Wireless cable router wanted.. - Page 2

Mark · 23-01-2007, 14:38

WRT54GS routers are only supported by 3rd party firmware up to revision 4 (the current revision is revision 6). D-Link hardware isn't supported at all by 3rd party firmware.

The reason for looking at 3rd party firmware support is because this firmware allows you to turn up the output power and also supports client bridged and WDS modes (which will be very useful to you and which a lot of routers at the cheaper end of the market don't support). If you do not feel confident about flashing the hardware or do not want to (it voids the warranty), then this isn't an option for you anyway.

The other option you could look at is to get a pair of outdoor directional antennas and point them at each other (one on the house, one on the shed). This will allow you to get whatever router you like (providing the antennas are detachable), but the antennas themselves can be expensive as you need special cables as well as the antennas themselves. This option does not solve any problems you may have getting the routers to 'talk' to each other.

Burble · 23-01-2007, 23:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

WRT54GS routers are only supported by 3rd party firmware up to revision 4 (the current revision is revision 6).

Not entirely true - there are 3rd party firmwares for the v5 and v6 GS's but they have a relatively light feature set compared to the older hardware versions.

Huddy, look for a GL.

Dr. Z · 24-01-2007, 00:03

You are barking up the wrong tree with output power, signal boosters etc etc. Its all a crock of ****.

What you NEED is a better antenna - like this:

- which will get a 54g connection at near full data rate about 2 miles without touching the output power.

Obviously slightly excessive for the job you are doing, but some of the better purpose-built 2.4GHz units are fairly small and will have no bother over the range you are talking about - plus its LOS more or less and very very directional so you arent giving the whole world access to your LAN

Mark · 24-01-2007, 00:08

Output power *does* work to some extent, but I agree with you that for pure line of sight range you can't beat a good pair of directional antennas, and I did include that in my comments.

Admiral Huddy · 24-01-2007, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burbleflop

Not entirely true - there are 3rd party firmwares for the v5 and v6 GS's but they have a relatively light feature set compared to the older hardware versions.

Huddy, look for a GL.

Got any links Paul?

Mark · 24-01-2007, 13:25

I'm not Paul, but price order, lowest first...

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/103185
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=3YRT
http://www.ove*************.uk/showp...odid=NW-052-LS

Admiral Huddy · 24-01-2007, 15:04

ok cheers .. what's the difference between the GS and the GL then? GL is only 54Mbps and the GS is 128Mbps with range booster.. surely the later is better?

Mark · 24-01-2007, 15:08

G...

L = Linux
S = Speedbooster

Yes, Linksys actually listened to customers and when they dumped Linux from the GS range they created the new GL range.

I've never had any benefit from Speedbooster or any other similar technology.

Burble · 24-01-2007, 18:34

Speedbooster isn't worth bothering with unless ALL the devices you'll be using are also speedbooster compliant.

I'm not a fan of these 108/125/whatever mbit wireless kits, in my experience they're not as reliable and can cause problems for bog standard 802.11g cards as the speedbooster is made up of 2 x 54Mbit radios that have been arsed about with.

I'd avoid a GS unless you can get a v4 or lower. The later ones were pretty crippled with the amount of RAM they have so if you're a P2P or BitTorrent user you'll find that the GS will crumble under the pressure of the open connections and need a reboot quite often.

Mark · 24-01-2007, 20:07

Yeah, I'm the same on Speedbooster, and MIMO for that matter. The 2.4GHz spectrum is crowded enough without using multiple frequencies for some perceived (and in most cases misguided) speed benefit. Also, if you use Speedbooster, you have no choice at all over what frequencies you use, so if there's another Speedbooster-capable device in close proximity, you're probably stuffed as far as range goes before you even start.

I turned off Speedbooster on my v4 GS within about a minute of plugging it in for the first time, but I'll bet I'm in the vast minority in doing that.

23-01-2007, 14:38	#11
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	WRT54GS routers are only supported by 3rd party firmware up to revision 4 (the current revision is revision 6). D-Link hardware isn't supported at all by 3rd party firmware. The reason for looking at 3rd party firmware support is because this firmware allows you to turn up the output power and also supports client bridged and WDS modes (which will be very useful to you and which a lot of routers at the cheaper end of the market don't support). If you do not feel confident about flashing the hardware or do not want to (it voids the warranty), then this isn't an option for you anyway. The other option you could look at is to get a pair of outdoor directional antennas and point them at each other (one on the house, one on the shed). This will allow you to get whatever router you like (providing the antennas are detachable), but the antennas themselves can be expensive as you need special cables as well as the antennas themselves. This option does not solve any problems you may have getting the routers to 'talk' to each other. Last edited by Mark; 23-01-2007 at 14:41.

24-01-2007, 00:03	#13
Dr. Z I'm going for a scuttle... Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,021	You are barking up the wrong tree with output power, signal boosters etc etc. Its all a crock of ****. What you NEED is a better antenna - like this: - which will get a 54g connection at near full data rate about 2 miles without touching the output power. Obviously slightly excessive for the job you are doing, but some of the better purpose-built 2.4GHz units are fairly small and will have no bother over the range you are talking about - plus its LOS more or less and very very directional so you arent giving the whole world access to your LAN __________________

24-01-2007, 15:04	#17
Admiral Huddy HOMO-Sapien Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chelmsford Posts: 6,692	ok cheers .. what's the difference between the GS and the GL then? GL is only 54Mbps and the GS is 128Mbps with range booster.. surely the later is better? __________________ I just got lost in thought.. It was very unfamiliar territory. Techie Talk \| My gaming Blog \| PC spec \| The Admirals log Last edited by Admiral Huddy; 24-01-2007 at 15:06.

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24-01-2007, 00:08	#14
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Output power does work to some extent, but I agree with you that for pure line of sight range you can't beat a good pair of directional antennas, and I did include that in my comments.

24-01-2007, 13:25	#16
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	I'm not Paul, but price order, lowest first... http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/103185 http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=3YRT http://www.ove*************.uk/showp...odid=NW-052-LS

24-01-2007, 15:08	#18
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	G... L = Linux S = Speedbooster Yes, Linksys actually listened to customers and when they dumped Linux from the GS range they created the new GL range. I've never had any benefit from Speedbooster or any other similar technology.

24-01-2007, 18:34	#19
Burble Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7,826	Speedbooster isn't worth bothering with unless ALL the devices you'll be using are also speedbooster compliant. I'm not a fan of these 108/125/whatever mbit wireless kits, in my experience they're not as reliable and can cause problems for bog standard 802.11g cards as the speedbooster is made up of 2 x 54Mbit radios that have been arsed about with. I'd avoid a GS unless you can get a v4 or lower. The later ones were pretty crippled with the amount of RAM they have so if you're a P2P or BitTorrent user you'll find that the GS will crumble under the pressure of the open connections and need a reboot quite often.

24-01-2007, 20:07	#20
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Yeah, I'm the same on Speedbooster, and MIMO for that matter. The 2.4GHz spectrum is crowded enough without using multiple frequencies for some perceived (and in most cases misguided) speed benefit. Also, if you use Speedbooster, you have no choice at all over what frequencies you use, so if there's another Speedbooster-capable device in close proximity, you're probably stuffed as far as range goes before you even start. I turned off Speedbooster on my v4 GS within about a minute of plugging it in for the first time, but I'll bet I'm in the vast minority in doing that.