What good is the Actiontec GT704WG wireless/wired DSL router outside of Verizon?

What good is the Actiontec GT704WG wireless/wired DSL router outside of Verizon?

Long story short, I ordered DSL service from Verizon, which the sales person insisted I was close enough to the central office for but then which was automatically canceled by the audit department and my charges supposedly refunded.

When I called, about two months ago, they said wait 'till I received a postage free sticker in the email which never arrived. I still haven't seen the charges on my bill.

I realize Verizon owns the equipment so I'm not going to sell it but I'm also just going to hold on to it until/unless they ask for it back (I'm not paying the postage, for sure).

But, having said that, I'm curious ... is this thing any good to me (now or in the future) or is it just a brick outside the Verizon DSL network?

Reply to
jm
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I use a GT701WG on Qwest's DSL service. So far as I know, the GT704 just has a built-in switch with 4 10BaseT ports instead of the single port on the GT701.

Your box probably has Verizon-tailored firmware which pre-sets some of the network specific parameters (mine has Qwest firmware). You can download generic firmware from Actiontec and do all the configuration by hand if you're so inclined.

Reply to
Bert Hyman

As I vaguely recall, the Quest version of the GT704WG use PPPoA, while the generic version uses PPPoE. The box is capable of doing both, but Quest firmware limits you to PPPoA. I think (not sure) that the Verizon version has a similar problem. Please treat this as a guess(tm) as I'm too lazy to check.

Incidentally, I have a few GT704WG boxes on the shelf, waiting for me to find an excuse to recycle them.

If all else fails, you can ignore the DSL, router, and DHCP server part of the device, and just use it as a wireless access point.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

This is interesting.

Does that imply I can run a cat5 cable from my Linksys WRT54G wireless router to the Actiontec GT704WG and thereby add a new SSID on the Actiontec GT704WG that my PCs at home can connect to (perhaps extending my range)?

Reply to
jm

jm wrote in news:i56av9$gbv$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Sure works for me - upstairs and downstairs wireless.

Reply to
Han

Yep. That works. Be sure to follow the instructions, especially about turning off the DHCP server in the Actiontec. There's also a small chance that you may need an ethernet crossover cable as you're connecting a LAN port to another LAN port. Also, pay attention to the IP address you assign to the Actiontec as you'll want it in the same IP address block as the WRT54G, but not duplicating its IP address.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Not crossposted since - "Google Groups does not currently support posting to the following usenet groups: "alt.online-service.verizon""

You can use the same SSID or a different one. If you use the same one the PC will connect to the strongest signal. You might even get roaming whereby it switches to a stronger one if it finds it subsequently.

Reply to
bod43

Or you may find it stubbornly using the weaker one instead of the stronger one.

Reply to
John Navas

I would use different SSID's, on different channels (1, 6, or 11) to allow the user to select which wireless access point to use. It will work if you use the same SSID, but you don't get a choice of AP's with most wireless client managers.

If you want seamless roaming, where the client switches AP's as it wanders around the house, both should use the same SSID. However, without fast roaming features (802.11r or 802.11f), the client radio will pick the strongest signal to start, and hang onto the connection forever or until forcibly disconnected (as others have mentioned). In other words, seamless roaming doesn't work without hardware and protocol support.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

jm wrote in news:i56av9$gbv$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Yes, that is one thing you can do. You can also set it up as a a wireless to Cat-5 connection. Handy to have if you need some wired internet ports at a remote location (but within the range of the WRT54G) and you can't easily get a wire to there. You could als just shut down all the wireless and router functions and have a 4 port switch.

Reply to
Gordon

I like this idea of a 'wireless to cat5' connection.

Is this possible?

  1. Normal router broadcasts to home (but some PCs are old & not wpa2psk enabled)
  2. Set up the Actiontec next to the old computer sans the wireless card on the old computer
  3. Connect a cat5 between the Actiontec and the old computer

Will that work?

Is there a tutorial on how to set up the Actiontec to receive the wireless signals from the router (wpa2 psk) and then allow it to be used as a wired connection to the old computer?

Reply to
SF Man

SF Man wrote in news:i5e900$2q6$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

You have the right idea. But, exactly what you have to do, I couldn't say. You will have to do a Google search to find out how. Personally I have never done it (everything here is wired). But I have heard about old wireless routers being used this way.

Reply to
Gordon

It's only possible on certain products that can be configured as a wireless Ethernet client bridge, and many products can't.

Reply to
John Navas

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