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Belkin Repeater Problem

I bought a Belkin range extender to try to get around a large tree that blocks my line of sight to a second building some 300 ft away. I can get a very low signal down there from the Linksys router alone, but it drops out etc..

The Belkin will not setup or work with the security turned on. There is a small note in the setup leaflet, that says I have to turn the security off on the router while I punch the auto connect button that programs the repeater to the router, which makes sense. The Belkin then works, but when I turn security back on, it does not work.

I called Belkin. They agreed that it wouldn't work with the security turned on and said I needed to call Linksys to find out how to work around it. Since I don't speak Hindu that was about all I could get out of her.

Can anyone help me with this problem? It seems to me, that if anyone sells a repeater which they advertise as a universal range extender, it has got to work with security.

TIA Blair

Reply to
mac10
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You don't say what your security is, but the problem is WPA, most likely.

I ran into the same problems even when using two devices with the same firmware. They were linksys/buffalo using DD-WRT, which even has more than one way to do repeating. By making it a "G-only" system, I could get WPA to work, but not reliably. I gave up. And that's the going advice around here, "don't do it"

It may be easier to get WEP to work, but I don't want that risk, and you probably don't either.

I think this security problem is endemic (is that the word?) with repeaters and you should just take the sucker back.

If you really need to repeat, then consider using two devices back-to- back; a wireless ethernet converter/bridge feeding ethernet into a seperate router in AP mode. Depends on your budget, but wireless routers are cheap enough, and if you don't want to buy a dedicated ethernet bridge/converter, then an older linksys or current Buffalo (among others) can be set up with DD-WRT firmware and used as a bridge.

Possibilities using Buffalo as a preferred brand:

Two of these running dd-wrt so one is a converter/bridge:

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but currently out-of-stock most everywhere)

two of these running dd-wrt are better, bt more expensive:

formatting link

Or, without changing firmware, one of these combined with one of the above.

formatting link

Check out the wireless wiki for a list of converter/bridges.

Steve

Reply to
seaweedsteve

Thanks for the info Steve. It rather pisses me off when they sell something as universal when they know it won't work, with the most important feature. Guess I will just have to run cable to a remote router or AP. What's the use of wireless. :)

Reply to
mac10

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