skid2964 <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>I have a Orinoco AP2000 that has worked great for years with a range
>extender antenna, now, I just bought a much larger house and the kids
>upstairs cannot get a good signal.
How many walls and floors between the AP2000 and the kids?
How far away?
What's the general wall and floor construction?
What manner of radio are the kids using? Any add-on antennas?
Is this "range extender kit" an omnidirectional antenna? If so, have
you tried running the antenna horizontally to get better signal in the
up/down direction? If this works, perhaps a panel antenna pointed
upwards would work. It really depends on the house layout.
>I recently bought two Linksys WAP11's to see if 1) will they act as
>repeaters for the AP2000, no luck there.
Give up. The problem with repeaters is that the standards for such
operation in IEEE-802.11-1999 are seriously deficient and vague. The
result has been a variety of incompatible hardware implementations.
The WAP11 is probably the worst of the bunch. I have a few of these
that I've inherited from various upgrades. None work right as a
repeater.
What versions WAP11's? V1, v2.2, v2.6, or v2.8. They're all
different. Look on the serial number tag for the hardware mutation.
>2) can I use one WAP11 as
>an Access Point and the other as a Access Point Client(repeater).
Forget the repeater, although I must admit that it will probably work.
The WAP11 in repeater mode is probably compatible with another WAP11.
However, I would make sure they are the same hardware mutation and
firmware version.
I've had good luck using the WAP11 as an access point client. It does
have some weirdness. It sorta goes to sleep when not used, and
disappears from the network. However, when I wake it up, it takes a
while to respond and results in some rather odd looking pings. For
example:
Pinging 192.168.1.50 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.1.50: bytes=32 time=46ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.1.50: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.1.50: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=127
Oops, that's a DWL-900AP+, which is the same as a WAP11 v2.6. Close
enough as I get the same problem with the WAP11. Most of the TI
ACX100 chipset routers are fundamentally the same inside:
<http://www.vallstedt-networks.de/?vendors/GST_Vendors>
>I havent really had any luck there either. with that setup, what should I
>be able to see from my laptop? the AP client SSID? or the AP SSID only
>with a stronger signal? I havent had any luck.
Well, for a repeater to work, it has to have the same SSID as the rest
of the network, and be on the same RF channel. When you connect to
the IP address of the AP2000, you'll get the router. When you connect
to the IP address of the WAP11 repeater, you should get the WAP11
config menu (unless you have v1 or v2.2 which were mostly USB
configurable). When you scan for available network, you'll see just
the one SSID. However, if you have more advanced tools that show
devices by both SSID and MAC address, you'll see both the repeater and
the AP2000 listed, with the same SSID, but different MAC addresses.
>If It is not reccomended that I get these WAP11's working, what is a
>better solution? I am willing to replace all the equipment or buy
>something that works with my AP2000(preferred).
Forget the repeater idea. The AP2000 is kinda old and 802.11b only.
If this is sufficient, then methinks playing with antennas or a 2nd AP
upstairs might be a solution. Otherwise, get an 802.11g wireless
router.
Here's what I suggest (in the following order):
1. Play with antennas and see if you can improve the signal strength.
Point directional antennas upwards. If the walls and floors are
concrete, steel, or masonry, forget it.
2. Add an access point upstairs. It doesn't have to be labeled an
"access point" as any wireless router can be used as an access point
by simply disabling the router section and disabling the DHCP server.
How this added access point communicates with the rest of the network
is a problem. CAT5 cable would be best. Power line networking can
also work:
<http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking.aspx>
There is also phone line networking and piggybacking on the CATV coax.
Details on request (or use Google groups search).
3. Replace the AP2000 with something 802.11g and better. Hopefully,
it will have better range.
4. Power line networking and forget about wireless if the house is
impervious to RF at 2.4GHz.
--
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
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