DIY Wireless Ethernet Bridge

[WaitingForNehalem]

I know there are linux distributions to turn a pc into a router, but is there a distribution to turn a pc into a wireless ethernet bridge? It could have a wireless adaptor and receive and transmit the data to the router, then it would output the information through the ethernet into a switch.

 

[drebo]

DD-WRT can do this with any number of cheap, low-power off the shelf wireless routers. I would go this route, rather than using PCs.

That said, any PC with Windows can form an ad hoc wireless network and bridge it to an ethernet connection.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: drebo
DD-WRT can do this with any number of cheap, low-power off the shelf wireless routers. I would go this route, rather than using PCs.

That said, any PC with Windows can form an ad hoc wireless network and bridge it to an ethernet connection.

Well I have a useless pc from 1997 and I don't want to buy another $50 WRT54G (which is the only wireless router I'd consider) and my two extra routers aren't supported. I think linux would also be more stable for 24/7 use. I think I found what I wanted though. http://www.linux.com/articles/55617[

 

[kevnich2]

Just realize if you use a standalone PC for this, the power consumption alone in a few months would equal what you'd pay for a WRT54GL router.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: kevnich2
Just realize if you use a standalone PC for this, the power consumption alone in a few months would equal what you'd pay for a WRT54GL router.

How much would a Pentium 200MHz consume?

 

[kevnich2]

Depends on your power supply? The older processors though did consume a lot of power. Anything it consumes will be more than the ~4.5 volts than the WRT54GL.

 

[drebo]

I think my WRT54G consumes .5a at 12V. That's a whopping 6 watts. A hard drive alone to run a computer uses anywhere from 5 to 10 watts. A Pentium 200mhz processor consumes ~13W. You're already 4 times the power consumption, and that's not considering everything else the computer needs to run. $50 now, or ~$20 if you don't mind an ASUS router, would save you money in less than 6 months from your power bill.