Extending wireless network wirelessly

I need to extend the range of my network to the very back of the house
next door.

[This is a side-by-side duplex, and we own both sides, run a b&b on the
other side. Wireless range is fine everywhere except for Macs in the
very back downstairs room. Most Windoze laptops seem to work fine back
there. Airport is less Extreme than it pretends.]

I can (and eventually will) run gigabit ethernet back there under the
house, but I want a wireless solution for now and as well. The bonus is
that if I do it right (put a new router in the back kitchen), I'll get
wireless into the back yard.

The "master" router is a DGL-4300 that I quite like, it just sits there
and works, connects gigabit to our office computers. Wireless for guests
and visitors: I use WPA2 with auto-fallback to WPA and nice long
pass-phrase that's easy for folk to keep in their heads. Its firmware is
up-to-date, it doesn't accept DD-WRT (which doesn't really interest me
anyway). I'm not interested in "upgrading" to 802.11n.

This is my understanding: I buy another router to extend the network
_wirelessly_ and (in the new router):

-- turn off the DHCP server
-- assign it an IP address in the range of the "master"
-- give it the same SSID (and broadcast the SSID)
-- listen on a different channel
-- use the same security settings
-- use the same pass-phrase

If there's anything I'm missing, I'd like to know. Any suggestions would
be appreciated.

I'm looking at this (WBR-2310):

http://www.dlink.ca/products/?sec=1&pid=470

costs about $60 CDN. When I need gigabit back there, I'll wire it
directly or put a switch in the way.

Thanks!
--
Suddenly he realized that he was alone
with a giant halfwit on a dark deserted street.
-- Chester Himes

On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:22:38 -0400, Warren Oates
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<4a300792$0$32212$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>This is my understanding: I buy another router to extend the network
>_wirelessly_ and (in the new router):
>
>-- turn off the DHCP server
>-- assign it an IP address in the range of the "master"
>-- give it the same SSID (and broadcast the SSID)
>-- listen on a different channel
>-- use the same security settings
>-- use the same pass-phrase
>
>If there's anything I'm missing, I'd like to know. Any suggestions would
>be appreciated.

Is the new wireless to be wired to the existing wireless router (greatly
preferred), or is it to be a wireless repeater? If the former you'll
actually be setting up a wireless access point, for which a wireless
router can be used if configured as described in the wiki below. To
determine what channel(s) should be used, do a site survey to see what
other wireless exists.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

Warren Oates <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I need to extend the range of my network to the very back of the house
> next door.

<snip>

> This is my understanding: I buy another router to extend the network
> _wirelessly_ and (in the new router):
>
> -- turn off the DHCP server
> -- assign it an IP address in the range of the "master"
> -- give it the same SSID (and broadcast the SSID)
> -- listen on a different channel
> -- use the same security settings
> -- use the same pass-phrase
>
> If there's anything I'm missing, I'd like to know. Any suggestions would
> be appreciated.
>
> I'm looking at this (WBR-2310):
>
> http://www.dlink.ca/products/?sec=1&pid=470

The specs say nothing about it having client adapter or repeater
capability.

: Device Management
:
: Internet Explorer v6 or later; or other Java-enabled Browsers
: DHCP Server and Client

I read this to mean the router can be set up to get its ip-adresse from
a DHCP server. That's not wht you want.

You need a device that can function as a client adapter or a repeater,
although a repeater halves your speed.

Or tunnel.

These are examples and will give you the wireless connection you want:

D-Link DWL-G700AP - client adapter, also repeater

Belkin F5D7330 - client adapter only

Both those above are obsolete.

DAP-1522 - client adapter, also repeater

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30455/96/

WNHDEB111 - kit with 2 WNHDE111, tunnel solution

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30333/96/

There are many more. Look for the client adapter- and/or repeater
function. Or tunnel.

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Is the new wireless to be wired to the existing wireless router (greatly
> preferred), or is it to be a wireless repeater? If the former you'll
> actually be setting up a wireless access point, for which a wireless
> router can be used if configured as described in the wiki below. To
> determine what channel(s) should be used, do a site survey to see what
> other wireless exists.

Thanks, John. I'd forgotten about the wiki entry. The only other
wireless is my next-door-neighbour, using one channel only. He'd change
channels if I asked him anyway. I'd like to do the whole thing
wirelessly if I could.
--
Suddenly he realized that he was alone
with a giant halfwit on a dark deserted street.
-- Chester Himes

In article <1j15g1t.h36ggobbmq68N%(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) (Axel Hammerschmidt) wrote:

> There are many more. Look for the client adapter- and/or repeater
> function. Or tunnel.

Thanks. I need to be pointed in the right direction.
--
Suddenly he realized that he was alone
with a giant halfwit on a dark deserted street.
-- Chester Himes

On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:32:30 -0400, Warren Oates
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<4a31150e$0$32205$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
> John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Is the new wireless to be wired to the existing wireless router (greatly
>> preferred), or is it to be a wireless repeater? If the former you'll
>> actually be setting up a wireless access point, for which a wireless
>> router can be used if configured as described in the wiki below. To
>> determine what channel(s) should be used, do a site survey to see what
>> other wireless exists.
>
>Thanks, John. I'd forgotten about the wiki entry. The only other
>wireless is my next-door-neighbour, using one channel only. He'd change
>channels if I asked him anyway. I'd like to do the whole thing
>wirelessly if I could.

If it's all to be wireless, then you're talking *repeater*, which needs
to be on the same channel as your wireless router.

Be warned that a repeater cuts throughput by half.

If you can afford it, a cleaner solution is to use a wireless Ethernet
bridge and a wireless access point wired together:

+----------+ +----------+ +----------+
| Wireless | | Wireless | | Wireless |
--+ Router |.................| Ethernet +-+ Access |...
| | | Client | | Point |
| chan 1 | | Bridge | | chan 6 |
+----------+ +----------+ +----------+

If you do go the repeater route, be sure to get a unit that supports WPA
in repeater mode.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://wireless.navas.us>
John FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.navas.us/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>