Bridge or Repearter mode?

I have a Digicom Michelangelo Home 54 (Router ADSL Access Point
Wireless to 54 Mbit/ses) and I would like to extend my net wireless in
the apartment close to mine where I have a pc, the signal it arrives
well in the first room but it doesn't reach the others, I have
therefore need of a second accesso point wireless to extend the signal.
Before purchasing a second one, would I like to make the tests with a
"3com officeConnects Wireless 11g Access Point " that I have in loan,
but as I have to configure it? in Bridge or Repeater mode?

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) .com> on 22 Feb 2006
03:07:14 -0800, "MaxAle" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have a Digicom Michelangelo Home 54 (Router ADSL Access Point
>Wireless to 54 Mbit/ses) and I would like to extend my net wireless in
>the apartment close to mine where I have a pc, the signal it arrives
>well in the first room but it doesn't reach the others, I have
>therefore need of a second accesso point wireless to extend the signal.
>Before purchasing a second one, would I like to make the tests with a
>"3com officeConnects Wireless 11g Access Point " that I have in loan,
>but as I have to configure it? in Bridge or Repeater mode?

Consider instead an inexpensive high-gain antenna, which may solve your
problem. See the FAQ for more info.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

"MaxAle" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I have a Digicom Michelangelo Home 54 (Router ADSL Access Point
>Wireless to 54 Mbit/ses) and I would like to extend my net wireless in
>the apartment close to mine where I have a pc, the signal it arrives
>well in the first room but it doesn't reach the others, I have
>therefore need of a second accesso point wireless to extend the signal.
>Before purchasing a second one, would I like to make the tests with a
>"3com officeConnects Wireless 11g Access Point " that I have in loan,
>but as I have to configure it? in Bridge or Repeater mode?

Is your 3com really an access point or is it a router? Just curious
since you didn't bother to specify the model numbers. I'll assume
access point.

You have some choices to make here. You can configure both your
Digicom and 3com for the same SSID and try to get seamless roaming
(automagically switch between the two wireless devices while moving
around the house), or you can use different SSID's so that you can
select and test the coverage individually. I would go for different
SSID's at this time.

Set them for different channels. The non-overlapping channels are 1,
6, and 11 (in the US). With different channels, they won't interfere
with each others.

Connect a CAT5 cable between one of the LAN ethernet ports on the
Digicom and the single ethernet port on your 3com access point.

Set the IP address of the 3com to something that's in the same range
as the Digicom. If the Digicom is 192.168.1.1, then the 3com should
be perhaps 192.168.1.2. The actually address doesn't matter as long
as there's no duplication and it's in the same Class C IP address
block.

If the unspecified 3com model access point has a DHCP server, turn it
off. You only need one DHCP server and that's in the Digicom router.

Your laptops or computer should show both SSID's. Select the
strongest and connect. That's it.

As John Navas suggested, you might do better with reflector type
antennas:
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/Ez-10/

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> "MaxAle" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
> >I have a Digicom Michelangelo Home 54 (Router ADSL Access Point
> >Wireless to 54 Mbit/ses) and I would like to extend my net wireless in
> >the apartment close to mine where I have a pc, the signal it arrives
> >well in the first room but it doesn't reach the others, I have
> >therefore need of a second accesso point wireless to extend the signal.
> >Before purchasing a second one, would I like to make the tests with a
> >"3com officeConnects Wireless 11g Access Point " that I have in loan,
> >but as I have to configure it? in Bridge or Repeater mode?
>
> Is your 3com really an access point or is it a router? Just curious
> since you didn't bother to specify the model numbers. I'll assume
> access point.
>
> You have some choices to make here. You can configure both your
> Digicom and 3com for the same SSID and try to get seamless roaming
> (automagically switch between the two wireless devices while moving
> around the house), or you can use different SSID's so that you can
> select and test the coverage individually. I would go for different
> SSID's at this time.
>
> Set them for different channels. The non-overlapping channels are 1,
> 6, and 11 (in the US). With different channels, they won't interfere
> with each others.
>
> Connect a CAT5 cable between one of the LAN ethernet ports on the
> Digicom and the single ethernet port on your 3com access point.
>
> Set the IP address of the 3com to something that's in the same range
> as the Digicom. If the Digicom is 192.168.1.1, then the 3com should
> be perhaps 192.168.1.2. The actually address doesn't matter as long
> as there's no duplication and it's in the same Class C IP address
> block.
>
> If the unspecified 3com model access point has a DHCP server, turn it
> off. You only need one DHCP server and that's in the Digicom router.
>
> Your laptops or computer should show both SSID's. Select the
> strongest and connect. That's it.
>
> As John Navas suggested, you might do better with reflector type
> antennas:
> http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/Ez-10/
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

the 3com is an Access Point model 3CRwE454G72 and I have configured it
in repeater mode.
I have configured both with the same SSID, I have disabled the DHCP on
the 3com
I set the IP address of the Router ADSL Digicom as 192.168.254.252
I set the IP address of the 3com as 192.168.254.250 (with gateway
192.168.254.252)
With my laptop I switch automatically between the two wireless devices
while moving
around the house but when I'm connected with the 3com device I cannot
navigate or ping my desktop (that is connect with a CAT5 cable to the
Digicom.
It seems that the two device do not communicate between them.

"MaxAle" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>the 3com is an Access Point model 3CRwE454G72 and I have configured it
>in repeater mode.

Repeater? Welcome to compatibility issues.

>I have configured both with the same SSID, I have disabled the DHCP on
>the 3com
>I set the IP address of the Router ADSL Digicom as 192.168.254.252
>I set the IP address of the 3com as 192.168.254.250 (with gateway
>192.168.254.252)
>With my laptop I switch automatically between the two wireless devices
>while moving
>around the house but when I'm connected with the 3com device I cannot
>navigate or ping my desktop (that is connect with a CAT5 cable to the
>Digicom.
>It seems that the two device do not communicate between them.

Yep. Repeaters can be a bag of worms. There's no guarantee that any
random repeater will work with any other wireless device.
Manufacturers usually list what devices their repeaters will work
with. Digging through the irritating 3com Knowledge pile, I find:


Solution ID: 3KB15335
3crwe454g72, 3crgpoe10075 - Units not working in repeater mode
together
* The 3CRWE454g72 needs to be in repeater mode and must be running
v1.03.07c or above
* The3CRGPOE10075 needs to be in as an Access Point in Point to point
bridge mode and running v2.00.35 or above.


Solution ID: 3KB8814
Problem: 3CRWE454g72 - Can this Access Point act as a repeater?
No, the access point does not have the ability to act as a repeater.
It would need a physical connection to the network or a device such as
a Gateway and then be able to transmit a wireless signal.


It seems that 3com can't seem to decide if it's a repeater or not. The
data sheet does not mention repeater mode.

I was too lazy to lookup the chipsets used in the 3CRwE454G72 and your
Digicom. My guess(tm) is that it would probably show two different
manufacturers chipsets, which tend to be incompatible.

Sorry, no solutions other than runnning the CAT5 wire and not using it
as a repeater.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Thu, 23 Feb 2006 08:43:39
-0800, Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Sorry, no solutions other than runnning the CAT5 wire and not using it
>as a repeater.

I suggest using Powerline Ethernet to connect a remote wireless access point
to a wireless router, or just Powerline Ethernet Networking (a good but
commonly overlooked solution) for clients instead of wireless.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>