Two Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 to extend wifi range???

[redgtxdi]

OK, so I got my dad a WHR-HP-G54 about a year ago. He lives 3 hours away and is NOT computer savy. (tough for me to tech help from here) He got it up & running. (Yeah!)

This last weekend I was at his house and flashed it with Tomato 1.28 in preparation to extend his network. He's got a "man cave" above the garage that can't get signal no matter how high I turn up the amp on the Buffalo. I turned it back down and it works fine at '18'.

So as I understand it..........I need to

1.) Get a 2nd WHR-HP-G54

2.) Flash it w/ Tomato also?

3.) Flip the switch on the bottom into "bridge" mode??

4.) Enjoy??

I'm confused about bridge vs AP and the more I read, the more confused I get. I just want to be able to get wifi up to his man cave without a 300ft long ethernet cable & router duct taped to his chimney.

Make sense?

 

[Pghpooh]

Download teamveiwer.
http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx
Load it on your dads pc and yours.
Not sure how much you can do remotely but it can save trips.
Then again,,, it's always good to visit parents.

 

[JackMDS]

Hi

It is not a matter of switch you have to configure the Router to bridge mode.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge

But that is beside the point, Router in bridge Mode is Not a "magic" to get the Signal if the signal does not exist in the location.

You have to use a long cable connect the Bridge to the garge computer and find a spot that the Bridge can receive the signal.

Otherwise may be WDS will help.

WDS

The general approach that I take for Coverage issues is the following.

The best way is to lay few CAT6 cables to central locations in the house, install Access Points, or Cable/DSL Routers configured as an Access Points ( Using a Wireless Cable/DSL Router as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html ), and connect them to the Main Router.

You do not want/can not/hate/your client hate to lay Cables.

Start with One affordable Wireless Router that can do WDS (the reason to start with WDS capable Router is that in case you need to add more Wireless WDS hardware the original Router has to support it).

If you are lucky and your environment is conducive to get covered with one Good Wireless Router and you are done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireles...ibution_System.

Buffalo-HP-54G, Linksys WRT54GL, and Asus, 520GU can do WDS when flashed with DD-WRT firmware.

It is a good idea to start with the Buffalo since it is a High Power Wireless Router that covers more distance to begin with, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162134

Due to the added flexibility, it is better solution to choose Routers that can work with DD-WRT
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

http://meanderingpassage.com/2007/04...on-system-wds/

Using a Laptop loaded with Wirelessnetview, do a Wireless survey, http://majorgeeks.com/WirelessNetView_d6102.html

According to the signal strength reading, identify spots that have strong signal. and spot with weak, or No signal.

Evaluate how you can cover the space and start placing WDS units.

Additional Wireless Routers in WDS Mode (Wireless Network - Configuration Modes. ) has to be placed in spots were the signal is good about Half way to the dead spots.

How many WDS units are needed? It depends on your specific environment (that is a good the reason to buying WDS units one at the time, try it, and decide on the Next step).

More about the topic (the pages bellow were written a while ago, ignore the specific hardware recommendation just stick to the principle and get current hardware)

Extending Distance - http://www.ezlan.net/Distance.html

Wireless Router as an AP - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

Wireless Modes - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Modes.html

Wireless Bridging - http://www.ezlan.net/bridging.html

Hi Gain Antenna - http://www.ezlan.net/antennae.html

 

[redgtxdi]

Pooh --------- Thanks for that link!! I never knew that existed (done goto meeting, etc. before) but that's awesome! I will DEFINITELY be utilizing that.



Jack ------- Thanks, that WDS is basically what I'm looking to do. So not so much "bridging" as I still would have to drape about a 30ft Cat6 cable down from the loft which no workee, but rather "repeater" mode to bridge signal *AND* receive clients at the same time!! Precisely what I was looking for.


I don't use Tomato at home myself, so I'll have to see where that setting is at in Tomato once I get back up to his house but I'll definitely grab another Buffalo router (that sucker's been solid) and use it to create this WDS scenario!! (I only used Tomato cuz it seemed more popular when I googled)

Sound about right?

 

[redgtxdi]

OK, a "hmmm" question for Jack (or others) regarding this article I just read.......

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3810281

Why does it say........ "-unfortunately, Tomato does not yet support repeater mode. One option is to switch to DD-WRT V24, which does support repeater mode, although it is in general not as user-friendly as Tomato." ???

Wikipedia lists "WDS" as a feature of Tomato, specifically and (just so I was sure I understood you right) explains how WDS is truly a "Wireless Repeater Mode" as it both "bridges" *and* "accepts clients" unlike traiditional bridge mode.

?

 

[Fardringle]

That article was written nearly 20 months ago. I don't know exactly when it was added, but Tomato does support WDS now.

 

[JackMDS]

I stop using Tomato when a Network has more than 2 computers.

There is something problematic in Tomato's capacity to maintain the info about the Network computers in the Router's memory.

If the Network has more than two computers, and there are computers that are switched in and out of the network, Tomato does not maintain correctly the info and the Sharing capacity of the Network becomes unstable. While all computers maintain their capacity to use the Internet, some computers lose their capacity to connect to other computer.

Flashing the same Router with DD-WRT and the problem gone.

 

[redgtxdi]

That actually might be a good thing as I'm only concerned (or should say dad's only concerned) about getting internet up to the man cave.

And I don't doubt your experience, but I'd be a little surprised that Tomato couldn't do all that DD-WRT could do in that regard as those types of technologies are usually just copied to save brain cells, no?

And have you tested this theory on v1.28 installs using WDS+AP recently?

 

[redgtxdi]

Bump for a couple answers.......

Anybody come up w/ whether or not the 2nd router would need Tomato on it or not??? (Or is it just a good idea to have it flashed just cuz Tomato's better firmware anyway?)


Also, I heard this weekend on the radio (hope I misheard) that Tomato is no longer gonna be around??

Thanks again.

 

[redgtxdi]

OK, I have success!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

But I have a couple questions.......

Based on the following Tomato FAQ --- http://www.polarcloud.com/tomatofaq#how_do_i_use_wds --- I set everything up as it says. (Blew it the first time cuz I entered both router's REAL mac addresses & not the *wireless* mac addresses...duh)

Anywhoo........while trying to figure all that out, I switched the 2nd router back & forth between "auto" & "bridge" using that bottom switch. It's currently set on "bridge" and frankly, I'm too tired to play with it. Tomato doesn't make specific reference to Buffalo's bottom switch. Anybody know if it matters?? What specifically does it do?? (FWIW, the "bridge" light doesn't come on like it does when you switch it on in regular state) (shrug)

And........in the Tomato FAQ, it says to enter the default gateway (192.168.1.1) for router #2 but after I'm done, it looks like Tomato (or Buffalo) just zero'd that out. I'm guessing that doesn't matter either??

What I do know is that it works. And I'm tired!!