Wireless Repeater

YES...I know there are a lot of threads out there on this subject but i felt to gather more attention, i would create my own

Anyways, I was thinking of buying a repeater (extender) for my WRT300N, preferably having wireless N, so that I can achieve a stronger connection to my PS3/Xbox, situated in my gaming room.


I have this model, the WRT300N from back in the day when wireless N was hitting the markets.

I have the custom DD-WRT firmware on it, I love the customization options it has, but I'm not too much of a network guru to change settings enough to get the best out of my router (the only thing I changed when I upgraded it was the TX Power from 71 to 75 (lol).

I know this firmware has the option for using a router as a repeater, so I now ask...what is the best option I can pick to link a wireless (preferably wireless N) router as a repeater to my original WRT300N? Or the other way around, link a new wireless router to my modem, and use my WRT300N as a repeater? Which option would be more advisable?

And for reference, the modem/WRT300N router is located in my room, upstairs on the opposite side of my house from the game room. The distance from the router to my gaming room (both are on the same level, except the gaming room is a seperate room above the garage) is around...ummm...i would like to guess 100-200Ft. Sorry I don't know how far it is exactly .

PS. Additional information:

• My PS3 receives a 40-55% signal from the WRT300N router, though the download speed is slow as hell sometimes, but other times is ~100-200KBps.
• My 360 is connected via my laptop (has an Intel 5100 Wireless Adapter), using a MAC bridge of the WLAN and the LAN port. The signal is essentially the same as the laptop (it gets around 3 bars of strength, download speed is horrible though, browsing sites is fine). Playing matches of Halo are fine but downloading things on XBL is slow as a freaking snail. Main reason to want a repeater is to increase my 360 internet speed and the reason below...
• My parents use a D-Link wireless adapter and it really sucks. I would be hoping that if I do buy a repeater, that it would be located midway between my WRT300N and my gaming room (so it can pick up a signal while it's still strong and resend the signal out). This would mean it would be located downstairs...on an empty AC power socket in the kitchen/dining room/formal living room, near my parents room.

TL;DR - Please suggest me a wireless router to be used as a repeater that will get me a good signal to my 360/PS3 located 100-200Ft away from my WRT300N router. Also needs to be able to catch and repeat the signal effectively so that my parents can get a good signal out of their D-Link wireless adapter.

 

here are a few routers i was looking at...
D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router
Linksys WRT160N Refurbished Wireless-N Router (how good are refurbished routers? this one looks alright...)
Linksys by Cisco WRT310N Refurbished Wireless-N Router (what is mentioned above concerning refurb units...)

i would like to spend less than 60bucks, but if the 655 offers a lot, then i can justify the 90 dollars.

also, does anyone know how the ranges of the following routers would compare to my WRT300N? significant improvement?

 

There will always be something new and better coming out, that's the way technology goes these days. Just have a look at your system (unless it is absolutely brand new) but I bet in some areas there are better parts available now.

When will you ever need that much range on wireless and speed?? Home net connections are not faster than 24mbit at the min and do you live in buckingham palace?!?

The WRT54G/S is a perfectly good router for home use. Easy to configure and manage and if you want to dable a bit further, you can flash the firmware and install new software.

 

i mainly wanted wireless N cuz it offers a much larger range compared to 802.11abg. the WRT54G/S might be convenient but i found it @ 59bucks...so why not get a better one for a better price?

i only have a 20mbps connection, so i know i wont be benefitting from wireless N speeds (unless i stream media across a server, which i usually dont). but my question is rather, which router should i pick? are the refurbished ones any good? they got some pretty good ratings, but im not sure about their reliability. $30 refurb unit vs $60 new unit for WRT160N or $44 refurb vs. $130 new unit for the WRT310?

 

bump? any help in deciding which router?

 

665 will be an improvement to your WRT300N. It offers a lot more features too but with a bigger price tag

A WRT160N should cut it though. If you do go for the WRT160N make sure you get a v3 model. A refurbished one might be a v2 (ralink chipset instead of Broadcom)

Theres also hawkings extenders for about $80-$90

 

i dont really want an improvement, rather so a router that will be able to pick up my WRT300N's signal midway and rebroadcast it effectively to increase my signal strength for my ps3/360 (laptop)/d-link wireless adapter. im fine if the router is the same effectiveness (hell, im pretty sure any router post-2008 will be better than my 2006 wireless-N WRT300N) as my current one though.

i think i might try the WRT160N-RM, hopefully the refurbished unit isn't bad or anything. it's a mixed bag whether i get the V3 version (which supports DD-WRT) or the V2 (no support)...the amazon reviews indicate it's kind of random in which one you'll receive

 

Ive recently got a WRT160N v3 w/ DD-WRT v24, it will definitely repeat another 100 feet and through a couple of walls.

What sort of quality do you get with your notebook if you place it in the middle? (where your going to place the repeater). The repeater will need to have decent reception from your WRT300N too

 

yea well the WRT610 is a little out of my budget $166, ouch! EDIT: LOL i thought you wrote 610 instead of what you actually wrote...160N, sorry haha. so did you buy the RM unit or the actual $60 version?

for my notebook, i dont really know which to trust...in my game room, DD-WRT reports 16% signal though i have 4 bars in windows...and my ps3 reports 8% (though in the PS3 menu it reports 52%).

im thinking at this point that i might want to buy the WRT160N-RM, use it as my primary router and use the WRT300N as a repeater...since hopefully the WRT160N can have a farther range signal so i can place the WRT300N closer to my game room.

what's your suggestion? im getting REALLY annoyed, my ps3 wont download anything and i cant even connect to a KZ2 game. i need a repeater ASAP!

also...is this weird? Updated Jun-2009, my router is the second best available?

offtopic/ what do you reccomend i set my TX power to? it defaults to 71 milliwatts but i have it @ 80. is there any sort of consequences to setting it higher besides overheating? and...what should my CPU frequency be set at? it's currently 300MHz, but it can go to 330MHz...suggestions?

 

I got the $60 one.

Keep in mind that your bandwidth is cut in half using wireless repeater mode but exchange you get extended range.

I think that roundup article is old and was just updated for corrections.

80mw is good. Any higher than 84 and you should start getting increased error rates. At some point the signal will start to get distorted. Theres usually a 'sweet spot' setting. It alone wont cause your router to overheat.

Im not sure about the overclockability of WRT300N, you will need to google and see what is stable and safe for the chipset.

 

wait...so having a repeater cuts the bandwidth in exactly half?? o.o...i didnt know that. i might have second opinions now. so i'll be getting 10Mbps (i pay comcast for a 20Mbps connection) via wifi (and that's in a "perfect" condition")?

 

Not your internet link bandwidth but your routers wireless bandwidth. Each packet needs to re-transmitted so it uses up bandwidth thats normally available to wireless clients.

If your using connected at wireless N rates you should still get the full 20mbps internet.

 

Ahh ok, you got me a little worried there

well i've contacted an amazon.com reseller and they said they cannot the revision version. it's a mixed bag, kind of like russian roulette. you won't know which version you will get

i can try my chances, to either getting a v.1/1.1/3 and if it isn't the version i want, i could possibly return it

 

NEW INFO: alright, i just got the greenlight from my parents to buy any router i want, <100bucks. so...as opposed to what i said before, what router will be the best to use as a replacement for my WRT300N? im thinking to get the DIR 655, and if that doesn't give me a strong signal, i can then use the WRT300N as a repeater (if it gives a strong signal, i wont need to use this router anymore). either way, tell me a good replacement router. there are SOOO MANY options.

a couple of picks (thanks a lot FlipFire for your help )

• DIR 655
• D-Link Xtreme　Dual-Band (is this router any better than the 655?)
• Draft Xtreme N Gaming Router (same comment as above...any significant difference?)
• WRT320N Dual-Band

 

look at the asus rt n16

 

ehh that router doesn't look too promising. i can consider it though if anyone else vouches for it, but for 100bucks, i might as well get the new WRT320N or DIR 655.

also... didn't receive many good reviews especially for my case, LONG DISTANCE!

hmm...the DIR-655 doesn't have DD-WRT support i really wanted that.

 

looks like im down to the WRT320N or the WRT400N...any suggestions on these two routers (im not going with the D-LINK since their UBICOM arch. doesn't support open source firmware )?

any enlightenment on single band operation vs. dual band simultaneous operation (320 vs 400)?

 

bumpty bump!

 

Oh, Oh, Oh, Suggestion! Screw a repeater, scrape up another 30 bucks and pick up a Belkin Powerline HD kit. I have one and have my network setup like this:

WRT350N -> Powerline HD -> WRT600N

Both routers are broadcasting the same wifi network. And the clients transparently move from one router to the other, and all the wired clients connected to either router are connected to everyone else via gigabit ethernet.

 

o boy do i feel like a dummy. it was all because i set my TX power on my WRT300N to 80mWh...which caused all the problems. so when i bumped it down to default of 71, everything started working fine. my PS3 connection test shows 8.18Mbps down/3.46Mbps up...demos download @ 1MBps, which is pretty good imo.

so i guess i wont need a new router for now, everything is working the way i want it to

but Patrick, i'll definitely be bookmarking that Powerline HD device, so it's basically like a wired router that extends through electrical powerlines in my house? as in, i have my modem + router in one room on one side on my house, and i plug 1 of the units into a wall socket in that same room. then plug the secondary unit in my game room, and it will deliver a 200Mbps connection (faster than my wireless N [130Mbps]!)? it's that simple? i see that you can add a wireless router to it, but couldn't you also just directly plug an xbox 360's ethernet cord into it?

sorry if im asking stupid questions, i really have no clue about anything when it comes to networking

edit: o.o these things are expensive! cheapest i can find are 120USD, but im really digging the Linksys one!

 

Its basically a really really really long Ethernet cord. Except it uses the power lines in your house instead of an actual ethernet cord.

 

Your Tx power must have been too high and was just distorting the signal.

Your need good electrical wiring and layout in your home for powerline though.

 

that thing is awesome...ive never heard of such a thing in my life! you learn something everyday i guess a little expensive but i think it's definitely worth it. if i experience anymore troubles, screw getting a new router (WRT300N is still decent enough for me), i'll be getting a pair of those Linksys PLK300!

and yea, i figured bumping it up marginally from 71-->80 wouldn't cause any problems. apparently it does but im fine now, my laptop gets 4 bars signal and my ps3 gets a good enough connection for online gaming. i also upgraded to the latest stable build by EVO, entitled "NEWD-12548-mini generic", which is apparently the best out there atm.

this thread helped me a lot, Peacock FTW!

 

alright i think im going to buy a DIR-655 Extreme router but i need some good advice. how much further will the range be compared to my current WRT-300N? i dont want to spend 95 bucks to suddenly find it doesn't give me any improvement...any opinions?

im also gonna set it up with my old WRT300N, where the linksys will be the repeater for my parents room and hopefully the DIR-655 will reach my game room w/ the ps3/360.

 

well...i ordered it from amazon, 2 day shipping as well cuz im curious as to how good it's gonna be

i really really hope it's better than my WRT300N, by a significant margin. and i hope setting up a repeater (WRT300N w/ DD-WRT v24 firmware) with the stock DIR-655 firmware is gonna be a breaze.

this router will get extra points if it can share my usb Dell 922 printer :\

 

Powerline ownz all wireless.

 

lol, well i just got a router cuz i also need to increase my parents reception, not just mine

 

DIR-665 is the first router to use 3x3 MIMO (3 antennas in & out), so it should be much better than the WRT300N

 

that's what i really hope for :\ otherwise i should've spent 20bucks more to get a powerline AV ethernet kit

 

hmm...i was just wondering. so my DIR-655 arrived today, and im gonna set up the WRT300N as a repeater. can i put this repeater in my game room (where it should be able to strongly catch the signal?) and then keep it there...use two of the LAN ports and wire my 360 and PS3 to it (so they would be on a wired connection that is actually "wireless")? if so...that is awesome! then i wont need to buy the $80 wireless N adapter for the 360!

 

Yes, thats called a wireless bridge.



Is that what you had in mind?

 

yes! wow...so y dont i ever hear about this? people talk about getting a $80 adapter SOLELY for their xbox, when they can just get a new router, and use their old one as a repeater? cuz that will also increase wireless range while adding a bunch of LAN ports to things that don't have wireless adapters...

edit: hmm, my wireless speed is only being reported as 54Mbps in my connection status in the toolbar, and the status in the D-Link setup page (192.168.0.1 = D-Link, 192.168.1.1 = Linksys)...?

 

Hows the signal quality?

-Assign the Linksys to 192.168.0.2
-Disable DHCP
-Disable SPI firewall (xbox sometimes have issues with this)
-Set the wireless mode to 'Client Bridge'

 

the laptop is right next to the router, and it's showing 100% signal with 54Mbps connection. also, do i need to port forward for utorrent? ive got a heavily seeded torrent but it's going slow as crap. im not really sure what this whole QoS and WISH service is, so i will need to read about those two things later on.

for now, im trying to figure how to get the full Wireless N speed...

 

ok...i feel like a complete noob. so my D-Link is connected to my modem. now i have my WRT300N standing in front of me. i connected ONLY the power to it, and a ethernet cable between PORT 1 and my computer's ethernet jack. i tried to acess 192.168.1.1 but it says "URL cannot be loaded". am i missing someth.? thanks, sorry for my networking noobiness

 

Go to the device manager and check the wireless card has N mode enabled.

Yes, Forwarding will make it faster if the ports are blocked. Visit portforward.com or enable uPnP (less secure)

do a hard reset first, wait 1 minute and try again.

Also set a static IP on the computer your using to access it

 

alright this is weird, i set the channel to AUTO instead of 20MHz only in the 5100 adapter settings and now it shows a 135Mbps connection. that's good news. anyways, repeater help?

edit: just read above, alright...i'll set a static IP again (i had to do that with DD-WRT to allow me to port forward for uTorrent).

 

weird, so i dont see any settings for 40Mhz band to get the 270Mbps bandwidth...ehh whatever (on my 5100 wireless adapter).

so i set a static IP, with the DNS settings from my D-link setup page. the repeater (WRT300N) is supposed to be connected to MY computer's ethernet port rite? or does it connect to a port on the new DIR-655 router?

edit: still doesn't work after holding reset button down for 1 minute seconds...

 

No need to connect it to the DIR-665 yet. You need to set up the linksys first using a computer via ethernet.

Do this:
-Assign the Linksys to 192.168.0.2
-Disable DHCP
-Disable SPI firewall (xbox sometimes have issues with this)
-Set the wireless mode to 'Client Bridge'
-Match wireless settings to D-Link

then do a site survey in the Linksys settings page and connect to the D-link SSID/MAC

 

ahh...so i do this all with my WRT300N first. right now my DIR-655 is connected...do'h!

btw, i have DD-WRT on the WRT300N...so im following this guide rite now. im not sure what this site survey thing you mentioned is, does that appear with DD-WRT firmware as well?

 

Yes theres a Site survey button, its in status or somewhere in the last tabs in DD-WRT

found a guide here

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3639271

might be easier

 

well i think ive managed to do it...ive made a new virtual interface called "Abrols (Repeater)" and it shows in the connection bar. now to test it out...

 

nvm, when i try to connect it says it's connected but with no internet access

whenever i try to click on site survey, it leads me to the config page where you setup the repeater. and then when i go back to status, nothing is listed even though it says it's been accepted (my original network named "Abrols").

well i dont think anything is working, what i described in the sentence above keeps happening.

some quick notes though...

• able to connect perfectly to my D-Link DIR-655's "Abrols" SSID
• not able to connect to my "Abrols (Repeater)" SSID that is being broadcasted from my WRT300N
• ***I never setup a static IP with my WRT300N when configuring it***
• i dont know anything about this "Disable DHC" thing
• i disabled the firewall on the WRT300N in DD-WRT firmware
• ive been using a mix of this guide + this guide + you

edit: just disabled DHCP from the main setup, now what do i have to do in regards to the static IP?

 

That first guide is for wireless repeater , which is different from a bridge. You should be following this one

Okay do a hard reset again and start fresh

1) Main Setup Page
-Set the local IP to 192.168.0.2 ; Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
-Disable DHCP server
-Apply/Save (reboot if it didnt)

2) Wireless Tab
-Set wireless mode to Client Bridge
-Enter in same wireless settings/security settings from the D-link router
-Apply/Save

Now do a Site Survey and join the D-Link

 

wait so im not doing a repeater setup? i thought i was, but alrite i will try this so called client bridge setup.

rite now im kinda confused, i have 3 different guides and they all say different things. the repeater guide i was using didnt mention anything about site survey, and i thought my final aim was to use this as a "repeater". the client bridge is something completely different (or is it the same as a "repeater"?) and the final guide here, shows something similar to my first guide link but it talks about site survey.

also to your above instructions, should i also disable my WRT300N's firewall? i notice that step in ALL guides ive read.

 

hmm...so now i have a router but it broadcasts the same SSID? there is no virtual interface to make another one named "[Original SSID] (Repeater)"?

whatever, lemme try and see how this works now...EDIT: the client bridge works now but again, any info on the SSID repeater with a different SSID?

 

No, originally you were doing a repeater setup but then you wanted to use the 2nd router like a wifi adapter to your xbox (through ethernet).

Wireless Repeater and bridge are totally different:
-Repeater just relays/retransmits the radio signal to extend range

-Bridge is basically 2 routers connected directly, just wirelessly. This does not relay the radio signals to extend the range . Think of it as your Linksys wireless connected to the D-Links ethernet port.

Theres also a wireless repeater bridge, which can do both. Not sure if your model supports this though. It only came out on DD-WRT v24 which i never had the chance to try. If it does then you should try it so you get good coverage all around the house.

Good to hear its working though, whats the quality like?

Disable SPI firewall if you like, might give you less problems later on.

 

o ok, well yea i guess i wanted both of the things in one. whatever, i just checked my xbox 360 and... it works!

well it connects to xbox live but i wanted to check the speed and it wasn't so good. L4D2 was stuck on 1% for at least 5 mins, but my PS3 was able to download the Army of Two demo @ >1MB/s. both demos were around the same size as well, just that the 360 was connected through my WRT300N while my PS3 is connected wirelessly to my "Abrols" SSID.

hopefully i can launch a game of halo this weekend and see how it goes. if that is stable, then i wont have anything to worry about EWW @ 24% connection to my "Abrols" SSID...

 

ok so now the next step in understanding my new router, WISH and QoS? what exactly is each one? i heard QoS is good for gaming...but i havent really had problems with gaming unless there was a range problem (for my PS3). no idea what WISH is...

 

Should be as good as your PS3,

Try doing a speedtest.net on your xbox

WISH/QoS (Quality of Service) is basically traffic prioritization of apps, games, services or computers. You'd wanna prioritize programs/services that need live streaming. (eg, voIP, youtube) so they dont cut out when your family downloads and hogs all the bandwidth.

If you have a fast internet connection it shouldnt be a big deal.