Wireless Bridges are a Scam
Disclaimer: I am not a hardware guy. The days when I enjoyed cracking open a computer case and poking around are long since past. These days if I can’t fix something via keyboard, I want no part of it.
Unfortunately, for a client I needed to extend a LAN from Building A across 30 feet of asphalt to Building B. Time to don my Net Admin hat to install a nice straightforward WiFi bridge.
Despite already owning a Linksys WRT54G series router, I decided to just pickup 2 Linksys WET54G wireless bridges (version 3.1). The bridges are actually more expensive than routers. But that just means they’re better suited for their simple task, right? Wrong…
The 2 WET54Gs have been nothing but trouble for me. Their web interface sometimes redirects to the hardcoded IP address. They drop their connection and require resetting a lot. They just don’t work reliably.
So I flashed the WRT54G with Tomato firmware to replace one of the WET54Gs, and so far things are working much better.
If I’ve never mentioned it before: I love Tomato firmware. I’ve been using it at home for ages and never have to reset it. The features are outstanding (QoS with ACK Prioritization is a lifesaver when working over SSH).
From now on anytime I need a WiFi router, access point, or bridge, I’m going to buy a WRT54G and put Tomato on it. Its cheaper than buying specialized Access Points or Bridges and has lots more features.
Did I mention Tomato generates sexy real-time graphs in SVG? Have a screenshot:
Tags: access point, bridge, linksys, tomato, wifi
January 21st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I have several bridges WET54G v3 and i’ve never had any trouble, although WRT54G/L with Tomato firmware really works fine, mind you if you don’t have a lot of people connecting via wireless. Bare in mind that it’s a SOHO wireless router.
The only bad thing about WRT54G is that you can use it as a Wireless Bridge, that’s why if you want to extend you’re wireless network without using cables you’ll still need at least one wireless bridge like wet54g or you should get a wireless router or AP with WDS (Wireless Distribution System)…
January 30th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Update: It appears a bad ethernet cable was the source of some of the problems. However, the WRT54G with Tomato firmware didn’t seem to mind a little packet loss unlike the WET54G link which would require resetting periodically.
@netbird: Tomato firmware supports multiple modes of operation — Access Point (default), Access Point + WDS, Wireless Client, Wireless Ethernet Bridge (bingo!), WDS.
I just saw WRT54Gs at Sam’s Club for $20! If they’re Linux compatible (might not be) and you need wireless equipment, stock up.