|
WiFi Success
Because this issue pops up with some frequency I wanted to post a
compendium of what I have found to be successful. This is now the 3rd revision of my system and it has been flawlessly operational for a couple months. The components of the system a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Router DD-WRT Version 23 service pack 2 Auto AP 8 dB outdoor omni antnenna TEW-AO080 The heart of this system is the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. This as a Broadcom chip based Router/Access Point. Like the similarly-chipped Linksys routers, it can be flashed with third party firmware to convert it into a bridge suitable for tapping into whatever WiFi networks you may find available. They are relatively cheap at about $50. The main advantages to this piece of hardware are size and power. The board is only 5" x 5" and is ideally suited to being repackaged into a weather-tight housing and used at the top of a mast. My housing is a custom-made bottom-opening stainless housing fabricated from 2" x 6" x 0.120" rectangular tubing. It is sturdy enough to allow mounting of a 20" antenna directly to the housing. The whole arrangement is powered by POE. A small disadvantage of this system over a Linkys-based system is that it runs on 5V instead of 12V. I just put a resistor in line and run it off house power. I mentioned that the second advantage is power. There is an onboard 200 mW amp in the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Granted, bridges don't really need transmit amps as much as they need clean and sensitive Rx circuits, but it does seem to help in some instances. If you have never had any experience with DD-WRT, you are in for a treat. This open source freeware project gives you full access to all the hardware capabilities of your router/bridge. First off, without this firmware, an off-the-shelf router CAN NOT act as a bridge. This firmware also shows you detailed signal specs for every access point available to you, you can change the power output of the signal amplifier, and you have ROOT LEVEL ACCESS!!. Yes, these inexpensive little boxes are actually full fledged mini computers with 16 mb of memory. They have web servers so that you can use a GUI-based configuration page, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You can also load in your own software to run. For the mariner, the best add- on software is Auto AP. Auto AP is a script that polls all the available access points every 30 seconds. It determines which one has the best signal and connects to that one. You can also exclude certain access points in case they require a subscription (like the one run by the marina). You can also give preference to access points that you prefer when they are available (such as the one that is backed up by a T1 line). The power that is available in a $50 router is staggering if you are geeky enough to get the firmware flashed. It is not as easy to flash this router as it is flashing the Linksys, but it is well worth it. The Wiki tutorials are well written and provide all the information necessary. They are linked below. Success with systems of this nature presume some knowledge of Unix/ Linux, TCP/IP, and base level geekiness/ hardware hacking. If all of this is intimidating, maybe you have a 14 year old nephew who can help you out. Just print out this page and show it around. I won't help you with any problems you may have setting up a system like this, but I am open to hearing any criticism you may have of my approach or methods for improvement. Ideally there needs to be a Wiki set up for this issue as it of near universal interest to liveaboards and Caribbean cruisers. Does anyone know of a likely host? (Maybe sailnet.com, setsail.com, ssca.org) Router: http://www.buffalo-technology.com/pr...?productid=124 Antenna: http://www.trendnet.com/store/prodde...&tree=Wireless Flashing with DD-WRT: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...and_WZR-RS-G54 Note: The firmwa dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin mentioned in the tutorial has never worked for me, I have had success using dd- wrt.v23_generic.bin instead. Setting up the Bridge: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge Installing and using Auto AP: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Autoap David Braun S/V Nausicaa |
WiFi Success
On Mar 29, 12:16 pm, wrote:
Because this issue pops up with some frequency I wanted to post a compendium of what I have found to be successful. This is now the 3rd revision of my system and it has been flawlessly operational for a couple months. The components of the system a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Router DD-WRT Version 23 service pack 2 Auto AP 8 dB outdoor omni antnenna TEW-AO080 The heart of this system is the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. This as a Broadcom chip based Router/Access Point. Like the similarly-chipped Linksys routers, it can be flashed with third party firmware to convert it into a bridge suitable for tapping into whatever WiFi networks you may find available. They are relatively cheap at about $50. The main advantages to this piece of hardware are size and power. The board is only 5" x 5" and is ideally suited to being repackaged into a weather-tight housing and used at the top of a mast. My housing is a custom-made bottom-opening stainless housing fabricated from 2" x 6" x 0.120" rectangular tubing. It is sturdy enough to allow mounting of a 20" antenna directly to the housing. The whole arrangement is powered by POE. A small disadvantage of this system over a Linkys-based system is that it runs on 5V instead of 12V. I just put a resistor in line and run it off house power. I mentioned that the second advantage is power. There is an onboard 200 mW amp in the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Granted, bridges don't really need transmit amps as much as they need clean and sensitive Rx circuits, but it does seem to help in some instances. If you have never had any experience with DD-WRT, you are in for a treat. This open source freeware project gives you full access to all the hardware capabilities of your router/bridge. First off, without this firmware, an off-the-shelf router CAN NOT act as a bridge. This firmware also shows you detailed signal specs for every access point available to you, you can change the power output of the signal amplifier, and you have ROOT LEVEL ACCESS!!. Yes, these inexpensive little boxes are actually full fledged mini computers with 16 mb of memory. They have web servers so that you can use a GUI-based configuration page, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You can also load in your own software to run. For the mariner, the best add- on software is Auto AP. Auto AP is a script that polls all the available access points every 30 seconds. It determines which one has the best signal and connects to that one. You can also exclude certain access points in case they require a subscription (like the one run by the marina). You can also give preference to access points that you prefer when they are available (such as the one that is backed up by a T1 line). The power that is available in a $50 router is staggering if you are geeky enough to get the firmware flashed. It is not as easy to flash this router as it is flashing the Linksys, but it is well worth it. The Wiki tutorials are well written and provide all the information necessary. They are linked below. Success with systems of this nature presume some knowledge of Unix/ Linux, TCP/IP, and base level geekiness/ hardware hacking. If all of this is intimidating, maybe you have a 14 year old nephew who can help you out. Just print out this page and show it around. I won't help you with any problems you may have setting up a system like this, but I am open to hearing any criticism you may have of my approach or methods for improvement. Ideally there needs to be a Wiki set up for this issue as it of near universal interest to liveaboards and Caribbean cruisers. Does anyone know of a likely host? (Maybe sailnet.com, setsail.com, ssca.org) Router:http://www.buffalo-technology.com/pr...il.php?product... Antenna:http://www.trendnet.com/store/prodde...wao080&tree=Wi... Flashing with DD-WRT:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...lo_WHR-G54S.2C... Note: The firmwa dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin mentioned in the tutorial has never worked for me, I have had success using dd- wrt.v23_generic.bin instead. Setting up the Bridge:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge Installing and using Auto AP:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Autoap David Braun S/V Nausicaa Hi, David, Reading your post has been interesting as you may know that I'm actively trying to make my setup work. Unclear from what you wrote (or perhaps my level of ignorance not recognizing something), however, is whether your arrangement requires your connection to a cable, or if you are doing a wifi setup as I'm attempting - one which doesn't require a physical connection from the computer to the outside world. My setup has a bridge at the top of the mast, and an AP in the boat. That worked for a time, including with a Vonage router in between. Somehow it went off the rails, and I'm currently attempting to make it retrack. So, are you cable-connected, or do you have some other device which allows wifi connectivity to your setup (thence through the buffalo to associate with a shore AP)? Thanks. L8R Skip Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig KI4MPC See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery ! Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts. |
WiFi Success
NOTE: The post I am replying to was originalyl posted to
rec.boats.electronics, but a reply generated a cross post to rec.boats.cruising, so I have quoted the orinal post text for the benefit of the late comers :) I did mention that I was unlikely to be willing to help people get their systems set up. This is largely because of the discussions that have surrounded the difficulties that you have been experiencing. I simply don't have that much time to help with basic networking issues that are adequately addressed elsewhere on the internet. That said, I use a system that is wired into my computer. BUT, there is no reason whatsoever that I couldn't add a wireless router and have a system such as you describe where the final connection to the computer you are using is a wireless one. That final connection is the easy part. The hard part is the bridge and that aspect is addressed in my post. As I understand your difficulties, it has to do with a lack of customizeability (is that a word?) of your bridge. The solution I posted absolutely solves that issue. Now here is the big hurdle: once you implement the hardware solution, do you have the TCP/IP expertise to make use of your massively increased customizeability? I suggest that you get a book like TCP/IP for Dummies (no disrespect intended... that is the actual title) and learn how networks are bridged and routed together. This will go a long ways towards allowing you to solve your own issues when they occur in the islands. David S/V Nausicaa On Mar 30, 9:55 am, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: On Mar 29, 12:16 pm, wrote: Because this issue pops up with some frequency I wanted to post a compendium of what I have found to be successful. This is now the 3rd revision of my system and it has been flawlessly operational for a couple months. The components of the system a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Router DD-WRT Version 23 service pack 2 Auto AP 8 dB outdoor omni antnenna TEW-AO080 The heart of this system is the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. This as a Broadcom chip based Router/Access Point. Like the similarly-chipped Linksys routers, it can be flashed with third party firmware to convert it into a bridge suitable for tapping into whatever WiFi networks you may find available. They are relatively cheap at about $50. The main advantages to this piece of hardware are size and power. The board is only 5" x 5" and is ideally suited to being repackaged into a weather-tight housing and used at the top of a mast. My housing is a custom-made bottom-opening stainless housing fabricated from 2" x 6" x 0.120" rectangular tubing. It is sturdy enough to allow mounting of a 20" antenna directly to the housing. The whole arrangement is powered by POE. A small disadvantage of this system over a Linkys-based system is that it runs on 5V instead of 12V. I just put a resistor in line and run it off house power. I mentioned that the second advantage is power. There is an onboard 200 mW amp in the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Granted, bridges don't really need transmit amps as much as they need clean and sensitive Rx circuits, but it does seem to help in some instances. If you have never had any experience with DD-WRT, you are in for a treat. This open source freeware project gives you full access to all the hardware capabilities of your router/bridge. First off, without this firmware, an off-the-shelf router CAN NOT act as a bridge. This firmware also shows you detailed signal specs for every access point available to you, you can change the power output of the signal amplifier, and you have ROOT LEVEL ACCESS!!. Yes, these inexpensive little boxes are actually full fledged mini computers with 16 mb of memory. They have web servers so that you can use a GUI-based configuration page, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You can also load in your own software to run. For the mariner, the best add- on software is Auto AP. Auto AP is a script that polls all the available access points every 30 seconds. It determines which one has the best signal and connects to that one. You can also exclude certain access points in case they require a subscription (like the one run by the marina). You can also give preference to access points that you prefer when they are available (such as the one that is backed up by a T1 line). The power that is available in a $50 router is staggering if you are geeky enough to get the firmware flashed. It is not as easy to flash this router as it is flashing the Linksys, but it is well worth it. The Wiki tutorials are well written and provide all the information necessary. They are linked below. Success with systems of this nature presume some knowledge of Unix/ Linux, TCP/IP, and base level geekiness/ hardware hacking. If all of this is intimidating, maybe you have a 14 year old nephew who can help you out. Just print out this page and show it around. I won't help you with any problems you may have setting up a system like this, but I am open to hearing any criticism you may have of my approach or methods for improvement. Ideally there needs to be a Wiki set up for this issue as it of near universal interest to liveaboards and Caribbean cruisers. Does anyone know of a likely host? (Maybe sailnet.com, setsail.com, ssca.org) Router:http://www.buffalo-technology.com/pr...il.php?product... Antenna:http://www.trendnet.com/store/prodde...wao080&tree=Wi... Flashing with DD-WRT:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...lo_WHR-G54S.2C... Note: The firmwa dd-wrt.v23_mini_generic.bin mentioned in the tutorial has never worked for me, I have had success using dd- wrt.v23_generic.bin instead. Setting up the Bridge:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge Installing and using Auto AP:http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Autoap David Braun S/V Nausicaa Hi, David, Reading your post has been interesting as you may know that I'm actively trying to make my setup work. Unclear from what you wrote (or perhaps my level of ignorance not recognizing something), however, is whether your arrangement requires your connection to a cable, or if you are doing a wifi setup as I'm attempting - one which doesn't require a physical connection from the computer to the outside world. My setup has a bridge at the top of the mast, and an AP in the boat. That worked for a time, including with a Vonage router in between. Somehow it went off the rails, and I'm currently attempting to make it retrack. So, are you cable-connected, or do you have some other device which allows wifi connectivity to your setup (thence through the buffalo to associate with a shore AP)? Thanks. L8R Skip |
WiFi Success
On 30 Mar 2007 09:55:37 -0700, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote: My setup has a bridge at the top of the mast, and an AP in the boat. That worked for a time, including with a Vonage router in between. Somehow it went off the rails, and I'm currently attempting to make it retrack. I've been trying some new equipment since our last discussion about WiFi. My latest acquisition is an Engenius/Senao NOC-3220 EXT which I have configured as a bridge and interfaced with POE Cat-5 cable. It took a while to get it working, thanks in part to my inexperience, and thanks in part to sketchy documentation which unfortunately seems to be par for the course. My advice is to get your bridge first configured directly to a laptop so that you can confirm that your settings are correct. At that point you should be able to substitute an AP pre-configured on a different WiFi channel (maybe ch 1 instead of 6). Once you have the Ap/router working with a PC you should be able to plug in the Vonage box to the router and have it take off also. Take it one step at a time. It is important to avoid IP conflicts and/or incorrect subnet settings. |
WiFi Success
On Mar 30, 7:48 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On 30 Mar 2007 09:55:37 -0700, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: My setup has a bridge at the top of the mast, and an AP in the boat. That worked for a time, including with a Vonage router in between. Somehow it went off the rails, and I'm currently attempting to make it retrack. I've been trying some new equipment since our last discussion about WiFi. My latest acquisition is an Engenius/Senao NOC-3220 EXT which I have configured as a bridge and interfaced with POE Cat-5 cable. It took a while to get it working, thanks in part to my inexperience, and thanks in part to sketchy documentation which unfortunately seems to be par for the course. My advice is to get your bridge first configured directly to a laptop so that you can confirm that your settings are correct. At that point you should be able to substitute an AP pre-configured on a different WiFi channel (maybe ch 1 instead of 6). Once you have the Ap/router working with a PC you should be able to plug in the Vonage box to the router and have it take off also. Take it one step at a time. It is important to avoid IP conflicts and/or incorrect subnet settings. Hi, Wayne, and list, My objective is/was/still is to avoid repetitious plugging and unplugging of cables. For that matter, it's my objective to set it and forget it as to cables; I want to be able to address the bridge wirelessly so that each new harbor can be configured without my having to do the plug and play bit. It had been my original presumption that I would have to do as you described, but Bill Kearney and others in this space have asserted that it's not necessary. I have yet to achieve a stable configuration which doesn't have the plug/unplug/replug requirement, let alone that plus handset/dial tone telephony, but my second generation unit(s) have yet to surface as I have a few more pressing issues to address at the moment. Thus, I expect to succeed at that eventually. I had it once, but it went Tango Uniform a while into my experience which was, in a word, ecstatic, while it lasted. Thus, for the immediate time, I am doing as Dave has done, and have nothing other than a mast-top configured bridge, connected to an antenna and POE, with ethernet to my computer. It allows skype and google internet telephony, and surf an mail, which suffices for right now. L8R Skip |
WiFi Success
On 30 Mar 2007 20:01:04 -0700, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote: For that matter, it's my objective to set it and forget it as to cables; I want to be able to address the bridge wirelessly so that each new harbor can be configured without my having to do the plug and play bit. It had been my original presumption that I would have to do as you described, but Bill Kearney and others in this space have asserted that it's not necessary. At the very least the bridge will have to be reconfigured to address a new SSID unless you only look for defaults. Reconfiguring should be really quick and painless once you get the process down. 1. Network scan 2. Select SSID 3. Connect 4. Test with PC 5. Disconnect PC, connect AP/router, test |
WiFi Success
On Mar 31, 12:11 am, Wayne.B wrote:
On 30 Mar 2007 20:01:04 -0700, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: For that matter, it's my objective to set it and forget it as to cables; I want to be able to address the bridge wirelessly so that each new harbor can be configured without my having to do the plug and play bit. It had been my original presumption that I would have to do as you described, but Bill Kearney and others in this space have asserted that it's not necessary. At the very least the bridge will have to be reconfigured to address a new SSID unless you only look for defaults. Reconfiguring should be really quick and painless once you get the process down. 1. Network scan 2. Select SSID 3. Connect 4. Test with PC 5. Disconnect PC, connect AP/router, test Agreed. However, see above. I have no problem with my current unit. I knew it well enough to guide Lydia by memory to test it when I first put it in, from the top of the mast. I just don't want to do the unplug/replug/return-to-setup stages if I don't have to; I've been repeatedly assured it can be done... L8R Skip, off to the Blue Angels and other flying non-pigs :{)) |
WiFi Success
On 31 Mar 2007 05:14:27 -0700, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote: I just don't want to do the unplug/replug/return-to-setup stages if I don't have to; I've been repeatedly assured it can be done... We'll see but I wouldn't get your hopes up. I have spent over 6 months working from the boat in the last 2 years while cruising 8,000 miles, sometimes connecting to 2 or 3 different APs in a single week. Almost all have unique SSIDs, and many require sign-on through a web proxy. |
WiFi Success
I was reluctant to mention the following in my original post due to
the fact that it involves beta software and as such may be flakier than desired, but DD-WRT firmware does support a wireless repeater function: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...eless_Repeater It requires the v24 beta firmware, but the finalized v24 firmware is expected soon. The nice thing about this setup is that you can use your router as a bridge that is directly wired to your computer. Once you get it working flawlessly, you just change the "wireless mode" pull-down menu to select "repeater" and you are doing the same thing but without the ethernet cable. Note: I have not tried this. I am not interested in trying it. But based on my experience with DD-WRT, I know that it works and works well. The one aspect of this that I like is that avoids the need for ethernet up the mast. I am always skeptical that un-tinned, small guage, solid wire is just not durable in a marine environment. I expect that I will toy with this in the furture as a means of ensuring that if even my ethernet cable corrodes to the point of being un useable, I will just switch to repeater mode and do it wirelessly. David S/V Nausicaa On Mar 30, 8:01 pm, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: On Mar 30, 7:48 pm, Wayne.B wrote: On 30 Mar 2007 09:55:37 -0700, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: My setup has a bridge at the top of the mast, and an AP in the boat. That worked for a time, including with a Vonage router in between. Somehow it went off the rails, and I'm currently attempting to make it retrack. I've been trying some new equipment since our last discussion about WiFi. My latest acquisition is an Engenius/Senao NOC-3220 EXT which I have configured as a bridge and interfaced with POE Cat-5 cable. It took a while to get it working, thanks in part to my inexperience, and thanks in part to sketchy documentation which unfortunately seems to be par for the course. My advice is to get your bridge first configured directly to a laptop so that you can confirm that your settings are correct. At that point you should be able to substitute an AP pre-configured on a different WiFi channel (maybe ch 1 instead of 6). Once you have the Ap/router working with a PC you should be able to plug in the Vonage box to the router and have it take off also. Take it one step at a time. It is important to avoid IP conflicts and/or incorrect subnet settings. Hi, Wayne, and list, My objective is/was/still is to avoid repetitious plugging and unplugging of cables. For that matter, it's my objective to set it and forget it as to cables; I want to be able to address the bridge wirelessly so that each new harbor can be configured without my having to do the plug and play bit. It had been my original presumption that I would have to do as you described, but Bill Kearney and others in this space have asserted that it's not necessary. I have yet to achieve a stable configuration which doesn't have the plug/unplug/replug requirement, let alone that plus handset/dial tone telephony, but my second generation unit(s) have yet to surface as I have a few more pressing issues to address at the moment. Thus, I expect to succeed at that eventually. I had it once, but it went Tango Uniform a while into my experience which was, in a word, ecstatic, while it lasted. Thus, for the immediate time, I am doing as Dave has done, and have nothing other than a mast-top configured bridge, connected to an antenna and POE, with ethernet to my computer. It allows skype and google internet telephony, and surf an mail, which suffices for right now. L8R Skip |
WiFi Success
|
WiFi Success
On Apr 1, 12:13 am, Wayne.B wrote:
On 31 Mar 2007 19:47:22 -0700, wrote: The one aspect of this that I like is that avoids the need for ethernet up the mast. You've got to get power up there some how. Power run through 14ga. tinned, multi-stranded wire enclosed in a thick and resliant cover and called "marine grade duplex" is many orders of magnitude more chafe, UV, corrosion, and voltage drop resistant than even the best marine grade ethernet cable. That said, I do have ethernet up my mast, but if it fails and I am not planning on dropping my stick soon, I'll revert to repeater mode. Multiple redundancy is good seamanship.... even if WiFi is a non- mission-critical extravagance :) David Braun S/V Nauisicaa |
WiFi Success
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WiFi Success
On Apr 1, 9:20 am, Wayne.B wrote:
On 1 Apr 2007 08:32:21 -0700, wrote: Power run through 14ga. tinned, multi-stranded wire enclosed in a thick and resliant cover and called "marine grade duplex" is many orders of magnitude more chafe, UV, corrosion, and voltage drop resistant than even the best marine grade ethernet cable. I think we'd all agree with that although 14 ga is way overkill. That said, I do have ethernet up my mast, but if it fails and I am not planning on dropping my stick soon, I'll revert to repeater mode. Multiple redundancy is good seamanship.... even if WiFi is a non- mission-critical extravagance :) All well and good but does it leave you with the option of reconfiguring your bridge to a new SSID, or sign on to a WiFi proxy site? In other words, can you still communicate over the repeater link to the bridge if no shore connection to an AP exists? As I said, I have not done this but based on my knowledge of the DD- WRT firmware, I'll project what I think the answers would be. If anyone has direct experience, please correct me. Regarding new SSID: This is the beauty of the Auto AP script. It sends out a ping to a time server on the internet every 30 seconds. If the ping fails, it automatically reconnects to whichever AP has the strongest signal. It requires no input from the downstream computer. In fact even when it is used in a wired bridge mode, you will not always have access to the device as it may be on a different subnet. This is expalined in the Wiki referenced in the original post. If you need to sign onto a wifi proxy, you can always contact it wirelessly by manually changing your IP address to the same subnet as the bridge/repeater. Make your changes and then go back to DHCP for bridging into the network of choice. If this fails, you can regain access to the device that is aloft by cycling its power. This will return it to its original IP address and you can certainly contact it as previously described. Wayne, you seem to be a little skeptical about all this and I can understand that. I have bought about 5 wireless routers and access points trying to accomplish this project. Each one had some limitation in the software that prevented them from working the way I knew they were capable of operating. Once I discovered DD-WRT, it was this amazing playground. Every option available in every router plus more was all rolled into one. Plus contributors were writing code and scrips that added into the firmware to create even greater functionality. I suggest that you dig out some old router that you have lying around and load DD-WRT on it. You will quickly see the power inherrant in this firmware. But don't forget the Buffalo router. This is an amazing piece of hardware for the money. I regret that I didn't take any photos of my project before I bolted it to the top of my mast, but I may be building a system for a friend and will take a series of photos of that. It is the 5" x 5" board that makes this router so ideal for using aloft. I even do some board level mods to make it easier to fit into a small case. David S/V Nausicaa |
WiFi Success
|
WiFi Success
Most all this information you will notice comes from the DD-WRT Wiki.
I suggest spending a couple of hours pawing around over there. You are likely to discover many things helpful to your goal that I fail to mention. This page lists all the DD-WRT supported routers: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices Of these, the Linksys WRT-54G routers are the easiest to flash as it can be accomplished through the web interface of the router itself. The biggest problem with the Linksys routers is that there is significant differences in the hardware your are getting depending upon which version of the WRT-54G you have. Versions 5 and 6 are notoriously hard to deal with a they have been crippled at the factory (I remember somewhere that it was possible to get around this somehow) For an off the shelf new Linksys, it is best to go with the WRT-54GL. One advantage of the Linksys routers over the Buffalo id twin antennas. This could be helpful in a repeater set-up where one antenna is used to connect to the access point (8 dBi stick) and another is used to connect with your lap top (80 degree directional pointing down from your mast). The DD-WRT firmware can sense which antenna is most useful for the connection and use that antanna. Although the Buffalo routers are not the easiest to flash (it requires using a command line interface and a TFTP utility), it is neither rocket science, nor uber-geekdom. The pay-off is the best hardware in the smallest package size. You asked about bricking. There is a Wiki that deals with that: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...om_a_Bad_Flash Basicly it is near impossible to render a router completly unuseable by flashing incorrectly. Even if you did brick a couple routers, you are still money ahead of where you would be if your were buying Senao equipment. I do not know what develpment tools are used for writing the firmware itself. Coding on that level is way beyond anything of interest or utility to most cruisers. I play around at the level of adding "packages." These are preconfigured add-ons that typically become a part of the unix operating environment of the router and are automatically started when the router reboots. You can read about all the major ones that are availabe he http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Tutorials I absolutely agree with your statement about goals and priorities. Fortunately, this pathway is pretty well defined and yields pay-offs far greater than the time invested. With any system, you will spend at least a day creating a weather-tight enclosure and probably another day getting it up the mast or wherever its outside home will be. I am just suggesting that you spend an additional day reading and learning about DD-WRT before you begin the project, because doing so will save about 20 days of trying to solve all your problems created by locking yourself into inappropriate consumer-grade POS router/bridges that can't easily handle the changing AP connections. It will save you quite a few trips up the mast as well. David S/V Nausicaa On Apr 2, 7:04 am, Wayne.B wrote: On 1 Apr 2007 23:39:21 -0700, wrote: Once I discovered DD-WRT, it was this amazing playground. Every option available in every router plus more was all rolled into one. Plus contributors were writing code and scrips that added into the firmware to create even greater functionality. I suggest that you dig out some old router that you have lying around and load DD-WRT on it. Interesting, good information. Since I don't have any old routers laying around that are DD-WRT capable, which would you recommend buying? Do any of them have a way of recovering from a "bricked" state due to a faulty firmware load? What programming language is the DD-WRT code written in, and what development tools do you need for hacking around with it? One issue that I have is goals and priorities. My priority is achieving reliable WiFi service on the boat, not becoming a router/bridge/DD-WRT expert. :-) |
WiFi Success
To David and others...
Great posts, reviewed the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Router specs. Flashing with dd-wrt.V24_AAP-0130-wrt54g.bin seems easy. I'm curious about what board-level mods you made. If you could eventually post pics (if you do the job again), that would be great. Any issues with the simple dropping resistor (to 5v) using boat power? Hank S. Ft. lauderdale |
WiFi Success
On Apr 5, 12:22 pm, hank wrote:
To David and others... Great posts, reviewed the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Router specs. Flashing with dd-wrt.V24_AAP-0130-wrt54g.bin seems easy. I'm curious about what board-level mods you made. If you could eventually post pics (if you do the job again), that would be great. Any issues with the simple dropping resistor (to 5v) using boat power? Hank S. Ft. lauderdale It appears I will be making another set up for a friend in about a month or so, so I will be posting pics at that time. Here are the board level mods: 1. Spin the antenna connector 90 degrees so that the antenne wire and ethernet cable come out of the same side of the board 2. Scrape some components and traces off the board below the ethernet ports and run jumpers over to the power jack. This provides POE connectivity without having to have a bunch of other boxes or boards in the housing. VERY clean! I rigged up a voltage meter to a specially wired RJ45 keystone jack. I hooked this jack up to the ethernet plug at the top of the mast. In my electrical panel where I inject the POE power, I used a potentiometer in line with my house battery power. I turned up the pot until the voltage meter at the top of the mast read 5V. I then measured the resistance of the pot and but a resistor of the same value in line. I don't recall what the value was, but I could check if you liked. It is important that you use a trial and error process like this as the conductors in the ethernet cable are so small and the runs so long that the voltage drop is significant. In my system, the round trip distance is about 120'. To get a handle on what is at play here, check out: http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm You can input wire sizes and runs and calculate voltage drop. Cat5 cable is usually 24 ga., but each leg uses 2 conductors. If you convert the twin cross sectional areas to the most appropriate wire guage, it comes out close to 21 ga. That guage is not an option in the calcuator, but 20 ga. is. Even at that guage, voltage drop is calculated to be over 20%. You can see that distance of the run is a very big factor here. I was a little concerned that cahrging voltages would mess with my system. But 14V/12.7V is only a 12% difference and so far has not shown any adverse effect. YMMV and if it does, let me know about your experiences. David S/V Nausicaa |
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