Add more than 1 WAP to WRT54G?

Can you hook more than one WAP54G to a WRT54G in wireless repeater mode?

"s" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Can you hook more than one WAP54G to a WRT54G in wireless repeater mode?

Yes, but for each one you add, your thruput will drop by half. [Hint,
don't start with 54MB, when you start dividing...]

On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 14:35:07 GMT, "s" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Can you hook more than one WAP54G to a WRT54G in wireless repeater mode?

Funny you should mention that. I just fixed a systems that was
literally stuffed full of repeaters. (In case you haven't read any of
my postings, I consider repeaters and range extender/expanders to be
the technology of LAST resort).

Repeaters screw up badly when more than one is used in a common
airspace. That's where the wireless client can be heard by 2 or more
repeaters, each of which can talk directly to the WRT54G. The clients
packet goes to both repeaters, both of which try to repeat the packet
to the WRT54G. There's no collision but you double the amount of
traffic that is spewed over the air. Instead of one repeater just
cutting down the thruput by half, two repeaters in parallel (per
previous example) cut it down by at least a factor of four (or more).
Reminder, only one transmitter can be on the air at a time in a given
airspace, and that includes the various repeaters.

I have no idea if the WAP54G acts in this manner but the WRE54G
certainly has the problem. I had the opportunity to try 4ea WRE54Gv2
repeaters at the same time. I set them up for all the same SSID as
the office router (WRT54Gv3). In theory, they should "self configure"
into something useable. They didn't. I was barely able to use the
system much less make any measurements. Turn off all but one repeater
and I still had a 50% slowdown because the WRT54Gv2 was repeating
packets from my laptop that didn't need to be repeated. Turn off all
the repeaters, and everthing is really fast.

When I dragged the repeater to the window, and went down the street
with my laptop, the WRE54Gv2 started acting somewhat like a normal
repeater.

If you're going to build a "star" topology of repeaters, methinks WDS
makes more sense. At least you have some control over which device
connects to the others, with fewer surplus packets floating through
the air.



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