wireless to wired across long distance

[sjones]

yeah i recently moved and dont have connection to the internet so i will only be able to get on once a week maybe, anyway, im looking to make a wireless network from my father-in-laws house to my house (both trailors) about 300 feet away from each other, ive been told that linksys is a good company but aint for sure so asking for help. id like for it to be fast cuz i plan on sharing files and possibly gaming from house to house. id like the best company for the cheapest rate. and does the 108mbps really differ from teh 54mbps, or would you notice it is what im asking mainly. the only thing the signal will have to go through is the walls of the trailor but you talking a few walls. and i will need this wireless network to connect to a wired network inside the house. basically the wireless connection from the router at the inlaws to my access point at my house to a wired router then branched off through the wired router to several other computers in my own home network. i have no parts except a linksys wired router and ethernet cables. and i plan on going the 802.11g rate but dont know if 54 or 108 would be better for my needs, plus linksys has a speed booster thing and dont know much about it and would it be worth buying? thanks

one more thing is the range extender or antenna worth the money and will it help out alot too i really dont want to spend more then 200 max and less is always better but if its a little more for alot more quality that woudl be good too, 100 to 150 would be better. i live in ky and there is nothing between the two trailors, just a curious question, there is a little power thing close to our trailors that wont in anyway interfere with the signal it is a good distance away over 1000 feet. thanks

[Yawgm0th]

Linksys makes good networking products. However, in my experience (which is quite extensive) the range on their 802.11b/g products has never been very good. I eventually replaced my own Linksys wireless router with a Netgear one and it solved all of the connection problems we had been having on the basement computer. Previously, we had replaced the Linksys wireless device the computer was using with a different brand, and that helped quite a bit.

Basically, I'd recommend Netgear based on my own experience. I've used one router and one 802.11g USB device, and both work extremely well to this day.

As for the standard, I'd suggest you just stick with 802.11g, because quite often the 108mbps devices have problems. In fact, most of them do from what I've read. However, TweakTown actually had a very good review of one a while ago. If someone pulls it up, I'd suggest you use whatever product that they reviewed. The extra speed will make a pretty big different for the file transfers you'll want to do. However, if I were in your position I'd save my money and stick with G.

As for extending your range, it can certainly be worth it or, more importantly, necessary, but here's what I'd do: First get everything and try it. If you get unreliable connectivity, then you make your own antenna, or cantenna, I should say. Go here if you end up needing this.

If you need to get a wireless device for your machine (and by the looks of it, you don't), I'd suggest you get a PCI card with a removable antenna, because it makes using a different one much easier. If it's a laptop, then you'd obviously have to go with USB or PCMCIA.

[sjones]

so i should try the 54mbps 802.11g netgear products. where is the chepest place to buy netgear newegg? and i buy all ethernet products becuase if i went with an usb ap i would run into problems and would have to buy a usb conversion adapter. also, should i go with the rangemax things or just go with the basic. should i get a router with a firewall or not (netgears wgr614 w/o the firewall or the dg834g with a firewall) also should i go with a bridge or an ap. whats the difference? and connecting it to my wired network from the ap or bridge would be easy right just connect the ethernet from the ap or bridge into the linksys router i have, right? those wireless plug in things from netgear look neat too i dont plan on buying one right off but maybe in the future, you know anythign about them, they send the data through the electrical outlet throughout the whole house, sounds cool.

[Yawgm0th]

Originally Posted by sjones

so i should try the 54mbps 802.11g netgear products. where is the chepest place to buy netgear newegg?

Yep.

Originally Posted by sjones

should i get a router with a firewall or not (netgears wgr614 w/o the firewall or the dg834g with a firewall)

All routers will act as a hardware firewall to some extent, but the DG834G has a lot more features on its firewall then most. I doubt you'll use them, so unless it's the same price, just get the WGR614.

Originally Posted by sjones

also, should i go with the rangemax things or just go with the basic.

I haven't read anything about Netgear's Rangemax products until just now. I'm not too sure if they're actually any good, though I'd imagine they're at least a little better than Netgear's normal wireless routers. If it doesn't cost much more, go for it. Otherwise, you'd be better off monetarily if you just built your own antenna.

Originally Posted by sjones

also should i go with a bridge or an ap. whats the difference?

Just get a wireless AP and a wireless router. A bridge is for combining two networks but won't be necessary here. In fact, a wireless AP is, in essense, a wireless bridge.

Originally Posted by sjones

those wireless plug in things from netgear look neat too i dont plan on buying one right off but maybe in the future, you know anythign about them, they send the data through the electrical outlet throughout the whole house, sounds cool.

If you have problems connecting to something in your own house, they are a very viable, albeit expensive solution. From what I've read, they work great. It won't help you connect to your relative's place, but it would certainly help if you couldn't reach somewhere in your own home.

[sjones]

one problem with the range max i noticed is that they have an internal antena and that means there is no spot to connect the antena i would build, and would cost a little over 200 bucks but if it would work through aluminum siding it would probably be worth it through newegg. but its 108mbps which you said was bad.

[Yawgm0th]

It's not bad, per se, but it's simply not as reliable as just plain G. But given that you'd be spending $200 for something that should cost around half that, I think the reliability is a moot point. It's too much money for what you're doing.

[sjones]

the wgr614 is 51.99 at newegg i didnt see the other router the user reviews is mixed on this router though. and which ap would you suggest the wge111 is 69.99. i did a quick search on froogle and it was like 150 i believe for the DG834G. if its that much higher theres no point.

[Yawgm0th]

This is my router, except mine came with a USB adapter instead of a PCMCIA card. If you can find it without either for less money on another site, go for it. The WGR614 is cheaper, as you said, but the reviews are bad and numerous, which is a good enough sign of a bad product, so I'd take the price premium and go for the WGE111. Since it's out of stock and insistant on being with its PCMCIA card, I'd look at another site. If you can't find it without the additional card on any reliable retailer, I'd go for a D-link router instead. D-link is pretty good in my experience and the experience of many people online that have used D-link products. I certianly can't recommend paying ~$40 more (after rebate) for the Netgear router.

The Netgear WG602NA is priced fairly well on Newegg in comparison with other APs, so I'd have to recommend it even if I weren't so Netgear-biased.

[mjmnam]

here's a site with a decent amount of antennas you could mount on the outside of the trailers if you want to do some modding. they'd certainly help with your signal.

http://www.wlanparts.com/category/antennas/

[sjones]

the problem with the WGE111 is that it is a game adapter that wont make a difference will it i dont think it would but im going to ask to make sure. but dosent the WGE111 act more like an access point with a game console then a router. and there is not any need in buying an exteneral antena i should just make one which would be cheaper to possibly stay outside or in. and the one i made would work as good as the one i would buy or atleast reasonably close. or it should if i do things right from what i read. and i shouldnt have any compatability or setup problems when using a netgear ap and a dlink router, or i dont believe i would. i wonder why you cant find that router just by itself. allwell.