Replacing the NETGEAR WN2500RP DUAL BAND WIFI ADAPTER and TP LINK DUAL BAND WIFI ADAPTER TL-WA890EA?

[Melissa2008B]

I'm a Comcast customer in the Denver area, have my own TM822G being used as a modem only, and just upgraded my own router from a RT-N66U to a WRT 1900ACS.

I don't know the differences between some of these things, but suspect I may be using the wrong adapters in the bedrooms, for years now. A few years ago when I wanted to switch to 5GHz, I bought a NETGEAR WN2500RP DUAL BAND WIFI ADAPTER for one bedroom, and a TP LINK DUAL BAND WIFI ADAPTER TL-WA890EA for the other bedroom. I didn't intend for these to be repeaters and am not sure if the repeater parts of them can even be turned off, but I've been using them purely for receiving wifi from the router in the middle of the house, and ethernet cabling it from these adapters into blu rays and the Hopper box, for using the network to get Netflix and Hulu Plus. But come to think of it, I do see smaller signals with apparently extended names like ...5G_5GEXT and even ...5G_2GEXT, which band I'm not even on - the 2.4Ghz router radio is turned OFF. So repeaters?

But assuming I really don't WANT repeaters and cant shut off the repeaters in these, I'm thinking of getting a couple of new boxes that don't have repeaters, but can still do these things for us, AND would have 802.11ac functionality as well, for example helping the WRT 1900ACS with beamforming.

So what kind of adapter boxes should I be looking for now, to replace these two with 802.11ac functionality, without being repeaters, and what exactly are such adapters CALLED? Would they just be "wireless access points" that can receive my wifi router signal and put it, via ethernet, into blu ray player and Hopper? Or what?

 

[kanewolf]

You want a wireless bridge. Just as your TM822G is in bridge mode functioning as a modem only, you want something to do the same for WIFI to ethernet.

 

[Melissa2008B]

You want a wireless bridge. Just as your TM822G is in bridge mode functioning as a modem only, you want something to do the same for WIFI to ethernet.

That's what it looks like. And it looks like the more common term, used synonymously, is wireless access point, and the best bang for the buck looks like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LFSDZCU/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I39F4KPO5VT075&colid=C0VA6DYQXVYN

Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

A wireless access point may or may not easily function as a bridge. An access point has a wired connection that it broadcasts for clients just like a wireless router. A wireless bridge, has the software to allow it to connect to a WIFI source and create the wired connection. Most APs don't have the software to function as a bridge. I don't know if the one you linked will function as a bridge. You will have to read the user's manual to verify.

I am going to unselect best answer in case someone has a specific recommendation. Threads with best answer get less traffic.

 

[Melissa2008B]

A wireless access point may or may not easily function as a bridge. An access point has a wired connection that it broadcasts for clients just like a wireless router. A wireless bridge, has the software to allow it to connect to a WIFI source and create the wired connection. Most APs don't have the software to function as a bridge. I don't know if the one you linked will function as a bridge. You will have to read the user's manual to verify.

I am going to unselect best answer in case someone has a specific recommendation. Threads with best answer get less traffic.

Ok. And I'm trying to ask Netgear directly about this, on their Facebook page.

I'm seeing a bridge also being referred to as a wireless access point in one other manufacturer's sales page, so it's confusing. And the two that I have are called "Adapters" - even more confusing.

 

[kanewolf]

Engenius make wireless bridges like this one -- https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/indoor-wireless-desktop-ap-bridge-ecb1200/
They also make smaller "outdoor" units like this -- https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/enturbo-5-ghz-outdoor-11ac-wave-2-ptp-wireless-bridge/ that could be used indoors. The outdoor unit is directional so you have to point it toward your WIFI source, but it should have a better signal than an omnidirectional unit.

 

[Melissa2008B]

As a follow-up and epilogue on this, I actually wound up getting two of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFOP688/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I16CU9A19ERSG9&colid=C0VA6DYQXVYN

D-Link Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Range Extender & Access Point (DAP-1650)

because they can be used in bridge mode. I installed them in bridge mode and they've been working flawlessly with the WRT1900ACS.

But I was still having rebuffering problems ONLY with Hulu, in my bedroom. So I called Hulu support and the tech asked me to do some tests and try to play a show, while he watched on his end. He said my wifi was fine, but asked what kind of blu-ray player I was using. I told him it was a Sony BDP-S5100. He said that they've seen lots of problems with Sony units, because of the way Hulu does buffering. He also said that he's never seen any problems with Samsung blu-ray players.

So I got a Samsung BD-J6300, which my sister was first to get for her room, and have had no problems since. It seems that the Sony was behind all the problems I was having with Hulu, all along. That's the last time I buy a Sony blu-ray. That player was only about 18 months old and had never worked right with Hulu, the whole time.