WiFi Uplink

gpw928

gpw928

I don't have a lot of experience with WiFi, but I want to put a switch into an area without a wired network connection.

The easiest solution would seem to be a WiFi up-link. There is a Netgear WNDR4300 N750 next door.

Are WiFi up-links a proprietary thing -- meaning that I have to buy two switches from the same vendor?
 
Phishfry said:
Do you mean WiFi-Extender? That is a common device I see in use.
Click to expand...
I don't have a WiFi range issue. I want to connect several devices with copper Ethernet ports (and without WiFi) to an existing network, without running cat5/6 cabling.
 
Yes what I would call Wifi-Extender or Wifi-Bridge
Are they brand standardized...
I would say yes as they use WPA2/3 for device to device networking. Right?
That would be if you allow the devices (wifi extender to wifi extender) to do the negotiation.
 
Phishfry said:
That term seems ambigious.
Do you mean WiFi-Extender? That is a common device I see in use.


Are you trying to extend your network off this other device?
Click to expand...
I was trying to work out how to provide Internet access to a couple of systems via LAN using a WiFi connected laptop, but was never able to figure it out, in spite of some help here. It would involve routing WiFi to LAN, but a solution never materialised.
I eventually resorted to a powerline extender which works reasonably well and no configuration is involved.
 
OK How about this example.
Build a FreeBSD Box to do the router end.
You would probably want two wifi cards. One for backhaul and one for servicing forwarded wifi network.
Point yagis together for backhaul and use 2.4ghz because its faster at range.
Use other Wifi card for 5GHZ network to service your wifi newtork. Omni antenna.

Of course with a commercial AP you can do both freqs on both radios.
 
OK for balanga too I would use a spare APU2/3/4 and put two Atheros radios in it.
Like I say with HostAPD you can only have one frequency per card.
So lets say ath0 is one wifi card and ath1 is the other.
You make ath0 your 'WAN' or backhaul to copper/fiber.
Like I say it would use WPA2/3 to your back haul provider device.

Then use ath1 for a HostAPD network with WPA3
 
gpw928 said:
I don't have a lot of experience with WiFi, but I want to put a switch into an area without a wired network connection.

The easiest solution would seem to be a WiFi up-link. There is a Netgear WNDR4300 N750 next door.

Are WiFi up-links a proprietary thing -- meaning that I have to buy two switches from the same vendor?
Click to expand...


What sort of distance are you trying to bridge? Are the locations in the same building?
 
Some of the decisions come down to your network setup.
Are you just "extending" an existing network subnet or creating a whole new subnet.
 
Phishfry said:
OK for balanga too I would use a spare APU2/3/4 and put two Atheros radios in it.
Like I say with HostAPD you can only have one frequency per card.
So lets say ath0 is one wifi card and ath1 is the other.
You make ath0 your 'WAN' or backhaul to copper/fiber.
Like I say it would use WPA2/3 to your back haul provider device.

Then use ath1 for a HostAPD network with WPA3
Click to expand...
Thanks Phishfry, but sounds just too complicated and probably expensive. I just bought a couple of powerline network transmitters for about $25, plugged them in, switched on and had remote network access without any configuration, apart from

Code: 
ifconfig_em0="DHCP"
in /etc/rc.conf
 
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