LINKSYS G BRIDGE

[curtiscrowell]

I want to link two wired networks that are physically apart. One as a router with a DSL modem on the WAN side. I used 2 WET54G bridges to bridge the two, and it works.....sometimes. Linksys says the two bridges, set to Ad Hoc mode to talk to each other, aren't really intended to do that, and that I should replace one of the bridges with an Access Point. They can't specifically tell me why, however, and I'm not sure what I should do. Especially since it works fine, when it does work. What happens is that the wireless link between the bridges fails, for some reason, and I do some very trivial things (scan for networks), essentially change no settings... to re-establish the link.

 

[FiL]

i thought to link two normal networks over wireless you needed 2 bridges....so i'm confused that they say you need an access point.

perhaps your signal strength is low, or the bridges might only like bridging one device at a time to your WAN side...

i don't really know, let me know if you change anything.

sooner or later i have to bridge an xbox and PC to a DSL router through G....i want to buy the correct equipment.

 

[curtiscrowell]

I still don't have an answer, but am swapping out the two WET54g bridges in favor of two dlink ap's, one config. as an access point, the other as a bridge. My WET54G vendor says that the newer units have firmware that would do what I wanted, but I haven't heard that from Linksys, so I'm sending the units back.

Here's the skinny: Linksys and a few other bridge marketers stipulate that the bridge cannot "act as an access point". I don't know why, perhaps it's a protocol issue. Even though I was able to use the bridge link into the LAN side of the router, and to use it to access the WAN (internet access) from the remote PC at the other end of the two bridges, the bridges frequently lost contact with one another, for reasons that escape me. Linksys' technical people were not of much use, but they kept saying that I needed an AP. I do believe (call it "faith") that somehow the AP will do a better job of maintaining the radio dialog (link) and at the same time a better job of allow the link to be invisible, so I can share resources across it as i would expect to do normally.
/regards

 

[FiL]

i'd like to know how the new AP/Bridge config works out.

I'm likely to follow what you find works.

I have a ADSL modem/router and PC at one end, with a few LAN ports spare, so at the moment it looks like I should put a AP there.

In the other room i have a Xbox and second PC plugged into a switch. I should put the bridge there?

The bridge will have to accept multiple machine's using it. I often use the xbox online and PC at the same time.

When i take the plunge and buy some devices I'll post how it goes here

take care

 

[curtiscrowell]

Swapped out 2 linksys bridges (802.11G WET54G) in favor of a pair of DLink DWL2000AP's, one configured as an AP, the other as a Wireless Client, and they set up communication directly, w/o being "told" to do so manually. The problem with the bridge pair was that Linksys kept telling me it would not work, one side had to be an AP. Vendor said that Linksys had upgraded the firmware, but I did not hear of this from linksys, and the Dlink units were cheaper. I believe the AP functionality includes some maintenance of the communication link that the bridge units do not accomplish. Another option for the remote DWL unit is to configure it as a "Wireless Bridge" - I think this would work connected to a remote switch, but I have not explored that and have requested clarification from Dlink.

 

[huj0727]

Does anyone know who is the maker of Linksys WMA11B Wireless-B Media ?

 

[curtiscrowell]

Just a followup - I have been using the DWL 2000 AP's first setting the router end unit as an AP, and the remote as a wireless client. Worked fine, but since I don't intend to have any other wireless clients I reconfigured both units to Wireless bridge mode, giving each the MAC address of the other unit. seems to work just as well, and should present less of a security issue.