[SOLVED] Use Covr-2202 to create wired network in study ?

[jmwest1987]

I have a Zen supplied Fritz!Box 750 which supplies my main WiFi in my study as sadly there isn’t an Ethernet port. From my previous setup I have a pair of D-LINK COVR-2202 boxes (A & B).

Can/how would I use a COVR-2202 box (B presumably?) to connect to my WiFi and hence provide a wired connection into my office switch (to access NAS, PC, etc)?

 

[Ralston18]

Just for the record/reference:

This (these) COVR-2202 boxes?

http://files.dlink.com.au/products/COVR-2202/REV_A/Manuals/COVR-2202_A1_Manual_v1.02(WW).pdf

[Verify that I found the applicable User Manual.]

And your plan is to plug in an Ethernet switch into the COVR-2202 placed in your office with other Ethernet devices plugged into the switch.

Correct?

 

[bill001g]

You are never going to have a "wired" system if you have a wifi connection in the path. This really isn't any different than hook a USB wifi nic to your PC but you are using ethernet instead. It is still a wifi signal between the room and the router.

For a NAS this likely is the only way you are going to get a wifi connection. Just be aware of the wifi in the path to the router.

I am too lazy to read the manual for you so you will have to check on the details .

The function you need to make this work is called WDS. Not all devices support this and some you must activate it. So check your Fritz box to see. The d-link boxes likely support it. If this was a simple repeater I would say it will work BUT when you have mesh stuff involved that may not be true. Some manufactures have rigged their equipment to only talk to their own equipment. Mesh systems tend to not be compatible between vendors. They all have their own implementations. Not sure if this is to force you to buy their equipment or something else.

What you need to check for is that the tplink units you have will function as a simple repeater using WDS to the main router. If it has a setting for client-bridge that is even better. It will then not actually retransmit the signal into the wifi and just connect via the ethernet ports.

 

[jmwest1987]

Just for the record/reference:

This (these) COVR-2202 boxes?

http://files.dlink.com.au/products/COVR-2202/REV_A/Manuals/COVR-2202_A1_Manual_v1.02(WW).pdf

[Verify that I found the applicable User Manual.]

And your plan is to plug in an Ethernet switch into the COVR-2202 placed in your office with other Ethernet devices plugged into the switch.

Correct?

Yes exactly right!

 

[jmwest1987]

You are never going to have a "wired" system if you have a wifi connection in the path. This really isn't any different than hook a USB wifi nic to your PC but you are using ethernet instead. It is still a wifi signal between the room and the router.

For a NAS this likely is the only way you are going to get a wifi connection. Just be aware of the wifi in the path to the router.

I am too lazy to read the manual for you so you will have to check on the details .

The function you need to make this work is called WDS. Not all devices support this and some you must activate it. So check your Fritz box to see. The d-link boxes likely support it. If this was a simple repeater I would say it will work BUT when you have mesh stuff involved that may not be true. Some manufactures have rigged their equipment to only talk to their own equipment. Mesh systems tend to not be compatible between vendors. They all have their own implementations. Not sure if this is to force you to buy their equipment or something else.

What you need to check for is that the tplink units you have will function as a simple repeater using WDS to the main router. If it has a setting for client-bridge that is even better. It will then not actually retransmit the signal into the wifi and just connect via the ethernet ports.

Thank you. I understand about the WiFi limitations in the network. The primary high speed NAS access would be study only. I had a Mesh setup in previous home, so a possibility is to disable WiFi on the Fritz and use the COVRs for WiFi only. I think that’s called bridge mode or something? Anyway reading the manual supplied in link by prior poster there does not seem to be any mention of WDS or Client Bridge.

 

[bill001g]

Maybe. The way it will work for sure is to just pretend the fritz box is a modem and use your dlink boxes. You will have double nat which generally is only a issue for game consoles and people hosting servers. If you can get the fritz box into bridge mode then it would be just a modem.

Now maybe? you can run the first unit as a AP and connect it to the fritz box and only have 1 router in the path. No way to say if the mesh stuff works when it runs in this mode.

 

[bill001g]

Have you considered using powerline networks or MoCA instead.

 

[jmwest1987]

Have you considered using powerline networks or MoCA instead.

Thanks. I’m still unpacking so may not get to give this stuff a try for a few days.

I have considered power line - I have some old 200 Mbps stuff (which will be fast enough for now as I am on 100M FTTP). Maybe the easiest solution if the Fritz gives good enough WiFi through the house.

I don’t have coax to the study so MoCA is out.

 

[SamirD]

I have considered power line - I have some old 200 Mbps stuff (which will be fast enough for now as I am on 100M FTTP).

I actually wouldn't bother with the powerlines if they're this old as they won't get anywhere near 100Mbs. Even the very newest 2000 standard can in best scenarios only 300Mbs, which will be more than enough for your setup.

What I would do is get a pair of 1200 powerlines (should be <$100) and then connect them to the fritzbox so you have a 'wired' connection to the study and then connect the COVR-2202 to the study and fritzbox via ethernet if the COVR-2202 support a wired backhaul. Then you get the best of all worlds.

 

[jmwest1987]

I actually wouldn't bother with the powerlines if they're this old as they won't get anywhere near 100Mbs. Even the very newest 2000 standard can in best scenarios only 300Mbs, which will be more than enough for your setup.

What I would do is get a pair of 1200 powerlines (should be <$100) and then connect them to the fritzbox so you have a 'wired' connection to the study and then connect the COVR-2202 to the study and fritzbox via ethernet if the COVR-2202 support a wired backhaul. Then you get the best of all worlds.

Thanks for the advice. So something like TL-PA8010P will be simpler to setup. And presumably it could give better performance than a WiFi mesh or extension? And if I do need WiFi extended I can plug that into the wired network upstairs.

 

[bill001g]

My guess is you can. Almost all mesh things have the ability to run as a AP. Worst case you can use the unit you used to use as the router as the AP even if it does not have AP mode. But I have yet to see a mesh system that the remote devices can only be connected via wifi to the main unit.

 

[jmwest1987]

OK - so just to get things working I plugged in the AV200 stuff. Near the router on WiFi I'm getting download speeds of 95Mbps - via the powerline I'm getting 43Mbps. (Upload speeds are similar on both connections, around 20Mbps). This is with 100Mbps FTTP.

I think the straightforward thing to do (in the absence of running a Cat 6 cable and messing up the plasterwork and decor! - which I may consider down the line!) would be to get an AV1000/1200/1300 powerline kit.

 

[SamirD]

Thanks for the advice. So something like TL-PA8010P will be simpler to setup. And presumably it could give better performance than a WiFi mesh or extension? And if I do need WiFi extended I can plug that into the wired network upstairs.

Yep, these are literally plug and play and generally should be better than wifi since the latency will be much less and the bandwidth should be the same. And you can plug in anything that you normally plug into your network into them.

 

[SamirD]

OK - so just to get things working I plugged in the AV200 stuff. Near the router on WiFi I'm getting download speeds of 95Mbps - via the powerline I'm getting 43Mbps. (Upload speeds are similar on both connections, around 20Mbps). This is with 100Mbps FTTP.

I think the straightforward thing to do (in the absence of running a Cat 6 cable and messing up the plasterwork and decor! - which I may consider down the line!) would be to get an AV1000/1200/1300 powerline kit.

Great idea to run the test and you've got some nice results with those units. My av500 units hit 40-something, but the newer powerline 1200s I have will hit 165Mb. I have a set of av2000 I have to try as I expect them to hit at least 200Mbs.

In your setup, I think the TP-Link set you've mentioned would be perfect and in a short time will make you completely forget about running a cable.