Only the fact the instructions ain't good. I'm no expert on this stuff, bu t it may mean having a separate SSID etc, and you may want the channels eit her to match or not to match. Probably a quick Google on the make and mode l will find you some more user friendly instruction..
I've done second access point and WiFi repeater. With access point mode I gave it a different Sid name and let it sort out the channel itself. I prefer the repeater mode, using same Sid and channel. You have to wire it initially to set it up but once done you can put it anywhere.
And knocks throughput in half in the process, only one thing can talk at a time...
That sentance contradicts itself. An "Access Point" is what you need placed on the wired LAN in the best place to give good RF coverage in the places you want.
That might be some form of "bridge" mode. A device (printer, PC, WHY) that has an ethernet port plugs into this box and can then connect to the WiFi access point provided by something else.
No I think that's what you want and turn off the WiFi on the basement router if you don't need it. WiFi has some form of basic "hand over" but I don't think it's very clever ie the access points don't talk to each other to arrange a seamless hand over. I thinks it's just signal strength based, and disconnect from one AP, econnect to another. I suspect that both APs have to have the same SSID and channel allocation but don't know that. GIYF...
I think that's what it means, but isn't worded very well. I think it means that it uses a LAN connection to create a WiFi hot-spot, but doesn't receive a WiFi signal per se.
Yes, indeed. I used a similar device (branded Tenda) to connect my PVR to my network, so that I can use it to access iPlayer and to transfer files to and fro to my computer. [The PVR has an ethernet connection but no built-in WiFi] Sadly, the WiFi signal from my router wasn't strong enough at the PVR location for it to work reliably, so I resorted to using power-line adapters instead. [Wash your mouth out, Roger!]
Mode 2 is fine. I'm now using my Tenda device in that mode in order to provide WiFi to places where I have ethernet but where the router's WiFi signal isn't very strong. In my case, I'm using a totally different SSID and passphrase from that used by the router. It means that portable devices need to remember 2 different setups, but you only have to do that once. It also means that if you move a portable device from one area to another, you have to turn WiFi off and on again so that it finds the other access point. That's not really too much hassle - and at least then, I know what I'm connected to.
Reason I'm asking all this is that in repeater mode it says all you have to do to get it working is press the WPS button on it then the one on the router within two minutes. But this didn't work with my BT router.
To access its setup menu, you have to connect it direct to a computer - can't seem to access it while it's connected to the LAN.
Did all that and it then works just fine - comes up on my phone etc with the name I gave it. Once I'd entered the same Wi-Fi access code as the router it's connected to. But still switched to the repeater mode with lots of LEDs flashing.
I've now switched it to Access point and it still works as before - but all the 'Wi-Fi' LEDs have stopped flashing.
Only difference I can see in practice is I'll have to tell any device whether to use the router or access point. Which is fine by me. As it covers the whole house.
If it's anything like the piece of crap ZyXEL extender that is about to be relegated to a drawer here, though, you'd be better getting a wireless cable router to do the job, preferably one of the Netgear Linux-based ones that you can upload aftermarket firmware onto.
Seems to be working just fine and comes with the usual Lidl 3 year money back warranty. So the receipt has gone into safe storage. But if it's like most things Lidl, won't be needed.
It was fairly pricey for something the size of a wall wart at 25 quid, but appears to do what it says on the tin.
Yes, that's about the same as this ZyXEL. Until it gets powered off for more than about five minutes - at which point, it loses all the settings. And it's a PITA to set up.
Yes it much depends on whether its got to be seemless or is allowed to lose one and find another on a different channel group as one moves about the areas.
I suppose one could just put a suitably long lead of good coax on the aerial socket of the router and stuff the aerial higher up. Of course if its one of thaose grotty hub things with no sockets and aerials inside the router, then you are sunk on that one. Brian
Yes - that's what I found too if trying to do it using the WPS button on it and the WPS one on my BT router.
Plug it into your computer after switching off the computer Wi-Fi connection to your LAN. Your PC should then find it. Then follow the instructions. It then worked here as a Wi-Fi extender. But I wanted to situate mine on the edge of my existing Wi-Fi signal, so preferred to use the cable input.
I'm guessing you mean a LAN with no existing WiFi enabled router.
No reason. That's just how you should set it up. Give it its own SSD and channel. You can use the same passphrase if you like (if it's a longish but memorable one, it'll make it easier to connect your WiFi enabled devices to it).
You could try using the same SSID and passphrase but this seems to me to be a recipe for confusion even without sharing the same channel. Sharing the same channel will exacerbate co-channel interference between them in locations of signal overlap.
I'm using a cheap, throw away, LinkSys WRT45GW (the crappy one that you can't install the ddrt firmware to) as an AP. It's just a case of setting it up to use a unique IP address in the same range as your existing LAN, plugging one of it's lan ports into your existing router or ethernet switch, disabling its own DHCP service[1] and configuring the WiFi to suit your requirements (the wan port is left unused in this case).
Ignoring the wan port on a WiFi router being used to provide an additional WiFi AP works because the WiFi AP part of the router is effectively just hanging off of one of the six lan ports of the ethernet switch integrated into your 4 port router.
You only see the 4 exposed lan ports, the other two are internally connected to the router itself and the integrated AP. The internal connections won't necessarily be wired as ethernet connections, more likely as a pair of simple single serial data line PCB tracks between the chips or perhaps even within a single router/ethernet switch chip (the WiFi AP will most likely be a seperate chip, or at least the transciever bit handling the wireless signals will be).
The point is, topologically, a WiFi capable 4 port router is indistinguishable from a single port router hanging off of a 6 port ethernet switch with a seperate WiFi AP hanging off one of the other ports of the switch. The only integration as such is down to the webmin interface in the router that also allows you to program the WiFi module as well as itself.
AFAIK, pretty well all wifi routers can be used as simple WiFi APs which can save you money if you already have a spare or retired WiFi router to hand.
[1] You'll need to directly connect a PC or laptop to one of its lan ports in order to log onto its webmin page (normally the same as the gateway address) in order to configure the wifi and change its IP address and then disable its DHCP service before connecting it to your LAN. If it all goes t*ts up and you end up with a "Catch 22"(c) situation, it's a simple enough task to reset it back to its factory default configuration and try again.
It's been that long since I set the Linksys up as an AP, I can't recall its IP address in order to access its webmin pages. Still, I'm sure I could discover the IP address if I really put my mind to it. :-)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.