Bridge or Repearter mode?

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Consider instead an inexpensive high-gain antenna, which may solve your problem. See the FAQ for more info.

"MaxAle" hath wroth:

Is your 3com really an access point or is it a router? Just curious since you didn't bother to specify the model numbers. I'll assume access point.

You have some choices to make here. You can configure both your Digicom and 3com for the same SSID and try to get seamless roaming (automagically switch between the two wireless devices while moving around the house), or you can use different SSID's so that you can select and test the coverage individually. I would go for different SSID's at this time.

Set them for different channels. The non-overlapping channels are 1,

6, and 11 (in the US). With different channels, they won't interfere with each others.

Connect a CAT5 cable between one of the LAN ethernet ports on the Digicom and the single ethernet port on your 3com access point.

Set the IP address of the 3com to something that's in the same range as the Digicom. If the Digicom is 192.168.1.1, then the 3com should be perhaps 192.168.1.2. The actually address doesn't matter as long as there's no duplication and it's in the same Class C IP address block.

If the unspecified 3com model access point has a DHCP server, turn it off. You only need one DHCP server and that's in the Digicom router.

Your laptops or computer should show both SSID's. Select the strongest and connect. That's it.

As John Navas suggested, you might do better with reflector type antennas:

the 3com is an Access Point model 3CRwE454G72 and I have configured it in repeater mode. I have configured both with the same SSID, I have disabled the DHCP on the 3com I set the IP address of the Router ADSL Digicom as 192.168.254.252 I set the IP address of the 3com as 192.168.254.250 (with gateway

192.168.254.252) With my laptop I switch automatically between the two wireless devices while moving around the house but when I'm connected with the 3com device I cannot navigate or ping my desktop (that is connect with a CAT5 cable to the Digicom. It seems that the two device do not communicate between them.

"MaxAle" hath wroth:

Repeater? Welcome to compatibility issues.

Yep. Repeaters can be a bag of worms. There's no guarantee that any random repeater will work with any other wireless device. Manufacturers usually list what devices their repeaters will work with. Digging through the irritating 3com Knowledge pile, I find:

Solution ID: 3KB15335

3crwe454g72, 3crgpoe10075 - Units not working in repeater mode together

• The 3CRWE454g72 needs to be in repeater mode and must be running v1.03.07c or above

• The3CRGPOE10075 needs to be in as an Access Point in Point to point bridge mode and running v2.00.35 or above.

Solution ID: 3KB8814 Problem: 3CRWE454g72 - Can this Access Point act as a repeater? No, the access point does not have the ability to act as a repeater. It would need a physical connection to the network or a device such as a Gateway and then be able to transmit a wireless signal.

It seems that 3com can't seem to decide if it's a repeater or not. The data sheet does not mention repeater mode.

I was too lazy to lookup the chipsets used in the 3CRwE454G72 and your Digicom. My guess(tm) is that it would probably show two different manufacturers chipsets, which tend to be incompatible.

Sorry, no solutions other than runnning the CAT5 wire and not using it as a repeater.

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I suggest using Powerline Ethernet to connect a remote wireless access point to a wireless router, or just Powerline Ethernet Networking (a good but commonly overlooked solution) for clients instead of wireless.