Wireless network extenders. Anything but this crappy linksys

[edo]

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

[Blue Meanie]

I never bothered with extenders. I just got another router, and ran that to the area I wanted it.

[edo]

THanks - but that used a cable right? Old house, and dont really want to do that.

[br d]

I bought 2 of these, spent hours trying to get them to recognize my network. When they eventually did it made eff all difference to anything. Completely worthless tat.

[BliarOut]

How far do you want to go?

http://www.ubnt.com/

[bogie]

a pair of powerline adapters would do the trick, you can get them in pairs, an insider one of them is a wireless access point

so plug one in near the router and cable to the router

plug the other in any other room you need wireless internet

repeat for as many rooms as you like....well up to 32 I think

[NDA]

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

How bizarre that you should post on the day that my second WRE54G arrived from Amazon....

I have used one for years without a hitch - I have a barn that's some distance from the house which receives a 5% wireless signal, with the Lynksys it's 100%. The signal has to pass through an ancient house (3 rooms), across the driveway and through a further 2 rooms.... so it really does work very well for my application. Perhaps (and I'm not sure) because I have no security on my wireless router (there's no need as I don't have neighbours and live a distance from a road), it's easier to set up.

My set up routine is simply:

1. Take the 54G into the room with the router.
2. Turn it on and keep the auto config button pressed for 10 seconds or so
3. Both blue lights will turn on.
4. Unplug the 54G and move to the very edge of wireless reception (in my case the barn) and turn back on.
5. Hey presto!

The connection is not terribly fast, only 54Mbps, but it works fine.

I remember when I bought my first one I tried to configure it by plugging it into the router, it didn't really work properly. The auto config works fine - but, as I mentioned, I have no security....

Have you double checked that your router is broadcasting in G mode? I think the 54 only works on b and g.

[69 coupe]

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

[simpsons]HA Ha points at you [/simpsons]
I had one of them total Piece Of Ship, the one I had didn't even have a ethernet socket on it like most of them do.(hidden under a sliding cover)

What I remember is, the linksys has a default ip of 192.168.1.240 the majority of normal routers are default 192.168.0.1 range straight of the bat we have a mismatch of most home networks, also hidden in the print if you can find it online is that they don't support 802.11g only b, so you have to set your main router in your case sagem to connect at 802.11b 22Mbit/s.

So not only are you going to have to downgrade your sky router to 22Mbit/s but the very function of an extender/repeater means the data traffic is sort of sent twice thus reducing the speed yet again to approx 11Mbit/s. I also seem to remember that I had to configure using WEP encryption only.

Having to configure wirelessly was a right pain, first by setting the main router to 192.1.168.1 and knocking of any security and reducing the router to 11b, then my pc/laptop to something on that segment ie 192.168.1.5, then i could see it wirelessly and configure the linksys to 192.168.1.2 then add the mac address of the main router on some access page and enable dhpc on the linksys (i think can't remember) after that go back to the main router enable WEP only encryption enter a simple passcode, then enable the encryption on the linksys, reboot the linksys wait for the linksys to turn blue, then back on the pc enable wep encryption and that was it! Shudder!.
It's a bit easier if that linsys has the ethernet port, personally i'd feck it back on ebay and get some powerplugs.

Truly the worst product I ever came across.
Edited to add the below link may help read the review for tips/links
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linksys-Cisco-WRE54G-Wirel...

Edited by 69 coupe on Tuesday 3rd August 23:42

Edited again maybe it did work at 802.11g 54Mbits but it still halves repeats to 22Mbits, I seem to remember I was trying to get it to work on a 108 Mbit/s router. Its still Argg when you want to set it up with good security! rather than the press the auto configure button on an unsecure network with a router that has a default ip address on the 192.168.1.* range and serving dhcp on that range.

Edited by 69 coupe on Tuesday 3rd August 23:56

[lestag]

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

If you have not already done so...
Temporarily turn off any wireless security on the sagem and then connect the bridge to it, get it working that way and then turn the security back on

[edo]

NDA said:

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

How bizarre that you should post on the day that my second WRE54G arrived from Amazon....

I have used one for years without a hitch - I have a barn that's some distance from the house which receives a 5% wireless signal, with the Lynksys it's 100%. The signal has to pass through an ancient house (3 rooms), across the driveway and through a further 2 rooms.... so it really does work very well for my application. Perhaps (and I'm not sure) because I have no security on my wireless router (there's no need as I don't have neighbours and live a distance from a road), it's easier to set up.

My set up routine is simply:

1. Take the 54G into the room with the router.
2. Turn it on and keep the auto config button pressed for 10 seconds or so
3. Both blue lights will turn on.
4. Unplug the 54G and move to the very edge of wireless reception (in my case the barn) and turn back on.
5. Hey presto!

The connection is not terribly fast, only 54Mbps, but it works fine.

I remember when I bought my first one I tried to configure it by plugging it into the router, it didn't really work properly. The auto config works fine - but, as I mentioned, I have no security....

Have you double checked that your router is broadcasting in G mode? I think the 54 only works on b and g.

I think you hit the nail on the head with security....

If it could do MAC filtering, I'm not fussed about WPA etc. Problem is I can do MAC filtering on the Main Router, but the Linksys doesnt appear to have that option.

[edo]

lestag said:

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

If you have not already done so...
Temporarily turn off any wireless security on the sagem and then connect the bridge to it, get it working that way and then turn the security back on

Yup, done this. Odd thing is I have blue lights on the unit with security on on both, but it just isnt working...

Edited by edo on Wednesday 4th August 09:12

[lestag]

So it works with the security turned off??

[edo]

intermittently.

I have just managed to hack the login details for sky, allowing me to swap their ste sagem out for my netgear. Now seeing if that (better wirleless than the sagem to start) works better with the linksys....

[69 coupe]

edo said:

lestag said:

edo said:

Spent nearly the whole day pissing about with a cisco (Linksys) WRE54G wireless extender.

Safe to say I should have researched it before I got it off ebay.

Now got it supposedly working - blue lights, thinks it is connected to my router (Sky badged Sagem), but the devices wont use it and if you connect, no tinterweb...

Has anyone else got one of these crappy things working?

Failing that, can anyone recommend a wireless extender that actually works?

If you have not already done so...
Temporarily turn off any wireless security on the sagem and then connect the bridge to it, get it working that way and then turn the security back on

Yup, done this. Odd thing is I have blue lights on the unit with security on on both, but it just isnt working...

Edited by edo on Wednesday 4th August 09:12

Is your sagem and linksys on the same segment ie sagem 192.168.1.1 linksys 192.168.1.2
If they're on different segments ie lynksys 192.168.0.*.*, the lnyksys still turns blue. I also go the blue lights by pressing the autoconfigure button, yet it wasn't connected to anything.
ipconfig and pinging is where i'd start with security off.

[edo]

yes, sagem was 192.168.0.1 and linksys was on 192.169.0.240

I thought I saw somewhere something about the extender having to be 1 away - i.e. 192.168.0.2 - that cant be true surely?

[69 coupe]

edo said:

yes, sagem was 192.168.0.1 and linksys was on 192.169.0.240

I thought I saw somewhere something about the extender having to be 1 away - i.e. 192.168.0.2 - that cant be true surely?

Wouldn't think so, i'm sure its secuirty try setting the netgear to 802.11b with wep only security as a test. If that works up the speed to netgear to 802.11g 54mbit/s and see if that works or breaks.

I presume 192.169.0.240 is a typo >*169*

Edited by 69 coupe on Wednesday 4th August 11:26

[edo]

Thanks

Seem to be getting somewhere with Netgear as router. Linksys is talking to it and connected (no security, but MAC filtering).

Only arse is that I cant do MAC filtering on the Linksys and as soon as I introduce WEP etc it all goes pear shaped.

[lestag]

edo said:

yes, sagem was 192.168.0.1 and linksys was on 192.169.0.240

I thought I saw somewhere something about the extender having to be 1 away - i.e. 192.168.0.2 - that cant be true surely?

Shirley is not here. :P
They must be on the same subnet, IIRC the extender acts as a bridge not a router. the extender should be setup to get a DHCP ip address from the sagem DHCP server. Failing that fixing the ip address on the extender should be set to something like 192.168.0.100 which is ulikely to ever be allocated by the sagem to a PC/laptop.

[edo]

Thanks. Things appear to be working.

Sagem replaced with Netgear DG834G. Connected to the linksys extender and WPA PSK just enabled and all is still working.....

[69 coupe]

edo said:

Thanks. Things appear to be working.

Sagem replaced with Netgear DG834G. Connected to the linksys extender and WPA PSK just enabled and all is still working.....

Now print off your config and notes, save it in a bomb proof safe and have a coffee

Edited by 69 coupe on Wednesday 4th August 11:54