MVP and Wireless Network

[rjk]

Hi Folks,

Can anyone advise on a method to add the MVP to a network via WiFi, i.e., 802.11g, without buying the rather expensive wireless ethernet bridge products? I've seen some postings that suggest others have done this successfully using the more common gear like wireless routers and access points. These never any seem to provide details on how to do it.

Thanks!

[TrevorW]

I bought this http://www.dabs.com/uk....20point and it works well for me. It is a multi-use product and when set as a bridge clones the MPVs details.

[Ericwiz]

Yes.

I use a linksys wireless-g access point. You need to flash thew bios to the newest from the linksys site then you can use the access point in what's called client mode.

It is very easy to setup but very little info on it

Are you using linksys now?
Well, whatever you are using, stick with the same brand.
There are two basic ways to wire the MVP from there

MVP -> HUB -> Client AP

MVP -xover cable-> Client AP

I use the hub, that way I can hook up my PS2 and XBox to the 'net as well. Some people have had problems with the crossover I think but I didn't use one so I can't say first hand.

Let me know if I can help.

Eric...

[rjk]

Thanks for the insight folks. Ericwiz, you mentioned that I should stick with the same brands. As it happens, I have D-Link wireless router and PCMCIA card. For the Linksys wireless access point you mentioned, I find the statement "The Access Point is only a bridge from wired Ethernet to wireless clients" which is exactly what I need. However, in the D-Link access point's manual, I don't find anything to suggest it performs this function. Do you suppose all "access points" are in fact "bridges", or are these different functions altogether and it just so happens that the Linksys can do both?

[Ericwiz]

Well, what you want to look for is wether or not the D-Link can do client mode on the AP.

The linksys AP I have did not initially have this ability, as I mentioned, but was available in a later firmware release.

I suggest keeping with the same make simply becaue you will have less difficulty than trying to mix brands.

From D-link's site:
The DWL-2100AP features WDS (Wireless Distribution System) that can be configured to perform in any one of five modes: a Wireless Access Point, a Point-to-Point (PtP) bridge with another DWL-2100AP, a Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) bridge, a Repeater for range extension, or as a Wireless Client. The WDS feature makes the DWL-2100AP an ideal solution for quickly creating and extending a wireless local area network (WLAN) in offices or other workplaces, or even at hotspots.

So, this one would work.Not sure which one you have but look for "Wireless Client" or "Access Point Client" modes.

In this mode the AP connects to another AP on your network to provide the functionality. Wireless NIC's will not be able ot connect to this AP, so keep this in mind. The NIC's can connect to the other AP however. So, you would need to add an additional AP to the AP and NIc you currently have.

Eric...

[Dubya]

Hey guys I did it with a airport express and for the most part it works pretty good, but sometimes it seems that the system seems to lose it's marbles and get stuck on the loading application screen. Consequently I get a whole lotta grief from the little lady when she can't watch her shows if you know what I mean. So if you need your system to be reliable go with the wired connection... if you can handle some drops here and there then I'd be happy to explain to you how I did it with my system.

Dubya

[rjk]

Hi Dubya,

Thanks for the reply. What's an "airport express"? Amazon has something called this for running an Ipod. Is that what you mean?

Regards,
rjk

[Dubya]

It's a wireless router, bridge, i-tunes streamer all in one. It's really pretty cool. Check it out.

http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

Dubya

[aegisx]

I use a dlink wireless bridge... like one of these: http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=241

[spyder40]

I was using a Linksys wireless bridge/client (WET11,used for PS2 also) to a Linksys BEFW11S4 ver 2 router/access point. It works but ran into same sort of problems as dubya. After a couple hours/days video would start stuttering and MVP reboots would just hang, definately not wifey friendly. I think it was really a problem with the firmware in the router since rebooting it would clear up the problem. I'm on an older version of the router firmware but don't want to upgrade since my VPN tunnel to work is functional wirelessly from my laptop. Initially that was a problem on some of the early firmware releases. It could also be some sort of problem with WEP. I just got done wiring my house this weekend and now wired everything is consistent. The 802.11b speed appeared to be fine if the other problems didn't exist.