SortaOT: Anyone tried the new WET11 from Linksys?

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has tried using the new WET11 from linksys to bridge from the Rio over wireless?

I'm having a lot of trouble sourcing them in the UK, and was wondering if it's worth my bother.

Paul.

They aren't out yet. I'm looking to buy one too.

I just received a pair of Linksys WAP11:s (not WET11) from the US. I am planning to use them as a bridge. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the bridge modes only work between WAP11:s, and not with any other WiFi base station (I already have a AirPort).

But it seems one of the units was DOA - doesn't work even as a base station, and shows the wireless MAC address as
00-00-00-00-00-00.

The other one worked OK (with identical settings) as a base station for a day or two, but now it, too, shows the wireless
MAC as 00-00-00-00-00-00 and isn't detected by my laptop

Have you tried upgrading their firmware ?

The problem with the WAP11 is that in bridge mode they only talk to another WAP11. So, if you have a wireless network now you can't just buy one WAP11 and bridge them, while still running your wireless clients. You need a pair of WAP11s JUST for that bridging.

I was looking in to using another WAP11 until I saw this. I'm waitin gon the WET11 myself.

No, haven't tried upgrading, but after exchanging e-mail with Linksys support I'm waiting for a RMA - they acknowledge it's probably a hardware problem.

Yeah, the bridging restrictions are a real bummer.

I somehow got a WET11 through Amazon the other day, and right after I bought it, the listing went back to the "not available yet" state. Anyway, it arrived this afternoon, I installed it, and everything worked flawlessly...so far. Tomorrow I'll see how far I can extend the wireless connection and not experience sputtering audio.

Good luck finding the next one...for $120US or so, it seems to be a better solution than purchasing 2 identical access points.

That's good. Maybe I'll go ahead and put one on order. Be a nice solution for the Rio as well as the XBox and other AV devices with Ethernet these days.

Exactly, I'm gonna get one and throw a hub on it for the Xbox, SliMP3 (if it ever turns up) and Rio (next room).

Should be nice.... just need to find one in the UK now... grr

Paul.

Did you combine it with a WAP11 or something else?

Just curious, I know that linksys Wap11's only want to talk to each other.

Paul.

I've got mine working with a D-Link DWL-1000AP, so the WAP11 is not required (nor is a Linksys WAP required).

I just ordered a second WAP11. Buy.com has them for $105 w/ shipping and they can operate in client mode, which is the same as a WET11. So, if you use a WAP11 now as your main AP just get another. This way you get a full AP and not just a bridge...all for a good price.

Gateway accessory store shipped out a WET11 and a WAP11 to me in 4 days last week. I rigged a Rio Receiver, the WET11, Yamaha YST-MS201 speakers and a power strip with a 12' cord in a wooden box to function as a portable player. It isn't pretty but it works great.

Range is good as long I don't try to go throught too many walls. Out in the shop, about 150' away through 2 walls, link quality is about 30% (whatever that means). At link quality levels below 20 there are some occaisonal dropouts. The location and orientation of the WAP11 seems to make the biggest difference. There are also numerous homebrew antenna possibilities. A cake pan 3 cm behind the WAP11 antennas will give a little extra range. Go to http://osiris.urbanna.net/antenna_designs/ for some modeling data. Also try http://www.nodomainname.co.uk/ for some good antenna designs.

I got my WET11 from CDW.com ... great great great product. It's everything the WAP11 should be when it comes to bridging. You can even set it up initially wirelessly instead of over ethernet if you like.

My only complaint is that it won't join a hidden SSID. Hopefully a future firmware upgrade will help with that regard.

Thanks for pointing the WET11 out Paul, looks like I am ready to move away from the expensive Ethernet Converters at long last.

I really now need four ethernet ports next to my TV ( receiver, tivo, PC etc ), already have a wired network upstairs, and an AP ( RG-100 ).

Any suggestions how I get more ports downstairs without running cables ?

Could I use the existing Ethernet Converter, into a PC, that also has two Ethernet cards, then use Windows Sharing. Plugging the spare Ethernet card into a 4 port hub ?

Or maybe you can plug the WET11 into a 4 port hub - will it cope with NAT ?

You could, but the machines downstairs wouldn't see the box upstairs.. easy way to do this under w9x/w2k is internet connection sharing, which would NAT the boxes connected downstairs..
-m

I'm intending to use a second WAP11 as a bridge and have an additional hub downstairs, then everything can fit into the hub downstairs and see everything upstairs.

I'm not sure if the WET will let you bridge between the two (still can't seem to get one).

Paul.

http://www.linksys.com/products/display.asp?conmap=089wet11cmdiagram.jpg&prid=432&grid=22

The picture in the link above certainly suggests the WET11 is a bridge, but the diagram shows it bridging to a Linksys AP.

Do cheapest / neatest option for me would be if I could get one WET11, and HUB, and then use it to bridge to my existing AP.

From personal experience, the WET11 CAN NOT bridge to another hub..

You can use it in one of three ways:

1) access point (obviously)
2) bridge wirelessly, which extends the range of the original wireless network (but disabled the ethernet port:( the extention only applies to wireless connectivity to the bridged wet)
3) bridge ethernet (to ONE ethernet mac address attached to the linksys...)

-m

Maybe I don't understand what you're saying, but how I've got mine set up is:

Empeg, Tivo, Playstation2 connected to 5 port switch. Switch then connects to WET11. WET11 then wirelessly bridges this mini-lan to my Wireless Router/Switch way back across the house, invisibly. So you can put a bunch of ethernet only devices on your wireless network using the WET11.

Greg

That sounds like what I want to do Greg.

What hardware is your "wireless router/switch" ?

I asume your wireless router/switch is you Acess Point, and set for AP mode, not Ad Hoc ?

It's the Linksys Router/Switch with Wireless Access Point built in ... BEFW11S4, nothing is set to ad hoc. The WET11 will work with any access point, though, not just Linksys.

I have found that if you are hiding the SSID broadcast for your AP, the WET11 won't find it. Your AP MUST broadcast that SSID in order for the WET11 to connect to it.

Greg

Well, I've setup the home network now, so I thought that I'd share what I've done, just for completeness.

I have 2xWAP11 (One old one, one version 2.2, whatever that means).

The WAP11 (old) is upstairs in the computer room.
The WAP11 2.2 is downstairs in the living room
There is a 5 port switch attacked to the downstairs WAP11
The WAP11 (old) is connected to the main 8port switch upstairs and has connectivity over broadband.

I also have a wireless client (laptop) and can't afford to get rid of this functionality, so a straight wireless bridge is no good, since you can only bridge two networks and you lose the ability for 'normal' clients.
So. the WAP (old) is configured as an 'Access Point' and the WAP11 2.2 (downstairs) is configured as an 'Access Point Client' with the MAC address of the WAP11 (old) in the MAC address field.

Setting of the 'default' route correctly means that no matter where I am I can browse the internal network and the external network.

The wireless client however, can only connect to the access point upstairs (WAP11 (old)), not the one downstairs, so I lose some range, but it works.

Everything seems to be connected in this manner.

I'm not sure if the WET11 will work as a 'Access Point Client' so I'm not sure if you can do this with that tech.

Anyway,

Cheers,

Paul

Unfortunately that doesn't seem to work if the AP is not a Linksys .

What doesn't? AP Client mode?

I've only got Linksys stuff, so I've got no idea.

The WET11 does act like a client on your existing AP ... So even though I've got that mini-lan "bridged" to my real lan via wireless, I can still use my wireless laptop, or even additional WET11's all connecting back to my Access Point back in the closet.

It's the perfect bridging utility ... It's not mutually exclusive with other wireless devices.

Greg

The AP client and bridge modes on a WAP11 (not WET11) doesn't seem to work with non-Linksys AP's.

Let me get this straight :

WAP11 = AP

WET11 = Ethernet Bridge

I already have a ( non linksys ) AP

So I just add one WET11, plus a four port hub, and I can bridge 3 devices to my existing network ?

I am new to this board but I have two Rio Receivers and I just bought two WET11's to create a wireless solution. I configured the WET11's to use DHCP and after a few power-on/power-off cycles, was able to use the Rio's just like they were plugged into my ethernet. They work great.

Looks like I spoke too soon...

When the WAP11 is in 'Access Point' and 'Access Point Client' mode the Receiver can't connect to the music server. It just sits at 'searching ... ' prompt.

If I switch the AP's to 'Wireless Bridge' mode then everything works as expected.

However, in Bridge mode I lose the ability for wireless clients, which isn't making me happy.

Any ideas on what's going wrong?

I can ping the server from the switch on the other WAP11, that's fine. However, when I ping the Receiver from the server side WAP I get one or two responses then it stops.. Which is a little weird - almost like the switch is getting confused on what machines are on the local lan.

Has anyone got two WAP11's to work in AP/AP Client mode with a receiver on the AP Client side?

Cheers,

Paul.

I have WAP11s in Client/AP mode working. I had similar porblems to you at first. I even put a sniffer on the other side to see if packets were making it across. The odd thing is some were, but not all.

The solution turned out to be the switch I had the Rio on. I have the Rio going to a switch along with the WAP11 client. When I changed that to a cheap hub everything worked. Very odd since SOME packets did make it across the wireless link when using a switch.

Also, if you look down to a thread I started called "Ethernet Trouble" you can see where I had the same problems and finally found the answer.

Aaah, missed that one - looks like the same problem. Weird. I'll try a cheapo hub and see if that works..

Cheers for the info!

Paul.

Apparently, after talking to a good friend, you can use the BEF11S4 (I think, it's the wireless, 4 port switch, NAT, firewall, broadband router) as an access point from another of the same.

With them going for $99 on compusa.com, why get the WET11? Size? Lack of complexity? For less $$$ I could have a superior product with more flexibility.

Anyone able to get DHCP to be passed through the WET11 to the Rio Receiver? It doesn't seem to work.

Stu

Although I don't use the WET11, I can get DHCP to cross WAP11's

Paul.

I found a work around for the DHCP issue. It seems that the WET11 is very particular about what is used as a DHCP server. It own't pass through DHCP from my Linux box, but will from a Linksys router. So for now it seems to be working with two DHCP servers on the network, the Linux box handles statically assigned IPs based on MAC address, while the Linksys router handles dynamically assigned IPs for the Rio Receiver and other rogue devices.

Stu

Finally got my hands on a WET11 last week, all working fine to bridge to an RG-100. However while a PC, and Tivo connected to a swtich then WET11 work fine, my Dell Receiver does not appear to be picking up a DHCP address ( W2k is DHCP server ). The PC and Tivo are using fixed address.

WET11 is also using a fixed address.

Anything I can try / test ?

Someone in the TiVo forum has an interesting solution to the DHCP with WET11 problem. I'm not sure he knows exactly what he is doing, but he got DHCP working by changing his IPs from 192.168.0.X to 192.168.1.X. Odd.....
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=89641

I had the 192.168.1.XXX IP configuration in use with a Linux DHCP server, but the WET11 refused to pass DHCP to anything on the wired ethernet side of it. The only way it would work was by using a Linksys router as a DHCP server.

I wish Linksys would acknowledge this problem and get it fixed. This is similar to the early days of their router when it would corrupt downloads. They denied the router was at fault, but eventually issued a firmware upgrade to address the problem. Hopefully we will get a firmware upgrade for the WET11.

Stu

Thanks for the pointer Rob, however I just did a little more testing.

My config is :

Tivo+PC+Dell Receiver > netgear FS105 switch > WET11 -v- RG-100 AP > netgear DS108 hub >> Win DHCP server + Music Server.

With a laptop attached to the FS105, it works just fine, picking up a DHCP address.

If I pull the cable from my ethernet converter to the Dell Receiver while its playing music, and connect it to the switch, there is a pause, but it eventually continues playing music.

I can even select other songs in the menu and play them. So the problem initially appears just to be that it cannot get a DHCP address.

However after a while the player then reboots, and I find the bridge (WET11) will not pass anything. Requires a reboot of my AP etc.

When you boot the Dell ( pluged into switch ), you get the Dell logo, and then the next logo - Audio Receiver, and then it either eventually comes up with unable to find server ( showing a 169.x.x.x type address ), or it keeps rebooting itself.

It's like I said. You currently need a Linksys router if you want DHCP through the WET11.

Stu

You currently need a Linksys router if you want DHCP through the WET11.

That's not true. I currently use a WET11 to connect my Mac G3 to my D-Link router/AP. Before that it was a Siemens and before that it was an SMC. All worked with DHCP. My IPs are 192.168.0.X. I don't have a Rio Receiver at the moment, so I am unable to attempt to help you guys too much.

Perhaps any hardware DHCP server will do then. Whatever they are using seems to pass whereas software based DHCP does not.

Stu

As Rob says, and as I posted, a Laptop configured for DHCP works fine with my WET11 (bridging to an RG100 AP). Also my DHCP server is just a Windows box running ICS, on the wired side of the network. Its just the Dell Receiver thats not happy.

As posted elsewhere in the forum - Dell / Rio's don't appear to like switches. Just dawned on me that I have been trying to hook the Dell up to a new 5 port Netgear Switch.

So perhaps nothing to do with the WET11 at all.

I've got a linksys switch between a RIO central and a Dell Receiver and all is well. No problems. No wet11 though.

Hmm, thanks, I tried it plugged directly into the WET11 and Dell just keeps rebooting. Need to get my hands on an old hub to test some more.