Wireless Question

Post #330,514 by jbrabeck 7/29/10 11:03:30 PM Reply	Wireless Question Guess I need to set up a wireless system for my wife. She has a laptop, and a WII. What do I need to attach to my network for her to play with her toys on the internet? What brand in best for the cost? TIA, Joe
Post #330,515 by static 7/30/10 12:45:48 AM Reply	You want an Access Point. IME, though, they are harder to find and more expensive than Wireless Routers, which -- bizarrely -- are an Access Point, small switch and sometimes an ADSL modem all in one box. However, you don't have to use all the pieces. You will also get conflicting opinions of various brands. The mainstream consumer brands are: Belkin, LinkSys, DLink, NetGear. (Personally, if you expect support from the manufacturer (e.g. firmware upgrades), steer clear of Netgear and DLink.) Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.
Post #330,516 by Andrew Grygus 7/30/10 2:31:02 AM Reply	Especially Netgear. Most of the equipment I see in the field that almost works but not well enough to actually use is Netgear - as well as most of the stuff that's just plain dead.
Post #330,517 by static 7/30/10 7:46:49 AM Reply	That's two down votes. :-) For a Wireless Router, I think NetGear would not be a "must avoid". It's a product with too high a visibility for firmware botches. For a somewhat rare device, like an Access Point, yeh - avoid NetGear. For something much rarer, like a print server, run the other way. Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.
Post #330,554 by scoenye 7/30/10 10:45:06 PM Reply	Add Linksys to that We have a bunch of WAP200 access points, various models of 54g type routers and some 8 port PoE switches. The access points run for about 3 days and then go downhill (SNMP fails first, then the web server goes, and finally latency goes through the roof.) Some 54g routers exhibit strong signal quality fluctuations. Switching to dd-wrt firmware caps the swings but does not eliminate them. And the PoE switches can only be configured with IE...
Post #330,557 by drook 7/31/10 1:51:53 AM Reply	My Linksys wireless router needs to be restarted frequently I don't mean several times a day, but probably once a week or more. That doesn't sound too bad, except for a piece of gear that most people would like to mount in an out-of-the-way place in the center of the house. -- Drew
Post #330,561 by static 7/31/10 8:28:39 AM Reply	I'm gonna buck the trend. :-) My NetGear wireless router functions just fine. I think I've had to reboot it twice and I'm not sure it was even at fault. And my LinkSys ADSL modem is also just fine. It also ran flawlessly in the lesser-used bridge mode for ages before I changed my PPPoE setup away from a dedicated PC to the LinkSys. Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.
Post #330,572 by beepster 7/31/10 1:11:43 PM Reply	same with my belkin I had the wireless set up with that for probably 4 years. I can't remember cycling it more than a handful of times...and only when rebooting the offending computer didn't work...when the next step was to cycle the network. (modem, switch, access point). I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #330,518 by Bman 7/30/10 8:30:48 AM Reply	OK , I know I will hear about this 1. Stay away from Netgear it's crap and again I know I'm a fan boy but for the last 2 years I have had an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station and it works great but it's not cheep $179.00 http://store.apple.c...g&mco=MTMzNzU2NDk installing updates and firmware is EZ will work on MAC and PC it is 802.11N will work with B/G/N "Pictures are better then words because some words are big and hard to understand" Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
Post #330,520 by mvitale 7/30/10 8:45:19 AM Reply	On that point..... I have an Apple Airport Extreme as well. It's how you're able to view these fora, as the server is hooked up to it, so obviously it works. But there's a caveat: if you dabble in Ubuntu, the last time I checked, Ubuntu devices were unable to connect to Airport Extremes wirelessly. Granted, I haven't spent a ton of time looking into this since I don't have an Ubuntu system that I use for anything other than gaming (as in D&D, the other reason for these fora), so it's not like I need internet access when we're rolling dice. It's possible that it's been fixed, and it's possible that I did something wrong. You've been warned. ;-) -Mike "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
Post #330,537 by lincoln 7/30/10 4:19:05 PM Reply	Re: OK , I know I will hear about this With the problems I've been having keeping my daughter's MacBook connected to our Internet connection, I'd shy away from a Linksys by Cisco router. "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Post #330,523 by beepster 7/30/10 9:12:46 AM Reply	I used a belkin access point for years. no issue. Ran the wire through the floor so the wireless would be central in the house (my net in NJ was in the basement corner...wouldn't reach opposite corner). It worked fine. (probably still does...I have it packed away here somewhere) They make one for 40 bucks. http://www.google.co...&ved=0CEoQ8wIwAg# I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #330,549 by crazy 7/30/10 7:26:02 PM Reply	Got my belkin as well Next to my foot rest. This thread prompted me to check the firmware date. 2007. Times out with a "Cannot connect to the firmware server, check your WAN setup" Damn I was about to say such nice things.
Post #330,895 by crazy 8/6/10 11:01:52 AM Reply	Firmware update completed And 2 of the physical ports stopped working. WTF? The boy went out, bought another Belkin Basic N150. Cheap. Works. Done.
Post #330,581 by scoenye 7/31/10 9:50:25 PM Reply	Works good, but one nasty "feature" Model F5D7230-4 v.6000 returns itself as the top DNS server in its DHCP responses. Unfortunately, it doesn't do a very good job at that. For some reason it delays up to 30s before returning the answer. I've nailed the desktop to Comcast's resolvers, but it is a PITA for more mobile equipment.
Post #330,586 by static 8/1/10 7:58:30 AM Reply	Just run a separate DHCP server. I haven't found a router you couldn't turn the DHCP server off. Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.
Post #330,558 by Bman 7/31/10 4:22:06 AM Reply	I have not have to restart my.. Apple AirPort Extreme only 1 time when I did a firmware up date "Pictures are better then words because some words are big and hard to understand" Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
Post #330,826 by jbrabeck 8/5/10 6:09:08 AM Reply	Thanks all Just picked up a used AirPort Extreme. Plugged it in, and my wife's laptop connected to it. Now to see if her WII will find it. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.
Post #330,829 by folkert 8/5/10 8:47:03 AM Reply	You won't be UNHAPPY. I had quite a few. Finally spent the $179 for a new one. Never regretted the decision. Linux, Windows, OSX, Wii, XBOX360 wireless, PS3, iPad, iPod touch, anything wifi enabled... works. Except an OLD 802.11A card I have. I have two networks... guest and trusted. They both have a password phrase. Have fun never needing to futz with it once you get it up and running.

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