As long as there have been wireless networks there have been people trying to squeeze out just a bit more range… there was the cantenna and now there are other variations on trying to collect and improve the amount of signal getting to wireless adapters… here is just a sampling of what I’ve looked at (and expiremented with) lately… instructables how-to using seive… and another page along the same lines and for wireless hardware that is a bit more powerful… Keenan Systems sells engenius/senao wireless products that tend to have higher sensitivity/power output than the average linksys/dlink.
Tag: linksys
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Strange net problems with a Netgear FS608 switch
This was weird and now that the switch is replaced I haven’t been able to duplicate it, but let me explain. There was a netgear fs608 (8 port unmanaged) switch plugged into a linksys router (model number not noted.) The cable was straight (although the fs608 has support for link through straight or crossover cables.) This setup worked well for quite some time. 4 computers and a printer hooked up. 3 pcs with fixed address and 1 with DHCP for their IP address. Well, I had a call that two pcs were unable to connect to the network and when I got there and looked… sure enough 169.**** ip addresses from Microsoft’s “auto configure” pool.
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Linksys BEFW11S4 ver. 4 wireless router locking up (default password and hard reset info too)
Not long ago a customer offered me a slightly used Linksys BEFW11S4 ver. 4 wireless router for free. He had replaced it with an 802.11g router (this is only a b) shortly after purchase and said if I knew anyone that wanted it I could have it. Well, it’s hard for me to let tech pass through my hands without taking a look at it and testing it a bit. So, one of the first things I did was test out how well the wireless signal was received from a basement. (Concrete block walls, dirt, etc. blocking..) I was surprised at how well the signal did through concrete, dirt and a couple hundred feet of air.
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The D-Link DWL-800AP+ as a wireless repeater to extend wireless range – Part 6
Ok, so here’s the synopsis… I’ve spent the last few articles setting up a D-link DWL-800AP+ as a repeater for a linksys WAP11 (v. 1.1) As of the end of the last entry I had a bit of a problem with WEP but that seems to have been resolved now and here I am to fill you in on what went wrong. It was really a simple mistake. When I copied and pasted over from the linksys….
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The D-Link DWL-800AP+ as a wireless repeater to extend wireless range – Part 5
So, I set a WEP key on the linksys (WAP11 v. 1.1) and it promptly disappeared… it stopped responding (over the WIRED network) to my wap11gui admin tool. I quickly realized that part of the problem is from having two network cards attached (both in the 192.168.0 range)… disconnect the usb card and reconnect. Then I use the “security” tab to enable WEP (128-bit)
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The D-Link DWL-800AP+ as a wireless repeater to extend wireless range – Part 4
Ok, so now I had to add the new D-Link’s MAC address to the list of authorized MAC’s in the Linksys WAP11 (v. 1.1) For this, I call on wap11gui. Used to (since I use linux), I would have to suffer through a Windows boot on the laptop and balance the laptop on the edge of the bed and connect through usb to the linksys… now I can just administer it from my desk. Nice… Anyway, I log into that and Visit the “security” tab and “Authorized Mac”, and add the d-Link DWL-800AP+ to the list.
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The D-Link DWL-800AP+ as a wireless repeater to extend wireless range – Part 1
I’ve got a single access point for my wireless network layer at the house and unfortunately have at least one real “dead spot” in the house. As luck would have it that dead spot is at the couch… so for some time I’ve looked at ways to extend the wireless network range or other ways. One such possibility of course, is a repeater. These days, most wireless repeaters I see either only work with their brand access point. (So a linksys repeater would only work with certain models of linksys access point…) Or… the repeater would only repeat 802.11g *(the newer wireless) traffic. Given that everything I’ve got is still 802.11b I didn’t really want to do a new round of hardware for ALL the wireless devices (the access point still works….) So… looking for a repeater I went.