling]

In my opinion if you are comfortable with computer networking go with the DAP-1522 solution. If not I'd go with the Netgear 200mbps Powerline solution. Just make sure you buy from a place that accepts returns in case you have a wiring issue. I would not mess around with trying to use two routers.

 

[64met]

I was considering this for my LGbd390 which is downstairs... 50 feet or so from my router.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/XAVB1004.aspx

 

[sholling]

I was considering this for my LGbd390 which is downstairs... 50 feet or so from my router.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/XAVB1004.aspx

Doesn't the BD390 have built in 802.11N?

 

[64met]

Doesn't the BD390 have built in 802.11N?

Yes; but the router is just too far away.... and streaming becomes an adventure especially with VUDU.

 

[jonnythan]

The WRT54G is certainly showing its age. The modern variants have even lower specs than the original ones that came out many years ago.

A wireless bridge would be the way to go IMO.

 

[64met]

Quick question for the network experts: I purchased the Netgear XAVB1004 home line adapter in an effort to link my router to my LG 390 as the LG is prob. 50 feet from my router and streaming is an adventure in frustration. Well; aftera few hours of messing with the Netgear- no joy. Back to BB I go. I know there is other technology called MOCA where u run the connection through your coaxial of your cable source which I might consider as well. But:

Here is my question: My router is the basic G from Verizon; how difficult or is it even possible to set up a wireless N router and connect through the LG?

In other words; what is my best option to be able to stream HD movies to my LG and re-wiring the house is not an option.

Thxs in advance!

 

[sholling]

I run a DLink router behind my Verizon router and it works just fine. I do it because I'm professionally paranoid and don't like letting Verizon's network techs tiptoe through my home network, but you could do it just for the wireless N. The first time a tech told me what devices I had on my end was it for me. In fact I disabled the wireless on my Verizon router and just have it there for FIOS TV. The other option is to buy an access point and plug it into the Verizon router. The DAP-1522 will do that. Now about streaming HD... I can stream Netflix and play music and even DVD rips across my network but even "N" doesn't seem to have have quite enough bandwidth to stream Blu-Ray rips. For that I think you'll have to cable.

BTW I reconfigured my network bridges today and for once was able to access them via browser in bridge mode. It worked just dandy and the setup was super easy. I'm not sure what i was doing wrong before but it was probably something seriously stupid - disregard what I said about them being a pain to setup.

 

[64met]

I run a DLink router behind my Verizon router and it works just fine. I do it because I'm professionally paranoid and don't like letting Verizon's network techs tiptoe through my home network, but you could do it just for the wireless N. The first time a tech told me what devices I had on my end was it for me. In fact I disabled the wireless on my Verizon router and just have it there for FIOS TV. The other option is to buy an access point and plug it into the Verizon router. The DAP-1522 will do that. Now about streaming HD... I can stream Netflix and music and even DVD rips but even "N" doesn't seem to have have quite enough bandwidth to stream Blu-Ray rips.

BTW I reconfigured my network bridges today and for once was able to access them via browser in bridge mode. It worked just dandy and the setup was super easy. I'm not sure what i was doing wrong before but it was probably something seriously stupid - disregard what I said about them being a pain to setup.

Thxs... not to sound ignorant; but the product linked connects to my verizon router.... how will this help my LG that is downstairs (50 feet from router)? Is there a connection at the LG end? Thxs

 

[sholling]

Thxs... not to sound ignorant; but the product linked connects to my verizon router.... how will this help my LG that is downstairs (50 feet from router)? Is there a connection at the LG end? Thxs

In access-point mode all it does is replace the wireless G in your router with wireless N. That's all. It's just an external wireless adapter for the router.

But there is a bottleneck. I don't know about your Verizon router but mine has only 100mb/s ports. That's fine for wireless G because G limited to a theoretical 54mb/s. Probably closer to 25mb/s in the real world. I'd want to be running gigabit before spending money on wireless N or running cabling. Check with Verizon to find out if that router's LAN ports are 100mb/s or 1000mb/s before spending any money.