Advantages: Good features, repeater and bridging modes Disadvantages: Minor installation problem
Here's the story. I have an existing wireless network. The access point is in the office in the loft. I have a laptop I wander around with (as you do) and there is a PC on the ground floor. On a good day with a strong wind, the downstairs PC gets a weak to medium connection. All too often though it is intermittent or fails completely. Web browsing is quirky and the whole experience is less than satisfactory. The bottom line is that despite being well within the theoretical range for wireless devices, there are just too many walls, floors and sundry other obstacles getting in the way.
There are several things you can do do improve the signal but most are more suited to open spaces. One option that would help in this situation is to use a pair of access points in repeater mode. After a quick look around, Netgear's WG602 looked like ...
Advantages: Easy setup, great customer support, good price Disadvantages: None
In short: Excellent router, easy to set up and good support from Netgear.
I bought this modem router from Ebay to set up a wireless home network. Depsite paying AOL money each month and seeing new customers getting this router for free we were told that we would still have to purchase it separately. As this was one of the AOL compatible routers I plumped for it due to Netgear's good name.
The router was installed easyily and using AOL software from their site my main computer was up and running using an ethernet cable. We did have a couple of problems setting up our two laptops to work wirelessly but one short call to Netgear and that was all sorted out. If you don't have laptops with built in wireless capability I would recommend getting the compatible wireless adapters from Netgear, these also are installed very easily. Even ...
Advantages: All-in-one package, ease of use, advanced features. Disadvantages: Price
are running your phone line/broadband connection through a cable company such as NTL, you'll need slightly different equipment.
Wireless is also pretty easy to explain, cos it means you don't have to use wires. It's as simple as that.
As an aside: Wireless network technology may also be described as 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g, and you shouldn't panic if you see these complicated looking numbers. The 'g' suffix at the end of the numbers indicates that the speed of the connection is 54 Mbps, transmitted at 2.4GHz whereas the 802.11 indicates the protocol (or interface) used to transmit and receive the data. 'a' and 'b' suffixes mean that the same interface is used, but at different speeds and frequencies. It's more common to see 802.11b and 802.11g these days. 802.11b and 802.11g are compatible as they transmit information at the same ...
Product Information for "SMC EliteConnect SMC2582W-B 2.4GHz 11 Mbps Wireless Bridge" »
Manufacturer's product description
Designed to connect two or more separated Local Area Networks (usually located in different buildings), the SMC EliteConnect Wireless Bridge is the easiest alternative to a traditional wired network. It delivers high data rate and allows personnel in a corporate campus environment to access all local and remote network resources. The Wireless Bridge is also a cost-effective solution. It eliminates the need for expensive cabling and difficult-to-install leased lines. The SMC2582W-B bridges two or more wired LANs. Connected to the Ethernet backbone through an RJ-45 connector, the Wireless Bridge (Access Point/Bridge and Bridge Master modes) can also function as an Access Point, bridging between a wired LAN and one or more wireless mobile PC-based stations. The EliteConnect 2.4GHz 11 Wireless Bridge connects difficult-to-wire locations, branch offices, school or corporate campus environments, frequently changing work-places, temporary LANs, hospitals and warehouses. The Wireless Bridge also allows multiple buildings to share a single Internet connection. SMC2582W-B has three operational modes: Access Point/Bridge, Bridge Master, and Bridge Slave. The Access Point/Bridge mode provides both Access Point and Bridging functionalities. The Bridging function is supported through Wireless Distribution System (WDS). When SMC2682W Wireless Bridges exist in the same Bridging environment as the SMC2582W-B, Bridge Master or Bridge Slave modes can be used. SMC2582W-B EliteConnect Wireless Bridge supports advanced wireless security features including 64-bit or 128-bit key WEP wireless data encryption, disabled SSID broadcast, wireless client isolation, and MAC address filtering to block unauthorized wireless clients. In addition, the EliteConnect Wireless Bridge provides multiple levels of protocol filtering (Ethernet, IP, TCP/UDP) to ensure network security. The EliteConnect 2.4GHz 11 Mbps Wireless Bridge also has flexible management features. Web based network management tools make configuration and remote management of the network simple. IT professionals can also use Telnet or TFTP to quickly and easily manage the device. In addition, SMC2582W-B supports SNMP allowing easy integration of your wireless LAN with your wired infrastructure. Other management features include a system log, event log and sys-log. SMC2582W-B comes with a detachable antenna. If extended range is required, users can choose among the wide selection of SMC 2.4GHz High Gain Antennas. The EliteConnect Wireless Bridge also supports Power over Ethernet that adheres to 802.3af standard (using optional SMCPWR-INJ3). Power over Ethernet reduces installation cost by using standard Category 5 cable to provide power to the Wireless Bridge. Combining all of the above features with SMC's award winning 24/7 technical support, the SMC2582W-B EliteConnect 2.4GHz Wireless Bridge is the best available, fast, reliable, and cost-effective building-to-building solution in the market.
Related tags for SMC EliteConnect SMC2582W-B 2.4GHz 11 Mbps Wireless Bridge »
