Need Help Connecting AC3 to wireless network

[Tswifty]

My AC3 is nowhere near the modem or computers in the house, so connecting it via an ethernet cable is not an option. However, we have a wireless network supplied by a Netgear Wireless G router (WGR614)in the house.

I would like to tap into this somehow.

Today I went to Best Buy and the guy sent me home with another Netgear Wireless G router (WGR614) and said that I can connect this to my AC3 and it will allow me to connect to the wireless network.

Does anyone know how I go about doing this?


I've also heard that the guy was wrong and this won't work. If so, what product would you recommend I purchase to make this work.

Thanks... I am extremely confused, and computers are not my strong suit by any means.

[ah30k]

That device is not the best solution for you. Technically it may work if you do a lot of configuration to settings but you don't want to go there.

You want a device to convert from 10/100 wired into wireless. I'm trying to find an appropriate product and will re-post if I find it.

[ah30k]

Maybe this http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/WET54G ?

[Carlos]

A wireless BRIDGE will easily do the trick.

Also bridges are cheaper than routers!

Carlos

[Tswifty]

Thanks guys... now the Netgear customer service guy kept saying that the Netgear router I purchased does not support "bridging."

This is also the same router that we are using in our home. If I purchase the bridge recommended above, will I encounter a problem?

[ah30k]

The problem with using a home router as a bridge is that you need to disable all of the home router functions (preventing conflicts with your primary router) to get it to work in bridge mode. This was the gist of my first comment that you might be able to get it to work but it is not worth the trouble. A bridge defaults to the more simplistic mode and should be much easier to set up. Won't be much cheaper since routers have come down so much in price.

[Tswifty]

Ok... I'm planning on returning the router, and exchanging it for the product above... I just wasn't sure if what they customer service rep told me last night meant I was SOL regardless of what I try to do or not.

I thought he meant I couldn't use anything to hook into the wireless network because of the current router we are using in our home.

[qfrisco]

As has already been mentioned, you need a "wireless ethernet bridge", sometimes also referred to as a "wireless gaming adapter" as they are used to get the older game consoles (PS2, original XBOX) which supported wired ethernet connections attached to a wireless network.

The best one for the price I found was on Ebay and it was a D-Link DWL-G820. It supported WPA encryption which is what I use on my network at home. I got it for $27 (Buy It Now) used. I hooked it up to my AC3 this past weekend and so far has worked flawlessly.

[Tswifty]

I'm having trouble finding any type of gaming adapter or bridge anywhere locally.

All I can find is:

Linksys Wireless G Access Point - Around $80

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WAP54G-Wireless-G-Access-Point/dp/B00007KDVJ

Linksys Wireless N Gaming Adapter - Around $100

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-Gaming-Adapter/dp/B0010TEOLQ

[kenargo]

I use these: "Linksys Wireless N Gaming Adapter" and they are much nicer that the earlier version (Linksys Wireless G Gaming Adapter). They expose 2 connections, 1 for wireless access to the configuration page and 1 for the connected device (e.g., AC3).

[Tswifty]

Will that work with our houses Netgear Wireless G Router?

[RussM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14371836#post14371836 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
Will that work with our houses Netgear Wireless G Router?

It should work. 'n' wireless equipment is backward-compatible with 'g' equipment.

[Tswifty]

Thanks. I pulled up the product description and it said it will work.

Now the only issue is that product is $100 is there any other way I could do this that would save some $?

I hoping to spend around $50 or less to get this hooked up. If there isn't any other way, then I'll just bite the bullet, but some people on my thread were saying I can use a Linksys wireless G router and put into into bridge mode to accomplish the same thing?

Is this possible, and is anyone doing it?

[kenargo]

I have heard that there are places selling refurbshed "Linksys wireless Game Adapters"; I'll look for a link but I thought they sold for $25/$35 with a limited warranty.

[Tswifty]

Thanks Ken, let me know if you find it... that would be great.

As far as using a linksys wireless g router and bridging it... will it work, or is it not worth trying?

[kenargo]

I'd hate to send you down the wrong path; I don't know if the routers support P2P mode but maybe someone else has used them in this manner and can reply...

[Tswifty]

Thanks... I found a place called Digital Outlet, Inc (BestRefurbs.com) that has them for $39.95. I'm thinking about ordering from there... They are located in San Jose, Ca.

Ever heard of them?

[ah30k]

I tried to use a router in bridge mode and had some troubles. It seemed to work fine mostly and then I found that the XBox360 was setting its Default Gateway to the address of the router/bridge rather than the real router and it was failing to connect. Just too much trouble in my opinion. Especially if you are new to networking.

[Tswifty]

Yeah I think I'm just going to order the refurbished Linksys (WGA54G) Wireless-G Gaming adapter.

It'll break even on what I spent on the Netgear Router, and I should have it Monday... and for now I think I can just hook my laptop up to the AC3 to start writing my program with Aquanotes... correct?

[qfrisco]

I think the refurb/used wireless gaming adapter is the way to go. That's why I decided to get a D-Link off E-bay. I couldn't justify spending another $100 on a brand new bridge when I just spent $500 on the AC3. :-)

If you use anything other than WEP encryption on your network, make sure the bridge you're getting supports it. As I mentioned before, the D-Link that I got was one of a very few that supported WPA security, and that's why I went with it. It appears most support WEP, but not very many supported WPA.

[rbd0331]

TJ,
I'm using Linksys WGA600N and just love it. Simple to setup. Plus its down in basement by my tank and my wireless router is up on the 2nd floor at the opposite end of house.

[Tswifty]

The Linksys wireless-g gaming adapter got here today. Quick question... do I set the IP for the gaming adapter as the same as the CPU, or the same as the AC3, or different from both?

Thanks.

[kenargo]

You do not need to set the IP; it will read the IP address from the connected device (the AC3 in your case).

If I'm not understanding your question please clarify...

[Tswifty]

ok... maybe that's why I am having trouble. During the setup, I manually set the IP of the adapter so it was different from my AC3 & CPU. I can ping the adapter, but not the AC3.

[Tswifty]

The Wireless Adapter is connected to the wireless network, but I can't ping or make a connection to the AC3?

[kenargo]

You are using the "G" game adapter correct? I want to be since the "G" and "N" adapters are different; the "N" exposes 2 addresses; 1 for the configuration page and 1 for the connected device. The "G" doesn't need to have the address set (or at least it didn't using the firmware I used back when I was using it).

[qfrisco]

Did you set the default gateway and net mask on the AC3? All nodes on your network should have the same default gateway and net mask, so if your PC is on the network, you can find out what settings it has for those, and use the same ones for your AC3.

Did you also change the IP address of the AC3 or did you keep it at 192.168.1.50?

[Tswifty]

I changed it... I just went through and made sure everything matched. Now I can ping the AC3 but can't pull it up when I put the IP address into the address bar of my browser.

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14408945#post14408945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
I changed it... I just went through and made sure everything matched. Now I can ping the AC3 but can't pull it up when I put the IP address into the address bar of my browser.

If it's responding to a ping, that's a good sign. Did you change the AC3's port, by chance? If you did, the URL you should be using is http://[IP address]:[port].

[kenargo]

If you can ping the AC3 (and you are sure it is the AC3) then the website should work:

http://192.168.1.50

Assuming you left the same address AND port number. If you changed the HTTP port then you need to add a ":" followed by the port number at the end of the address.

[Tswifty]

I changed the IP from the default one today, but reflected that changed in the port forwarding settings as well. I didn't change the port.

[kenargo]

When you changed the address; did you leave the 1st 3 octets unchanged (e.g., 192.168.1); only changing the last? Second; is your computer and router all have the same 1st 3 octets; if not you need to make them all the same (it's easier than explaining how to change the subnet mask to accomodate).

[Tswifty]

Yeah everything is the same but the last 3 digits.

I just found out I'm not pinging the game adapter... I think it's something else.

[kenargo]

Got a figure out what you're pinging' it sounds like you may have > 1 device using the same address.

Be sure that when you change the address (in the AC3) that it is outside the range of the DNS address range or the router can be your enemy...

[Tswifty]

outside of the DNS range? How do I figure that out?

[Tswifty]

ok I can't get the wireless to work. I can ping the game adapter whenever it is hooked directly to the router. However, whenever I disconnect it I can't connect to the game adapter.

Any ideas?

It's obviously picking up a wireless signal, because the wireless light is green and active.

[Tswifty]

Success!

I talked to linksys, and it was basically a process of unplugging and plugging things in in a specific order to finally get everything to sync up.

[addictofreef]

NETGEAR XE104 POWERLINE 4-PORT ETHERNET SWITCH
this eliminates having to hook up two routers and creates a shortcut from your router to your ACIII. I know I am late but that worked best and easiest. It took literally seconds.

[vivek]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14410544#post14410544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by addictofreef
NETGEAR XE104 POWERLINE 4-PORT ETHERNET SWITCH
this eliminates having to hook up two routers and creates a shortcut from your router to your ACIII. I know I am late but that worked best and easiest. It took literally seconds.


looks like the way to go except that it is $149. i may do this setup if i can find a cheaper switch and adapter kit.

[Tswifty]

Vivek,

Here is a link to the Linksys Wireless-N adapter. Best Buy usually has them in stock.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8682366&st=linksys+wireless-n+gaming+adapter&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1197679244403