Adding An Extra AP

[hlxbravo]

Currently my 54G wireless network is running perfectly fine, except I have just added another PC in my sons room...........which is a loft conversion 3 floors up, so he only gets "very low" to "poor" connectivity, I know that I need to add an extra AP on, say the middle floor, of the house but the guy at ******** tried to sell me another wireless router (I wonder why), for the best part of £80 , because "it has an AP built into it" , surely I can just buy a stand alone AP, which should be a damn site cheaper....and if so, could I have a few suggestions please.

There are ways to extend the basic operating range of Wireless communications, by using more than a single access point or using a wireless relay /extension point.

Plus I just read the FAQ and wht the heck is the "wireless relay/extension point" mentioned above ??

 

[just_grass]

Plus I just read the FAQ and wht the heck is the "wireless relay/extension point" mentioned above ??

Its a normal AP with the ability to relay and extend a wireless signal..... majority of New APs now do this. - Some may require same-same equipment for it to work, but i think most would not. - It will say in the packaging docs/blurb on the product.

Hope this helps
Alex

 

[hlxbravo]

Ok, I have just replaced my Adsl external modem and my wireless router, and bought a combined Adsl router/modem (less cables and plugs this way)....so now I want to use my original wireless router as an extra AP, as my previous post stated, my sons room is in a loft conversion and he constantly gets "low" signal strength, the thing is I don't know how to add this AP to my network.
I have changed both router settings to "enable wireless bridging" and "enable ONLY specific access points to connect" and entered what I believe to be the correct MAC addresses, of the old router(AP), into the same settings page on the new router.

Forgive the ignorance here, but although I can get around my wireless network, this is something new to me, like taking it a step further. My first thoughts about the extra AP was that it could be placed anywhere in the house as a standalone unit, but am I right in saying that it actually has to be connected to my sons computer, via the LAN cable?? And then from his computer I access the internet by connecting to the AP, rather than my new combi router? Both router units are same brand and all network encryption is the same, right through the house. If someone can answer this for now please, then at least I have a start point, where hopefully I can progress from.
Thanks.

 

[Curiosityx]

You could use WDS (Wireless Distribution System) but only if both AP's support it.

Simply it allows the main access point to form a wireless link with the second access point so that an end user who would normally be out of range of the main access point can use the second access point as a "hop" to get to the main access point in order to access resources connected to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Distribution_System

Or you could buy a range extender compatible with your new AP. I would try different channels on the box though some work better than others in different environments.

 

[csmager]

You can use an extra AP as just an extra AP if you connect the two APs together with a bit of CAT5. Run them on the same SSID and on different channels, and you should be able to roam from one to the other fairly seamlessly.

To do it wirelessly (i.e. act as a relay) you need WDS or a range extender, as explained above.

 

[hlxbravo]

You could use WDS (Wireless Distribution System) but only if both AP's support it.

This is what I am trying to do....they both support this option but I cannot seem to get it to work, the following is copied and pasted from my main router setting page :
Wireless Bridging or Wireless Distribution System (WDS) is used to connect Wireless Routers and Access points together to extend a network.

1) Wireless Channel must match between Router and AP.
2) Security Settings (WEP) must match between Router and AP.
3) If MAC filtering is enabled, user must be sure to add the WLAN MAC address(es) of the Router/AP in order to allow communication with each other.

☼ Enable Wireless Bridging. (enabling this feature allows other Access Points to connect to this Access Point.)
☼ Enable ONLY specific Access Points to connect. ( enter Wireless MAC Address of AP to connect to. If this item is not checked, any AP can connect. Note: when connecting APs, at least one needs to call out the MAC address of the other. Hint: the MAC address can be found using a site survey on a wireless client card.)
AP1 : : : : :
AP2 : : : : :
AP3 : : : : :
AP4 : : : : :

☼ Disable ability for Wireless CLIENT to connect. (This feature should only be used when the AP is used exclusievly to other APs.)


So first off do I tick the checkbox tht is at the start of the line Enable Wireless Bridging ?? I presume I do because I don't really wanna start trying the MAC address option, underneath it, as it is no doubt a little more complex. But then how do I get the other AP to connect to this router? Because when I enabled this option on the other router(AP) it changed the IP of it to another number(I know I cant have 2 routers/APs with same IP) but I seem to be getting nowhere.