Use PC as a wireless repeater to extend range

I have a quick question that I'm having a hard time finding the answer
to. Is it possible to use a PC running Windows (with a Trendnet USB
wireless adapater) as a repeater to extend or boost the signal coming
from my wireless router?

Here's the situation ... I have a couple of PCs upstairs connected
physically to my wireless router. There's another computer on the
main level that's get's a good signal and a yet another computer in
the basement that get's a poor signal. So I'm wondering if there's
some way to use the PC on the main level to retransmit the signal so
that it's stronger in the basement. Btw, moving the router to another
floor is not posssible.

Thanks,
Harry

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com hath wroth:

>I have a quick question that I'm having a hard time finding the answer
>to. Is it possible to use a PC running Windows (with a Trendnet USB
>wireless adapater) as a repeater to extend or boost the signal coming
>from my wireless router?
>
>Here's the situation ... I have a couple of PCs upstairs connected
>physically to my wireless router. There's another computer on the
>main level that's get's a good signal and a yet another computer in
>the basement that get's a poor signal. So I'm wondering if there's
>some way to use the PC on the main level to retransmit the signal so
>that it's stronger in the basement. Btw, moving the router to another
>floor is not posssible.

With the USB adapter, no. Infrastructure clients only talk to access
points, not to other clients.

By any chance is your well connected wireless upstairs router have WDS
(wireless distribution service) support? If you're not sure, kindly
disclose the maker and model number. WDS supports simultaneously
acting as a store and forward repeater and as an access point. Install
one near the middle floor PC. Sell the USB adapter. Run CAT5 from
the middle floor PC to the added WDS bridge. Connect via wireless
from downstairs. Note that both the upstairs and downstairs boxes
need to support WDS. Also, watch out for WDS bridges that do NOT
support WPA encryption. Some do, but some don't.


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Aug 15, 5:27 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> fake.e-m...@stonyx.com hath wroth:
>
> >I have a quick question that I'm having a hard time finding the answer
> >to. Is it possible to use a PC running Windows (with a Trendnet USB
> >wireless adapater) as a repeater to extend or boost the signal coming
> >from my wireless router?
>
> >Here's the situation ... I have a couple of PCs upstairs connected
> >physically to my wireless router. There's another computer on the
> >main level that's get's a good signal and a yet another computer in
> >the basement that get's a poor signal. So I'm wondering if there's
> >some way to use the PC on the main level to retransmit the signal so
> >that it's stronger in the basement. Btw, moving the router to another
> >floor is not posssible.
>
> With the USB adapter, no. Infrastructure clients only talk to access
> points, not to other clients.
>
> By any chance is your well connected wireless upstairs router have WDS
> (wireless distribution service) support? If you're not sure, kindly
> disclose the maker and model number. WDS supports simultaneously
> acting as a store and forward repeater and as an access point. Install
> one near the middle floor PC. Sell the USB adapter. Run CAT5 from
> the middle floor PC to the added WDS bridge. Connect via wireless
> from downstairs. Note that both the upstairs and downstairs boxes
> need to support WDS. Also, watch out for WDS bridges that do NOT
> support WPA encryption. Some do, but some don't.
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

But isn't an ad-hoc network configuration an example of clients
talking to clients and not to an access point? Is it possible to have
some sort of combination where the access point talks to the machine
on the main level and the machine on the main level talks to the one
in the basement? Just throwing ideas out there.

Thanks,
Harry

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com hath wroth:
>On Aug 15, 5:27 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:

>But isn't an ad-hoc network configuration an example of clients
>talking to clients and not to an access point?

Correct. However, you didn't say anything about either infrastructure
mode or ad-hoc mode. Since infrastructure is far more common, I
assumed that this is what you're doing. If you have an access point
or wireless router, you have an infrastructure mode network. If you
don't, then it's probably ad-hoc.

>Is it possible to have
>some sort of combination where the access point talks to the machine
>on the main level and the machine on the main level talks to the one
>in the basement? Just throwing ideas out there.

Well, actually it's possible. It might be worth the effort if you
don't mind a major exercise in software development to save the cost
of a WDS bridge. Some of the mesh networks are essentially
combination client bridges and repeaters. For example, Meraki
<http://meraki.com>
is selling radios that do this. Each client radio repeats the traffic
from other client radios that eventually end up at a central access
point. You could build such a system inside your house, which will
pass traffic between floors and radios. There are also a variety of
open source efforts to do the same thing:
<http://pdos.csail.mit.edu/roofnet/doku.php>
There are a few others, but I can't seem to find them.

It might also be possible to install two wireless cards or devices in
your middle PC, and set them up as some kind of repeater. Offhand, I
don't know how this can be done and really don't want try and
guess(tm) how to do it. Besides, I thought you had a "quick"
question.

For only a single hop, methinks a WDS bridge will be a much simpler
and cheaper solution.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Aug 17, 10:56 am, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> fake.e-m...@stonyx.com hath wroth:
>
> >On Aug 15, 5:27 pm, Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> >But isn't an ad-hoc network configuration an example of clients
> >talking to clients and not to an access point?
>
> Correct. However, you didn't say anything about either infrastructure
> mode or ad-hoc mode. Since infrastructure is far more common, I
> assumed that this is what you're doing. If you have an access point
> or wireless router, you have an infrastructure mode network. If you
> don't, then it's probably ad-hoc.
>
> >Is it possible to have
> >some sort of combination where the access point talks to the machine
> >on the main level and the machine on the main level talks to the one
> >in the basement? Just throwing ideas out there.
>
> Well, actually it's possible. It might be worth the effort if you
> don't mind a major exercise in software development to save the cost
> of a WDS bridge. Some of the mesh networks are essentially
> combination client bridges and repeaters. For example, Meraki
> <http://meraki.com>
> is selling radios that do this. Each client radio repeats the traffic
> from other client radios that eventually end up at a central access
> point. You could build such a system inside your house, which will
> pass traffic between floors and radios. There are also a variety of
> open source efforts to do the same thing:
> <http://pdos.csail.mit.edu/roofnet/doku.php>
> There are a few others, but I can't seem to find them.
>
> It might also be possible to install two wireless cards or devices in
> your middle PC, and set them up as some kind of repeater. Offhand, I
> don't know how this can be done and really don't want try and
> guess(tm) how to do it. Besides, I thought you had a "quick"
> question.
>
> For only a single hop, methinks a WDS bridge will be a much simpler
> and cheaper solution.
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Thanks so much for the input, highly appreciated. I got one more
quick :) question ... do directional antennas make a difference in the
real worlds? All three machines are more or less in a straight line
(downwards) so I thought maybe a directional antenna either on the
basement machine or on the upstairs machine (where the signal comes
from) might help ... any input?

Thanks,
Harry

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com hath wroth:

>Thanks so much for the input, highly appreciated. I got one more
>quick :) question ... do directional antennas make a difference in the
>real worlds?

Yes, they do. Antennas make a HUGE difference. For example, a 6dB
difference in antenna gain will double your range. If you leave the
range the same, the 6dB difference in signal level will be good for a
doubling in connection speed. Getting 6dB of directional gain is easy
with a biquad, coffee can, or reflector antenna.

>All three machines are more or less in a straight line
>(downwards) so I thought maybe a directional antenna either on the
>basement machine or on the upstairs machine (where the signal comes
>from) might help ... any input?

Yep. That's well worth trying. If you can get even a weak signal
with the conventional antennas, a directional antenna will be much
better. However, if your floors are chicken wire, concrete and steel,
and you can't hear a thing, then not antenna is going to help much.

Try starting with a reflector:
<http://www.freeantennas.com>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:
> But isn't an ad-hoc network configuration an example of clients
> talking to clients and not to an access point? Is it possible to have
> some sort of combination where the access point talks to the machine
> on the main level and the machine on the main level talks to the one
> in the basement? Just throwing ideas out there.

Yes.
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/bowman_02april08.mspx>

You could make your connection via WiFi and share a second WiFi adapter in
the same PC. I recall a poster in this group who was using an external
WiFi antenna to bring signal inside a boat, and a second WiFi adapter in
the same machine in adhoc mode to let a PDA have access.

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5