How to use a wireless router as a bridge?

[Will Rickards]

So my colleague has some devices that need a wired ethernet connection. But they are way far from his cable modem/wireless router. So he was thinking of using another wireless router in client mode to connect to the main wireless router via wireless.

Is this possible with any router? Or do you need something like a WRT54G with the tomato firmware? I have an old netgear he could use.

 

[ddrueding]

Some routers have this capability in them already, but I always use DD-WRT for such things.

 

[Mercutio]

dd-WRT will do it, or you can buy a stupidly expensive 802.11 to ethernet bridge.
Most routers don't have the firmware set up to allow this, though their hardware is certainly capable of doing so.

 

[Fushigi]

I was going to suggest Powerline for Ethernet over the power cables but I see Netgear has upped the options. This kit contains a Powerline base station and a Powerline WAP to extend WiFi to anywhere reachable by the Powerline.

 

[timwhit]

I was going to suggest Powerline for Ethernet over the power cables but I see Netgear has upped the options. This kit contains a Powerline base station and a Powerline WAP to extend WiFi to anywhere reachable by the Powerline.

OT:
I just noticed that Netgear has a Coax-ethernet adaper that supports up to 270Mbps. Has anyone ever used this type of adapter before?

It looks like an interesting idea to replace my terribly slow 802.11n network.

 

[sechs]

OT:
I just noticed that Netgear has a Coax-ethernet adaper that supports up to 270Mbps. Has anyone ever used this type of adapter before?

It looks like it uses MoCA, which the same standard that Verizon uses to distribute FiOS on premises.

 

[Handruin]

OT:
I just noticed that Netgear has a Coax-ethernet adaper that supports up to 270Mbps. Has anyone ever used this type of adapter before?

It looks like an interesting idea to replace my terribly slow 802.11n network.

Engadget has a simple review on it here.

 

[timwhit]

Engadget has a simple review on it here.

Thanks.

 

[Howell]

My first job included working with 10base2. I really don't want to go back there.

 

[mubs]

Did you use Baluns?

 

[Howell]

Did you use Baluns?

No, not until years later when I worked with Token Ring. You?

 

[ddrueding]

Just the other day I was creating mini sculptures with a bunch of t-connectors. Fun times.

 

[Chewy509]

So my colleague has some devices that need a wired ethernet connection. But they are way far from his cable modem/wireless router. So he was thinking of using another wireless router in client mode to connect to the main wireless router via wireless.

Is this possible with any router? Or do you need something like a WRT54G with the tomato firmware? I have an old netgear he could use.

I've just come up with a similar situation, phone points are too far from the main office area (in a private home), so have to weigh up the cost of:

a. Get a professional cabler to install another point in the home office to get the ADSL into the office so can just use an existing wired ADSL router.

b. Find 2x wireless routers (one with ADSL modem) that the second can act as a client to the first. The second router needs 3x ethernet ports for 2x PCs and a printer.

c. Buy a wireless router, an expensive AP and a 4port switch?

d. Buy a wireless router, and 3 wireless NICs and/or 3x APs.

 

[Chewy509]

I've just come up with a similar situation, phone points are too far from the main office area (in a private home), so have to weigh up the cost of:

a. Get a professional cabler to install another point in the home office to get the ADSL into the office so can just use an existing wired ADSL router.

b. Find 2x wireless routers (one with ADSL modem) that the second can act as a client to the first. The second router needs 3x ethernet ports for 2x PCs and a printer.

c. Buy a wireless router, an expensive AP and a 4port switch?

d. Buy a wireless router, and 3 wireless NICs and/or 3x APs.

We decided to go option a, as it was the easiest/cheapest option...

 

[ddrueding]

Option a is also the best option. If it was also cheapest, that is a win-win.

 

[Chewy509]

Option a is also the best option. If it was also cheapest, that is a win-win.

Considering it was $20 for parts/cable and 3hrs of my time to run/install the cable.

Far better than $100+ for routers/bridges/switches, etc... and having the unknown performance of a wireless bridge.

 

[mubs]

No, not until years later when I worked with Token Ring. You?

Me too. I had no idea what that thing was till a mentor kindly explained. This was in the early days of my networking experience. I started out as a business apps guy, then messed with minicomputer OSes, then with networking and HW. It has been an interesting journey!

 

[Fushigi]

Token ring using baluns .. I remember that. I also remember using baluns for twinax cabling (for terminals, printers, and PCs with emulation cards) to convert daisy chaining to star topologies. Actually I had twinax in use for console cabling as recently as 2005. Everything else was remote/Ethernet but the console. Since then, though, it's been 100% Ethernet.

 

[sechs]

I remember using baluns in college... I bet that they still use them.