WDS mode - would this work?

I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
which has WDS mode.

I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
building.

I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, rainandsnow
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
>a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
>put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
>Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
>wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?

Don't know that another router will work that an access point will. I'm
not familiar with the Buffalo kit. Does it have WDS + AP mode? The
trouble with high gain ext ae's is they are also very directional so
your coverage will be poor to unusable at the far end. In which case you
might need 2 APs. One for the wireless bridge and one to redistribute
but this does slow stuff down a lot.
--
Devs
"Punchdown Pete the old Kroner"

Devs wrote:
> In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, rainandsnow
> <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>> I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router
>> to a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode
>> and put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external
>> aerial) - Would it extend the network to the remote location so that
>> laptops with wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better
>> way of doing it?
>
> Don't know that another router will work that an access point will. I'm
> not familiar with the Buffalo kit. Does it have WDS + AP mode? The
> trouble with high gain ext ae's is they are also very directional so
> your coverage will be poor to unusable at the far end. In which case you
> might need 2 APs. One for the wireless bridge and one to redistribute
> but this does slow stuff down a lot.


The one I have is, apparently a "Broadband router access point". It has
a facility to enable wireless bridging and also to enable WDS Dedicated
Mode.

I don't see any problem with the antenna - if I stick a 9db one I
already have out the window, I can pick it up with a laptop at the
remote location, so was thinking that something acting as a repeater
there coupled with a similar antenna should be OK.

You say I might need 2 APs at the far end - I don't understand . . . Am
I wrong in assuming that WDS mode means the Buffalo will be acting as a
bridge and also doing the redistribution??

My reason for wanting to stick with Buffalo is that the router/AP I have
is rated at 125 Mbps - but only with other Buffalos IIRC. I know I won't
achieve that speed, but was hoping to get twice what I'd get with a non
Buffalo product.

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:46:30 +0100, rainandsnow
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
>which has WDS mode.
>
>I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
>building.
>
>I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
>a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
>put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
>Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
>wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?
rainandsnow,

Yes it will work. If you want confirmation and more help post the
question to:

alt.internet.wireless

regards

nemo2

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:03:07 +0100, (E-Mail Removed) mused:

>On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:46:30 +0100, rainandsnow
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
>>which has WDS mode.
>>
>>I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
>>building.
>>
>>I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
>>a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
>>put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
>>Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
>>wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?
>rainandsnow,
>
>Yes it will work. If you want confirmation and more help post the
>question to:
>
>alt.internet.wireless
>
Surely that group is about wireless internet?
--
Regards,
Stuart.

(E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to
hear...
> I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
> which has WDS mode.
>
> I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
> building.
>
> I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
> a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
> put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
> Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
> wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?

A bog standard wireless access point on the end of a mains electricity
networking plug.
--
Regards
Jon

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:46:30 +0100, rainandsnow
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
>> which has WDS mode.
>>
>> I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
>> building.
>>
>> I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
>> a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
>> put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
>> Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
>> wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?
> rainandsnow,
>
> Yes it will work. If you want confirmation and more help post the
> question to:


OK, thanks. Will probably give it a try and post again if stuck.

Jon wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to
> hear...
>> I run a wireless network using a Buffalo Air Station wireless router -
>> which has WDS mode.
>>
>> I want to extend my network to a location 150 meters away in another
>> building.
>>
>> I don't really understand WDS, but if I connect up my current router to
>> a hi gain external aerial, buy another Buffalo router with WDS mode and
>> put it in the remote location (also with a hi gain external aerial) -
>> Would it extend the network to the remote location so that laptops with
>> wifi cards could be used there? - or is there a better way of doing it?
>
> A bog standard wireless access point on the end of a mains electricity
> networking plug.


The remote location uses a different phase for its mains electricity.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, rainandsnow
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>The one I have is, apparently a "Broadband router access point". It has
>a facility to enable wireless bridging and also to enable WDS Dedicated
>Mode.

Do you have a link to the specs? It's just that the kit I have used that
uses WDS (D-Link) appears to do it differently. I can't see that using a
second router would work unless all of its routey bit were turned off in
WDS dedicated mode.
>
>I don't see any problem with the antenna - if I stick a 9db one I
>already have out the window, I can pick it up with a laptop at the
>remote location, so was thinking that something acting as a repeater
>there coupled with a similar antenna should be OK.

yes this will work with omni directional aerials provided the signal you
get _is_ definitely strong enough at the remote location.
>
>You say I might need 2 APs at the far end - I don't understand . . . Am
>I wrong in assuming that WDS mode means the Buffalo will be acting as a
>bridge and also doing the redistribution??

WDS + AP mode provides this functionality. Don't know about WDS as
applied to this particular Buffalo kit. The point I was trying to make
is that, to get a reliable signal over that kind of distance a
directional antenna has to be used. Using a directional antenna to
redistribute the signal doesn't work - it just beams it back where it
has come from! Connecting to a 2nd AP cures this but slows things down
for the end users.
>
>My reason for wanting to stick with Buffalo is that the router/AP I
>have is rated at 125 Mbps - but only with other Buffalos IIRC. I know I
>won't achieve that speed, but was hoping to get twice what I'd get with
>a non Buffalo product.

Ah. Multi channel hogging proprietary psuedo standards. If you want
reliability stick with the current standards i.e 802.11g.
--
Devs
"Punchdown Pete the old Kroner"

Devs wrote:
> In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, rainandsnow
> <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>> The one I have is, apparently a "Broadband router access point". It
>> has a facility to enable wireless bridging and also to enable WDS
>> Dedicated Mode.
>
> Do you have a link to the specs? It's just that the kit I have used that
> uses WDS (D-Link) appears to do it differently. I can't see that using a
> second router would work unless all of its routey bit were turned off in
> WDS dedicated mode.


The support page is here:
http://www.buffalotech.com/support/downloads/
They seem to be listed by type rather than by model number which makes
comparisons difficult.

I can't find a download for the router I've got, however the more recent
ones or at least some of them seem to have a physical switch to switch
between router mode and AP mode. Mine doesn't, it has WDS and WDS
dedicated mode in the menu.




>>
>> I don't see any problem with the antenna - if I stick a 9db one I
>> already have out the window, I can pick it up with a laptop at the
>> remote location, so was thinking that something acting as a repeater
>> there coupled with a similar antenna should be OK.
>
> yes this will work with omni directional aerials provided the signal you
> get _is_ definitely strong enough at the remote location.
>>
>> You say I might need 2 APs at the far end - I don't understand . . .
>> Am I wrong in assuming that WDS mode means the Buffalo will be acting
>> as a bridge and also doing the redistribution??
>
> WDS + AP mode provides this functionality. Don't know about WDS as
> applied to this particular Buffalo kit. The point I was trying to make
> is that, to get a reliable signal over that kind of distance a
> directional antenna has to be used. Using a directional antenna to
> redistribute the signal doesn't work - it just beams it back where it
> has come from! Connecting to a 2nd AP cures this but slows things down
> for the end users.
>>
>> My reason for wanting to stick with Buffalo is that the router/AP I
>> have is rated at 125 Mbps - but only with other Buffalos IIRC. I know
>> I won't achieve that speed, but was hoping to get twice what I'd get
>> with a non Buffalo product.
>
> Ah. Multi channel hogging proprietary psuedo standards. If you want
> reliability stick with the current standards i.e 802.11g.

Oh dear. I didn't know that.