HELP!!!

[Jaime4968]

Hello, so I'm trying to configure my Linksys Wireless -G access point WAP54G with my D-Link WBR-1310 wireless router. So I can use the WAP Downstairs with our Bravia HD TV and my Wii and soon laptop. What do I need to do? I'm okay with this sort of thing but not very good so I need step by step if possible. Thanks.

 

[eibgrad]

It depends on the type of bridging you need. You’ve presented a mix of wired and wireless devices, so it’s not clear what your intentions are.

You can always create a WIRED bridge using an Ethernet cable between the WBR-1310 and the WAP54G to create a local wireless hotspot. That’s pretty easy.

Wired Bridge to a Wireless Access Point (aka AP mode)
[wbr-1310]<-- wire -->[wap54g]<-- wireless -->[various wireless devices]

The problem comes if you want to create a WIRELESS bridge.

Wireless Bridge to a Wired Access Point (aka AP Client mode)
[wbr-1310]<-- wireless -->[wap54g]<-- wire -->[various wired devices]

Wireless Bridge to a Wireless Access Point (aka Wireless Repeater mode)
[wbr-1310]<-- wireless -->[wap54g]<-- wireless -->[various wireless devices]

The WAP54G (in AP Client or Wireless Repeater mode) uses a technology called WDS to support wireless bridging. But WDS is not a WiFi certified protocol, so implementations vary widely, and thus compatibility is a common problem. For all intents and purposes, your WAP54G will only wirelessly bridge to another WAP54G (and possibly a Linksys WRT54G router, but not even sure about that). IOW, even getting it to work w/ the SAME manufacturer is a challenge. But now you’re trying to wirelessly bridge to a DIFFERENT manufacturer (D-Link). While you can always try, your chances of success are probably 1/100.

What you really want/need is a “universal” wireless Ethernet bridge which will wireless bridge to ANY wireless router/AP.

 

[Jaime4968]

my biggest intention is plugging the WAP directly into my tv to access the internet through that. The Wii can use the router upstairs and my laptop which I don't have yet can do the same. I'm trying to do the Netflix thing through my tv and I have the tv capable of doing that just needs a bridge. Thats where the WAP comes in. I'm buying a router Wed. so If I get A Linksys router it should have a better chance of working then right?

 

[eibgrad]

Using a Linksys router would certainly improve your chances, but I was reading the manual and it only specifically mentioned using another WAP54G. *I* added the possibility of the WRT54G router since it's been around for so long, and if any router was going to work, I figured that would be the one. But again, officially, Linksys only mentions the WAP54G.

What you might want to consider is installing dd-wrt (third party firmware) on the WAP54G (according to the dd-wrt database, it’s supported w/ v1.0, v1.1, v2.0, v3.0, or v3.1). That would allow you to use it as either a wireless Ethernet bridge (wired clients) or a wireless repeater bridge (wired and wireless clients). At least it wouldn’t cost you anything.