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Netgear MR814v2 external antenna

My SMC7004WFW doesn't seem to like Windows XP. Either that, or it's just flaking out after two years. The Orinoco and DWL-122 both connect fine to other WAPs. They connected fine to the SMC when they were running Win2000, but running WinXP they flake out every couple of hours. I have to reset the SMC to get internet access again, although the connection still shows solid.

Both wireless are useless once the SMC locks up. Wired continues to be fine.

So, wandering through Fry's Electronics on Thursday, I bought a Netgear MR814v2 for $22.00. I figured I was having more than $22 worth of frustration with the current setup.

But the antenna on the MR814v2 is fixed instead of removable, so I can't use my external Connifer antenna. I wouldn't be able to use my RP-SMA cable anyway, so I would have needed a new cable even if the Netgear were detachable. I'm thinking of hacking the Netgear open and wiring in a short length of cable and an N-connector to go directly to the Connifer.

In the meantime, I thought I'd drop back to a reflector on the existing MR814v2 rubber duckie. But wait... I get excellent signal at the far end of the house. That was never true on the SMC, which is how I got interested in reflectors and USB-cantennas in the first place.

Is the WR814v2 a wonderful new toy? Why is it only $22? 802.11b that far out of favor? It's faster than my cable modem anyway.

Reply to
dold
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Nobody really likes Windoze.

Yep. If you tear it apart, you'll find U-FL connectors on the board (or soldered directly to the board), and some thin coax going into the antenna. I have two ways around this:

  1. Destroy the antenna leaving only the coax pigtail hanging out the back of the box. Attach an SMA or TNC connector on the end of the coax.
  2. Replace the antenna and coax with a panel mount SMA or TNC pigtail.

I've done both and they both work.

Yeah, that would also work. I'm partial to smaller connectors for the small cables.

Just about anything in 802.11b is out of favour and on sale these days. $22 is an amazingly good price. Congrats.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

What, you don't like a connector that weighs more than the router?

$20 or so is my sucker point.

I buy stuff I don't need for $20. This looks like a good thing.

Sitting here on the same couch where the SMC wouldn't connect, and I have good signal. Reflector as soon as I get around to it. Maybe some learnbydestroying in a month, when I can't return it to Fry's anyway.

Reply to
dold

Oh-oh.

Not always. It sometimes means that someone screwed up on the production line and the whole lot had to be "remanufactured" to replace some erronious or defective component. Unfortunately, it can also mean that a significant percentage of the production line units failed an accellerated burnin test and have a potentially short lifetime. At best, it meant that the firmware was some really disgusting version and the manufactory did not see fit to upack all the boxes and replace it with something that actually worked.

So do I. I take my chances and have come out ahead more often than not.

I've seen some rework on more complex products (full computers), but not on sealed boxes.

Optimist. So, what died? I've had problems with 5V 3A wall warts blowing up. Any chance it's something that simple?

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Did I mention that it was "refurb"? I assumed that meant a euphemism for "I took it home and didn't like it". Sometimes it is, and I buy a lot of refurb stuff. Sometimes it means it's no good, and I suspect that in today's environment, the same serial number might got Return to Vendor several times before it gets tossed. I doubt if any are really repaired.

Mine died. I'll try another one, maybe two, before I give up and buy a full priced Linksys.

Reply to
dold

This was the latest firmware available on the site.

It didn't really die, it just stopped talking to the cable modem.

I power cycled, and a few hours later, same thing. Wireless and wired were connected to the router, but the router wasn't connected to the cable modem.

I'm also a sucker for rebates. I might return the refurb netgear and buy a brand new "g" for $29 instead. DLink at Office Depot:

Netgear WGR614 at Amazon, $27.44

Reply to
dold

FWIW, I've been running one of these 24/7 since July '03 and it has passed many GB of wired and wireless traffic w/o a single problem.

Check the NG site for firmware updates, but it turns out the best Firmware is 5.03 (instead of the 5.30, unless there's one later.)

-Kenny

Reply to
Kenneth Crudup

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