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Jdurgi
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WW-DRT is amazing!
#323900 - 03/29/14 07:41 AM


So on Monday I'm getting the rest of the parts for the computer I'm putting together for the arcade cabinet that's in the works. (Stupid UPS not delivering on Saturday. Lazy fucks. ) So in the meantime I was taking a look at the different spare parts I have around the house and figuring out where I'd build the PC since it won't be getting fully used for a while until the cab is built.

I realized that in my office upstairs, where I work, I already have a bunch of PC stuff lying around and the tools I would need. Plus, I'd be able to go and slowly work on it while I'm also working my real full-time job. The problem I faced is that I was not going to be able to access my network so there would be a lot of moving up and downstairs to use my tiny 8 GB drive to transfer files. Plus, I wouldn't be able to install any Windows Updates or directly download drivers and whatnot. Damn.

Looking around upstairs, I saw that I had a spare Linksys WRT54GSv7.0 router lying around. Perhaps I could use that as a bridge so that I could hook up the newly built computer to it and access the internet and my laptop so I could transfer files. NOPE! Linksys totally butchered the router in an effort to get you to pay $150 or so for one of their dedicated bridges. I think that's bullshit and apparently so do many others.

I found out about the DD-WRT firmwares out there and was happy to read that it was fully compatible with my old Linksys router, PLUS, it gives it the ability to act as a wireless client bridge. That's exactly what I need! So I spent a good deal of time this evening flashing the new firmware and happily seeing that it worked. Then I did some reading online and the DD-WRT wiki gave step-by-step instructions for doing exactly what I wanted. I turned off the wireless card in my laptop and connected to the router via the ethernet cable I just used to flash the firmware. After some time spent troubleshooting some issues, the internet access globe appeared and I was able to access my main router's page as well as the newly flashed Linksys router's setup page. Then I went and tried out some webpages and badda-bing-badda-boom, it works! Now, when I go and setup my computer, I'll be able to access the internet for updates/drivers, and also be able to access my laptop to transfer files. All without needing a wi-fi card. Plus, once the cabinet is built I can just plop the router on top of the cab, or the space behind the cab, and have constant access to my home network. I may even be able to give playing 2P SFIV a shot by having it running on the cab and my laptop, with one person playing with a stick I built for my laptop, and me on the cabinet.

I'm having a nerdgasm right now.



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I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.




krick
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: Jdurgi]
#323902 - 03/29/14 08:32 AM


I picked this up on sale from Newegg a while back...

TRENDnet TEW-654TR N300 Wireless Travel Router Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156262

If you put the little switch on the bottom in "CLIENT" mode, you can connect to your computer/TV/tivo/game console via ethernet and it will connect to your router over wifi.



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Jdurgi
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: krick]
#323916 - 03/29/14 08:28 PM


> I picked this up on sale from Newegg a while back...
>
> TRENDnet TEW-654TR N300 Wireless Travel Router Kit
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156262
>
> If you put the little switch on the bottom in "CLIENT" mode, you can connect to your
> computer/TV/tivo/game console via ethernet and it will connect to your router over
> wifi.

Nice option if you don't have an old router lying around. For me, however, you can't beat the price of free.



--------------------------------------------------
I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.




DMala
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Reged: 05/09/05
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: Jdurgi]
#323981 - 03/30/14 09:38 PM


I've been using DD-WRT on an old Linksys WRT54G for quite a few years now. I have pretty much the same situation as you: the router is downstairs and my office is upstairs, and the boss lady doesn't want me drilling holes to run CAT5. It's worked pretty well, although just recently I've run into issues with the 54G not being fast enough to take full advantage of my 50Mb cable connection. I looked at replacing it with a newer router, but I think I'm going to give powerline networking a shot and take wireless out of the equation entirely.



krick
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: DMala]
#323992 - 03/31/14 05:33 PM


> but I think I'm going to give powerline networking a shot and
> take wireless out of the equation entirely.

I looked into that briefly a few years ago. From what I remember, it only works within a single circuit in your house. So if your "base unit" is upstairs on a different circuit (on a different breaker), then modules downstairs wont be able to see it properly or at all. It seems really limited to me.



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Jdurgi
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: DMala]
#324042 - 04/01/14 10:28 PM


> I've been using DD-WRT on an old Linksys WRT54G for quite a few years now. I have
> pretty much the same situation as you: the router is downstairs and my office is
> upstairs, and the boss lady doesn't want me drilling holes to run CAT5. It's worked
> pretty well, although just recently I've run into issues with the 54G not being fast
> enough to take full advantage of my 50Mb cable connection. I looked at replacing it
> with a newer router, but I think I'm going to give powerline networking a shot and
> take wireless out of the equation entirely.

Yeah, the old WRT54GS router I had used to be the one downstairs connected directly to the cable modem. When I went and upgraded to the highest tier service my ISP offers (since my current employer pays for my internet service as I work exclusively from home), the cable company said that my current router was not going to be able to properly work with the new router. So I went out and got a pretty powerful router for the connection to the cable modem and my employer agreed to expense it.

The other router was given to me by my previous employer before I was laid off, so that's something that I didn't feel the need to return to them as they never asked. Since I couldn't use it downstairs directly connected to the cable modem, I went ahead and DD-WRT flashed it and now have it upstairs connected to my new computer. I put it all together last night and it worked pretty well. Still took quite a while to download the gigabyte or so of Windows Updates, and transferring 8 GB or so of data from my laptop downstairs through the wireless network to the new PC upstairs took some time, but the speeds seemed to be about what I typically get wirelessly downstairs.

All-in-all, it was worth the effort, I believe. It's just a pain now getting all the settings and whatnot tweaked with the computer and monitor on the floor there. Heh.



--------------------------------------------------
I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.




DMala
Sleep is overrated
Reged: 05/09/05
Posts: 3989
Loc: Waltham, MA
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Re: WW-DRT is amazing! new [Re: krick]
#324050 - 04/02/14 03:32 AM


> I looked into that briefly a few years ago. From what I remember, it only works
> within a single circuit in your house. So if your "base unit" is upstairs on a
> different circuit (on a different breaker), then modules downstairs wont be able to
> see it properly or at all. It seems really limited to me.

I looked at it a few years ago, too, and came to the same conclusion. It seems like the technology has come a long way, though. Advertised speeds now are way higher than I remember, and I can't see anything that says the devices are limited to the same circuit. The reviews on Newegg are generally pretty good.

http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-PA4010KIT
(Here's an example, not necessarily the unit I'm going to get)


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