I tried to set up a router/expander for a customer a few months back and couldn't get it to work for anything. Hours of tech calls got me no where. new gear didn't help either.

Now I've got a customer that I promised I'd help with his wireless network so I've got to use someones expander system and the linksys is easy access. Have any of you installed it successfuly? I know of one person that did but that's it.

What's my other options?

I've got one in my house that I swear doesn't do a damn thing.

I've had better luck with the bigger linksys antennas that are a direct replacement.

If you really need to cover more area wirelessly, I don't know any other tricks besides runing a cat5 to the new location and adding an access point.

I never had any luck with the antennas myself but that's where I'll start. the Belkin Pre-N router got some good revies for excellent range even in "b' mode but there is no repeater for it that I know of. I do know one person that sucessfully installed the linksys piece to double his coverage and it was pretty much plug and play for him. I figure he must have sold his soul to the devil on that one.

I have set them up and it works but at a price. There are 2 ways to expand wireless coverage ( that damned course, I may one day teach ) . One is to install multiple access points. They can have the same SSID or different SSIDs and if you list each one as preferred on the computer(s) they should merge seemlessly from one to the other. The problem with roaming ( same SSID on multiple access points ) is that many consumer grade routers say they support it but it really does not work. Using multiple access points and listing them in the preferred network list is my preferred solution where consumer routers and switches are employed.

Wireless expanders. Unlike access points they do not require a wire to work. What if you have to increase coverage but there is no way to get a wire to point x from the router/switch? Wireless expander. DO NOT USE THE STUPID AND USELESS WIZZARD TO CONFIGURE THE DAMNED THING. Just about every network device can be configured from its web browser. These damned wizzards are for the dumb and dumber and should only be employed as a last resort. Enter the Mac address of the router/access point into the setup via web browser and it will work.

So what's the "it works, sort of?" claim. It will expand your network but at the price of speed. How much it slows your network down is hard to quantify but it will be noticeable. Given the choice I would choose the multiple access point solution but if a wire cannot be run these expanders do work if the price in speed is one you are willing to pay.
Alan

Alan,

I don't know that I've ever used the setup CD. learned that lesson long ago, although my networking skills are very limited. The linksys system that I tried to setup simply didn't work. I could ping the expander so I was told in poor engrish that meant "network is all fine now". It wasn't. The expander simply was not repeating anything. it lit up like it was supposed to but it defintately was not "online". Having had some miserable experiences with other wireless gear my guess is that it was a chipset issue. sometimes these morons seem to change chipsets so they've got equipment out there that won't talk to each other regardless of firmware, even though it's the same model. I had this happen once before.

That said, I'd take the speed hit for simplicity. This is just for internet browsing via cable modem. They have a first generation D-link wireless box that keeps dropping wireless users when another wireless user logs on. So my first step will be to upgrade that unit to a new one with the bigger antennas. depending on range I'll try that stupid expander box.

Anybody tryed this yet?
[Link: compusa.com]

I have also given up on the Linksys G range expander. It would ping, but not communicate with the router.
The larger antennae on the router have an interesting effect: they make the signal more directional. For me, they increased the range considerably in the horizontal plane, but cut it way back in the vertical, which was n/g as I have computers on 3 floors.
Has anyone tried this
[Link: linksys.com]
Sounds plausible, but then I'm easily fooled...

Tobe: There's a review of your product here

My personal experience with many wireless routers has led me to choose a wired router with a separate access point. While they may have made improvements of late (I'd be skeptical on that point), I would have to agree with Alan on the best route being individual access points.

This is Linksys' version of a Pre N router, like Belkin's. It is also a MIMO divice and assuming you have a GX adaptor you gain both some speed and distance benefits. You will get more range but it is suseptable to cordless phone interference. We had trouble with the Belkin Pre N in this regard. It did not nearly cover as much range as their specifications would indicate. Nonetheless, it did increase perfromance by about 20%.

Still not up to what multiple access points can do.

Am I the only one who plays with these toys or just the one with the fastest fingers?

Alan

Given that I'm quoting Tom's Networking... you're not. :)

The latter.

This is where the industry is headed with IP distributed systems here or almost here.

As for me, I have stopped using any linksys or similar home grade products in my client's homes. Now its all cisco routers and Wireless APs.

E. J.

I've never had much luck with extenders, instead finding it better to run CAT-5 and use an Access Point.

Wireless in general bugs me most of the time.

Whatever you do, turn on a some encryption (like WEP), don't broadcast your network SSID and change your administrator account passwords on your PC's. That, combined with a good firewall/router, will give pretty solid protection from most attacks.

Far too often I can be in an area and find a number of broadcasted personal networks. Most are protected with encryption, but I've seen some cases where they're not, leaving people wide open.

What worries me about CI and wireless down the road is security.

Reading this makes me wonder how anyone has been able to make the expander work. I have two Linksys B access points setup here at the house. One as an access point and one as a repeater and it functions fairly well. it's a detached building so wires were not possible. So I'll go pick up a couple of G access points for this customer and see what I can do. maybe a new router while I'm at it just for the later technology. that should give me plenty of options to get this set up.

How much does the commercial gear cost nowadays anway? I wouldn't mind some of that myself. I'm tired of resetting my linksys router...

Almost makes me want to start a best practices thread for network security...

I am not in disagreement but it is somewhat client dependent. I have more than a few clients who have numberous guests come into their homes. The more levels of security I install the greater the likelihood I will have to make a service call to setup those computers. If you have a fixed number of computers then this is good practice as you can ensure that all SSIDs are listed in the prefered list and the encryption key is entered. If you have a varrying amount of computers with individuals who only understand how to do what they know how to do this can be an issue one needs to discuss with his client.

Almost every client where this is the case tells me to keep the network open as they will only use the network to read their emails and to serf the web. I am in no way disagreeing with your advice only adding that making a network secure demands more management when new computers need to make use of the system. Rich poeple have lots of guests and those guests tend not to be will versed in IT and computers.

But hey, I was permitted on the LAN of a major corporation today from the outside. Only permission went from 3 weeks to 3 days to 3 hours. IT departments hate holes in theis firewall but then they are there to manage that network. I do too much IT at the moment ( last night 9pm: We took my husband's lap top on vacation and had to change the settings to use the hotel's ISP. Now it doesn't work in our home. Can you help me? )

Alan