I need a wireless Ethernet repeater

[Mike Henderson]

I have a situation where I need to connect a device to Ethernet (to an Ethernet cable) from my central computer area in my house. I could run Ethernet cable but it would be a difficult job. The distance is maybe 35 feet, down a hall, in another room, with wooden framed drywall walls.

Is there a set of wireless boxes that will replace the Ethernet cable? That is, I'd connect one box via Ethernet cable to my main router. That box would communicate with a second box and out of that second box I could take an Ethernet connection to connect to my device.

I know I probably couldn't get 100Mbps but I'd be happy with 50 Mbps or so.

Can you point me at anything that will do that?

Mike

[Matt Meiser]

Buy a Linksys WRT54G on Craigslist and load with DDWRT. I did that between my shop and house for 5 years.

[Jim Becker]

Mike you have several options including using a wireless Ethernet adapter at the remote device and a wireless access point back in "computer central" and using powerline Ethernet adapters which use your home's electrical wiring. The wireless option over that short distance should provide good performance...up to about 50mbs if it's 802.11G or much, much higher if it's 802.11N. AFAIK, the powerline adapters provide pretty good performance, too.

[Steve Costa]

Mike,

Netgear makes a powerline adapters. Plug the adapter into an electrical outlet and connect to your router with an RJ-45 cable. At the other end plug in the second adapter into an electrical outlet and run the RJ-45 cable to your computer. Data streams over your home's electric system just fine. We have a primary and sub electrical panels in our house and it works great. I have been using these in our home for 7 or 8 years & I have only replaced one in that time frame.

Can be purchased through Fry's. For more info go to netgear.com. Look for XE102, Wall-Plugged Ethernet Bridge.

Steve

[Bryan Morgan]

Mike you have several options including using a wireless Ethernet adapter at the remote device and a wireless access point back in "computer central" and using powerline Ethernet adapters which use your home's electrical wiring. The wireless option over that short distance should provide good performance...up to about 50mbs if it's 802.11G or much, much higher if it's 802.11N. AFAIK, the powerline adapters provide pretty good performance, too.

Ethernet over power require all outlets to be on the same main. If you have separate panels for each location it doesn't really work. Otherwise, its a pretty good solution and seem reliable up to 100mbps that I've experienced.

Other than ethernet over power I'd get a wireless router for your main connection and then get a wireless bridge like you'd use for an Xbox/playstation and put it out at the remote end.

I use this for a router and put DDWRT on it:

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-Wireless-Gigabit-Router-WNDR3700/dp/B002HWRJY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309666328&sr=8-1

I used to use the Linksys WRTG54L but it doesn't support N.

And a wireless bridge for the far end:

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Wireless-N-Access-Bridge-WNHDE111/dp/B00126V3EI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309666580&sr=8-1

If you want to use your existing router I believe you should be able to use 2 of the wireless bridge / access points to do what you want.

[Matt Meiser]

DDWRT has a bridge mode where it connects to a wireless network and all the ports on the back become wired ports on that network.

The Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N also comes pre-loaded with DD-WRT. I've got one and its covering our whole house at similar distances and materials to what you mention with good signal strength.
http://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Technology-AirStation-Wireless-WHR-HP-G300N/dp/B002WBV2T8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1309695804&sr=1-1

[Jim O'Dell]

Interesting read. I will eventually want to add internet to the shop since it is a detached building. I have one shared power line with the house for a floodlight, everything else is on separate electrical service. I have a phone line that is either 6 or 8 pair, but non twisted. Not even sure if it works, but doubt that that would get me much service if any at all, so I've been thinking wireless. But the electrical interface might be more secure, and cheaper :rolleyes:, if it will work. Timely thread. Thanks Mike! Jim.

[Mike Henderson]

My two locations are on the same electrical system so right now, I'm leaning towards the HomePlug solution. I found this (http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-200-Adapter-Kit/dp/B0036R9YA6/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2VB44IBYVXGRK&colid=2M1XMQFRF5982)Netgear solution which consists of two plug in modules. Another reason I'm leaning this way is that the modules are small and I don't have much room in one location.

If this doesn't work, I'll look at that Buffalo solution Matt suggested.

Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

Back in the day of X10 modules, which communicate over the power line, they really wanted to be on the same phase of your house power. Do these newer over-the-line internet adapters have the same issue?

[Mike Henderson]

Back in the day of X10 modules, which communicate over the power line, they really wanted to be on the same phase of your house power. Do these newer over-the-line internet adapters have the same issue?
According to the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeplug)on HomePlug, HomePlug AV (a later standard than HomePlug 1.0) has the ability to communicate across "phases" of a standard single phase residential power system. We'll see.

Mike

[Darius Ferlas]

The simplest method that MAY work is simply bringing up the antenna higher to allow for wider coverage and to avoid obstructions (tools, microwave etc). for that any Wireless Access Point (like ones mentioned below) will do.

I installed a DWL-7200AP (http://dlink.ca/products/?pid=356) for someone about 4 years ago. It works in a few modes, a repeater (range extender) being one of them. It works well connecting two houses about 200 feet apart, but repeaters do slow things down a little. A bridge mode would be something I'd opt for if speed is of essence. The above will do the job. A cheaper, but equally solid performance can be had fromDWL-2100AP (http://dlink.ca/products/?pid=292). For bridge mode you will need two of those.

If you decide to go for a range extender the make sure it will work with what you already have. Some of them don't play nice.

[Robert McGowen]

This thread just cost me over a $100 on Amazon! Thanks, Mike!

[Myk Rian]

I have a D-link(G) wireless router downstairs, and a D-Link (N) USB dongle on my laptop in the garage, about 40 feet apart. I get a 48Mbps link all the time. Just waiting to get an (N) wireless router.

[Bryan Morgan]

If you are worried about range or interference get wireless bridges with external antenna plugs and wire up a couple cantennas where you have line of sight and you'd be good to go. Theres also some seemingly cheesy cardboard and tinfoil antennas that apparently work pretty good from what I've read.

[Bryan Morgan]

DDWRT has a bridge mode where it connects to a wireless network and all the ports on the back become wired ports on that network.

The Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N also comes pre-loaded with DD-WRT. I've got one and its covering our whole house at similar distances and materials to what you mention with good signal strength.
http://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Technology-AirStation-Wireless-WHR-HP-G300N/dp/B002WBV2T8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1309695804&sr=1-1

Buffalo makes some good stuff. We actually wired up one of our offices with some Buffalo wireless routers, 1 main and 4 router/APs and it worked very well and was stable. We usually use Cisco stuff so I had my doubts about the Buffalo. For what they cost, their stuff is pretty impressive.

For what its worth, I wouldn't recommend D-Link to my worst enemy. I have yet to every have a piece of Dlink hardware (except small switches and their small NAS devices) that wasn't a total piece of junk. Every wireless router I've ever used from them regularly locks up and has to be reset. My co-workers have the same experience with that brand.

[Myk Rian]

For what its worth, I wouldn't recommend D-Link to my worst enemy. I have yet to every have a piece of Dlink hardware (except small switches and their small NAS devices) that wasn't a total piece of junk. Every wireless router I've ever used from them regularly locks up and has to be reset. My co-workers have the same experience with that brand.
Maybe D-Link equipment hates you for some reason. I've never had those problems.

D-link routers are also safer to use. Others are subject to DNS rebinding.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Aupu_01ythaUdGZINXQ5Vi16X3hXb3VPYkszNXM0Y Xc
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Aupu_01ythaUdGZINXQ5Vi16X3hXb3VPYkszNXM0Y Xc

[Robert McGowen]

Just received the Netgear 500 powerline kit that I ordered as a result of this thread. I had been getting dismal wireless speeds, around 2 Mbps or less for downloads based on speedtest.net results. I installed the powerline boxes, one upstairs and one downstairs on opposite sides of the house. It took less than 5 minutes total, just plug them in the wall and insert the cable. Speedtest.net show upload speeds right at 17 Mbps. Eight times faster on downloads certainly improved things for me. Only unexpected thing I noticed was that upload speeds were exactly the same with the wireless and the powerline.

[Greg Portland]

Only unexpected thing I noticed was that upload speeds were exactly the same with the wireless and the powerline.That's because you're limited by your internet service, not your home network. What wireless router and card were you using? 2Mbps is really slow for 802.11g...

[Mike Henderson]

Update - I received the Netgear HomePlug (http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-200-Adapter-Kit/dp/B0036R9YA6/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2VB44IBYVXGRK&colid=2M1XMQFRF5982)units and hooked them up. They work great. And no setup at all - just plug them in.

I have AT&T UVerse in my home and needed to connect a TV. There's several ways to do so - you can use twisted pair, coax cable, or Ethernet - and they recommend Ethernet for best results. My problem was that running an Ethernet cable would have been a lot of work. These did the job - just plug them in and they operate. I don't know the exact speed but the lights on the unit indicate it's running at a speed over 80 Mbps.

Anyway, I'm very satisfied.

Mike

[Jim O'Dell]

That's good to hear, guys. Guess I know what my next computer related purchase will be. But first, I've got to save some money for the wood to build my computer desk in the house so that this old one can go to the shop with the old computer on it. ;) Wonder how much of the ceiling in the assembly/finishing room I'll have to dismantle to find that one wire feeding the floodlight from the house??? :eek: Jim.