Wireless Bridge Suggestions

[Mike Garcen]

So i had the pleasure of moving recently, and my new setup has the wireless router in a completely separate roof than where i’m staying, so running an ethernet cord is not possible. So with that being said I’m on the hunt for a bridge.

I’ve tried several Belkin wireless bridges and USB wifi adapters and they all exhibit the same extremely frustrating issue–they will connect and work for about 10-15 minutes, and then disconnect. My 5 year old laptop with an intel wireless chip has been connected since day one and never disconnects, so in the meantime i’ve enabled Internet Connection Sharing on it and running a cord straight to my HTPC.

But this is ghetto 🙂 so i’d like to have a proper setup. I have some extra routers and switches, so I don’t necessarily need a multi-port wireless bridge, but if one exists that’s solid i’ll take it.

Any recommendations or suggestions? FYI my wifi router is Belkin’s AC1200 FWIW

[oliverredfox]

I’m going to go with the obivous suggestion first (just in case you haven’t tried it).  Have you done frequency scans to check congestion on the various channels to try and find one with minimal issues?  (In case it’s an interference issue and not hardware)

[Mike Garcen]

i thought about that, but if it was interference, wouldn’t my laptop (which is in the same room as the HTPC) be experiencing the same problems?

[oliverredfox]

The laptop might handle errors better than the bridge you were using and be less prone to thinking it lost the connection.

[oliverredfox]

You could roll through channels 1,6,&11 for quick and dirty testing to see if it helps.

[Mike Garcen]

[quote=oliverredfox]

The laptop might handle errors better than the bridge you were using and be less prone to thinking it lost the connection.

[/quote]

okay, i’ll give it a shot! what tool do you recommend to test the congestion? (do i sound like a newb or what?!)

[oliverredfox]

Had to ask a friend who’s taking classes on networking right now.  http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/ should do everything you want.

[Mike Garcen]

thank you sir. okay, so i don’t think that’s it, there’s only one other device on channel 11 which is where i’m running…and signal % is 70%, which is significantly higher than anything else being scanned.

[oliverredfox]

So much for an easy fix.  Always nice to rule out the simple stuff first.  I don’t run a bridge myself, so not sure what’s considered good these days, but I’m sure someone else will be able to point out something sweet for you.

[vile2064]

I’ve been using the Linksys WET610N for a few years now, and it has been rock solid on the 5Ghz band.  I had a few hiccups when I first started with it, but I have been running it for a year and a half now without even so much as a reboot.  I liked it so much, I picked up its successor recently, the WUMC710 (supports 802.11ac and has 4 gigabit ethernet ports!). There are a couple on ebay for $80-90 right now.

[babgvant]

Have you tried a highly directional antenna?

Or, MoCA if you’re on the same node and there aren’t filters on the lines :).

[Mike Garcen]

[quote=babgvant]

Have you tried a highly directional antenna?

Or, MoCA if you’re on the same node and there aren’t filters on the lines :).

[/quote]

Mr. Van Til, let me thank you for your kind response and allow me to address your points.

1. Directional Antenna – i don’t think signal strength is the issue, when the belkin products connect they are at full 5 bars (as is my laptop, which never drops it)

2. MoCA which i love, i’m afraid is not an option, the back house is a totally different structure

That Linksys looks pretty awesome and good reviews, i might just give that a try if nobody has a better recommendation

[babgvant]

[quote=Mike Garcen]

2. MoCA which i love, i’m afraid is not an option, the back house is a totally different structure

[/quote]

So :).

Unless there is a MoCA filter installed b/w the main structure and yours MoCA should work (assuming that you’re not on different cable nodes (you shouldn’t be if it’s that close)). This is one of the big reasons why enabling encryption is so important if you use MoCA.

[Mike Garcen]

[quote=vile2064]

I’ve been using the Linksys WET610N for a few years now, and it has been rock solid on the 5Ghz band.  I had a few hiccups when I first started with it, but I have been running it for a year and a half now without even so much as a reboot.  I liked it so much, I picked up its successor recently, the WUMC710 (supports 802.11ac and has 4 gigabit ethernet ports!). There are a couple on ebay for $80-90 right now.

[/quote]

Picked this one up for cheap (the WUMC710) and it hasn’t disconnected even once!! Thanks for the recommendation!

[vile2064]

[quote=Mike Garcen]

[quote=vile2064]

I’ve been using the Linksys WET610N for a few years now, and it has been rock solid on the 5Ghz band.  I had a few hiccups when I first started with it, but I have been running it for a year and a half now without even so much as a reboot.  I liked it so much, I picked up its successor recently, the WUMC710 (supports 802.11ac and has 4 gigabit ethernet ports!). There are a couple on ebay for $80-90 right now.

[/quote]

Picked this one up for cheap (the WUMC710) and it hasn’t disconnected even once!! Thanks for the recommendation!

[/quote]

Glad to hear it!  Are you running it in 802.11ac mode?  I’m thinking about upgrading my router soon, and I’m wondering if it’s worth it.

[Author]

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