Foo - A WiFi rant/question...

A WiFi interface, once installed, is an interface like any other. I can set my routing tables in any way I want. That means, I can set up a pc, with a lan card (RJ-45), a WiFi card, and make a WiFi Bridge. And I can do this this with any card (provided they are the same protocol as the access point which is b/g). Good so far right?

With the old WiFi G being so freaking cheap, and with cheap routers laying around everywhere, I don't see WTF is the deal with finding cheap WiFi Bridges with no restrictions. And by restrictions I mean stuff like this:

"To use the Bridge Feature of this xyz-69 WiFi access points you need to use it only with the xyz-70 WiFi router".

WTF??! Why? Why can ppl just make a WiFi Bridge that will work with whatever as long as is also the same protocol (b/g/n/whatever)? Even I can make one with an old pc and linux... easy (gonna use lotsa electricity but you get the point).

/RANT

If somebody knows a good WiFi Bridge (b/g) sun $50 bucks that could work with a belkin A/P please post linky.

Get this (one of many options)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190
and this
http://www.dd-wrt.com (http://www.dd-wrt.com/)

And you should be able to do it. You might want to get get two of the linksys ones linked above though.

I've never done it - so it's at your own risk...

Yup, I've considered the DD-WRT option. I like the hackable aspect of it.. geeky... but I've read that for the bridge part to owrk I need the dd-wrt on both APs and the same firmware and stuff... again, I can get a working bridge that would hook up with whatever AP I throw at it.

and again, what angers me about it is that I have taken old pc's and turned them into bridges on the cheap before using linux, the on-board lan, some extra lan cards and a cheap pci wifi.... they worked well and they could connect to whatever I threw at them.... so I know it can be done.

I just don't wanna have a bulky/noisy old PC behind every network device I wanna get connected (2 xbox consoles, a printer and some other stuff).

DD-WRT.

The only solution. Do it; you know you want to.

NOTE: If you want to bridge two routers together, like a DSL/cable modem with the access point, then DD-WRT can handle it (with proper setup on the sending router). If you want to bridge two WIFI points together, that requires a special protocol that's only supported if both points have DD-WRT flashed. That also may be the reason why the Belkin was requiring that specific device to set up the bridging.

I forget what that protocol is called.

Uh, what are you trying to do?

Uh, what are you trying to do?

My diagram-fu is very weak but you can get the idea (look at diagrams). So I'm guessing I'll have to trow away my cheapo belkin (can't run dd-wrt) and get a bunch of linksys... And I have no problem with running some f'ing wires through the house... the wife is the one that hated my network cables.

... And yes, I want ONE segment, with DHCP working all accross the board.

Get this (one of many options)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190
and this
http://www.dd-wrt.com (http://www.dd-wrt.com/)

And you should be able to do it. You might want to get get two of the linksys ones linked above though.

I've never done it - so it's at your own risk...


DD-WRT.

The only solution. Do it; you know you want to.

NOTE: If you want to bridge two routers together, like a DSL/cable modem with the access point, then DD-WRT can handle it (with proper setup on the sending router). If you want to bridge two WIFI points together, that requires a special protocol that's only supported if both points have DD-WRT flashed. That also may be the reason why the Belkin was requiring that specific device to set up the bridging.

I forget what that protocol is called.

This consortium is a great idea; evidently ddrt, openwrt and maksat are pooling their efforts. Has anyone written a wiki?

DD-WRT might be your best/only option next to buying dedicated fanless PCs. I don't know of any other APs that can function like this.

For the main AP, I don't think you need DD-WRT, but the APs that are bridging back to wired networks, you might.

In any case, make sure to use WPA2-PSK.

My diagram-fu is very weak but you can get the idea (look at diagrams). So I'm guessing I'll have to trow away my cheapo belkin (can't run dd-wrt) and get a bunch of linksys... And I have no problem with running some f'ing wires through the house... the wife is the one that hated my network cables.

... And yes, I want ONE segment, with DHCP working all accross the board.I've done plenty of these configurations, with the bridge-1/2/3 locations in remote offices, barns, guest-houses at 2-3 miles apart. But what's your rationale for wanting a single segment. DHCP is actually independent of that.

I've done plenty of these configurations, with the bridge-1/2/3 locations in remote offices, barns, guest-houses at 2-3 miles apart. But what's your rationale for wanting a single segment. DHCP is actually independent of that.

I'm just going by what I have read after googling around and the little I remember about networking (very rusty knowledge). I believe (and might be wrong) that in order for DHCP to work (everybody seeing the broadcasts) all boxes needed to be on the same segment as the DHCP server or have a DHCP proxy on their segment. I personally have no problem with multiple segments, even static addreses and a sea of routing tables but some of the boxes might complain... here's a list of the things I'm concerned about:

The Xbox consoles

These are 2 black xboxes, pre 360, with wired lan ports. Currently, they are outside the Home LAN, on a different segment of their own, using a cheapo netgear hub, via static addresses. I have no other option since both boxes are in locations with no wired lan access, only wifi and they have no wifi. I want to WiFify those boxes (here the bridges come in) and make them DHCP so they play nicely (no ip cpnflicts) with the other boxes. I don't know how the 2 boxes broadcast/find eachother when you hit the lan multiplayer mode. But of course, I want them to find each other, that's the whole idea.

The SAN

This is a cheapo mybook world edition (networketed 1TB @ 169.00 can't be beat). I have the drive mappings on all PCs using the \\rubensanthingie\<share> way and I want that to work like it is without entering the IP manually cuz i'm lazy and wife is IP-Allergic... but anyway, I want that to work flawlessly (the mapping).

The Printer

My current printer is WiFi (pretty cool actually). You just plug it in wherever you want and it connects to the wifi, takes an IP via DHCP and everybody can print, flawless. I want that to work.

I know all that will work fine with one segment, not so sure about a multi-segment environment.

802.11g Wireless Ethernet Bridge

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1134692497433&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=9743339789B11

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124015&Tpk=wet54g