Question

Connecting 2 routers together WIRELESSLY

Asked by: JaressLoo

Hardware:

I have two different WIRELESS routers.

1) Netgear WNR3500
2) DLink WBR 2310

Problem:

I want to connect the DLink to the Netgear WIRELESS so that I can extend the signal around my house.

In other words, I want to have the Netgear as my main router in the office (hardwiring my computers / servers / etc.). The other router (the DLink), I want to be able to put in the living room and connect it wirelessly to the Netgear so that I can get a strong wireless signal in the living room AND use the other ports on the DLink to be able to connect to other devices that require a hardline connection (like a PS2).

Question:

Is there any way to do this?

Other info: The Dlink router has an option in the configuration to use it as an access point, but in the manual (which I have attached), it doesn't look like it gives an option to connect the router to another router WIRELESSLY!

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Asked On
2009-06-05 at 15:26:58ID24468468
Tags

router

,

access point

,

wireless

,

wirelessly

Topics

Network Design & Methodology

,

Wireless Local Area Network

,

Network Routers

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
4

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Answers

 

by: thinkpads_userPosted on 2009-06-05 at 15:36:53ID: 24560654

Generally you have to connect an access point to its network via an ethernet cable. I don't know of any router (access point) that can connect as a link wirelessly. What I have not seen is the ability to set up wireless authentication on the WAN port (which you would need to do).
... Thinkpads_User
 

 

by: Ar3sPosted on 2009-06-05 at 15:41:38ID: 24560665

I know that Lynksys WAPs have the ability to bridge to another wireless network signal.

Ideally, what you want to do is configure both of the wireless routers up with the same SSID and put them on different channels (i.e. Channel 4 for router 1 and Channel 11 for router 2). But this assumes that you are able to connect the both routers to a switch for your network.

If all you want to do is extend the wireless signal, then a repeater would do the job just fine.

A third option would be to buy a wireless bridge and plug it into the router in the living room and you should be able to connect to the other wireless router like that.

The last two option require you to buy additional equipment however. So I would check the manuals of the wireless routers to see if either of them have a bridge function.

Hope this helps.

 

by: JaressLooPosted on 2009-06-05 at 16:09:23ID: 24560747

In the time that this was posted, I have been continuously researching, and I found that it looks as if I could use a wireless repeater or a wireless bridge, just as you stated Ar3s.

Ar3s, would you be able to describe the difference between these two pieces of hardware? (I'm a developer not a network engineer!)

It sounds as if I can just buy a bridge, then connect the bridge to my Netgear (main) and then plug the output of the bridge into the WAN port of the DLink router, proving BOTH wireless access AND hardline access in my living room.

1) My main question then is what is the major difference between a bridge and a repeater?
2) I read somewhere that the repeater increases traffic on the router so that it has the potential to slow down the network...is this true?
3) If I choose the repeater route, the repeater will effectively keep the same encryption and SSID across the entire house, right? The last thing I want is two different SSID's and passwords for the same household...
4) If I get the bridge, it sounds like I'll have the situation above...

On the flip

 

by: Ar3sPosted on 2009-06-05 at 18:27:46ID: 24561140

1) Repeater - A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeater

Bridge - Bridges are similar to repeaters or network hubs, devices that connect network segments at the physical layer; however, with bridging, traffic from one network is managed rather than simply rebroadcast to adjacent network segments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_bridge

2) Yes, but in your situation this would not happen. A router can only do so many processes at once and only manage so many nodes at once. When you use a repeater and increase the range of a signal, you increase the number of nodes that router will have to deal with. But on a small home network, any loss in network performance would be virtually invisible to you.

3) Yes, the repeater does exactly as what its name suggests. It will take in the signal and pump it back out clearer, which increases the effective range of the signal. If you want two SSIDs and Passwords, you would have to set up both of the wireless routers that way.

4) I would suggest the bridge because you would also have the physical Ethernet ports on the router to plug into in case you ever feel like wiring in another computer, printer, xbox, etc that does not have wireless.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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