Guest Acess on E1200 and setup

[dyskinesia]

OK I have a wrt54g running DD-WRT v24-sp2 (10/10/09) micro
(SVN revision 13064)

it is my primary router and until a year ago also primary wifi.

Last year I purchased a WRT54gS2 to function as an access point since I had zero signal at the other end of my house. it works well and allows the Wii and another PC on that end to function well. But lately (after buying 2 android tablets and a netbook) we have discovered a hole in between those areas (2 story 3700sq ft house) that drops off pretty quickly.

I toyed with getting an E4200 or the Asus but am happy with the current function of my trusting WRT54G. so I bought an E1200 today to function as yet another access point this time in the middle of the house. I set it up without issue and I got everything working. The range is MUCH better but still only mediocre for what I would ultimately like. I have limited the device to only b/g and only 20Mhz trying to maximize distance and compatibility.

so currently it is working but not ideal and I'm wondering if I can make it better.

I have 3 issues:

1. I cannot get internet access via the guest login. Is this something to do with the fact it is running as an AP rather than as the main router? I was hoping to add as guest access login which is partly why I got this device. is there something in the dd-wrt router that I can change to allow it to access the internet on the 192.168.33.xx IP that it is using?

2. Setup: I'm reading conflicting information about channels. Some recommend keeping all access points on Same channel 1, 6, or 11. others advocate using only those channels but separating the AP onto different channels. Mine currently have all same SSID and same channel in an effort to allow for seamless switching between AP as we move around the house. it appears to be working.

3. Range: The whole in the middle of the house that extends to the patio and the pool. If I am going to lose the guest access anyway i had considered getting the ubiquiti PowerAP N but I read on their site that many people were having issues specifically with android tablets connecting. One solution was to lock it in 20MHz but that didn't work for everyone. does anyone have experience with this? I like the idea of this device as an AP to really fill the whole in my wifi coverage.


Ultimately I'd like to increase my range. I'm happy with b/g and would like to have a guest access but it is not as important as a better range.

thanks

Shawn

 

[thiggins]

1. I cannot get internet access via the guest login. Is this something to do with the fact it is running as an AP rather than as the main router? I was hoping to add as guest access login which is partly why I got this device. is there something in the dd-wrt router that I can change to allow it to access the internet on the 192.168.33.xx IP that it is using?

It could be that Guest access requires the E1200 router section. I don't know for sure.

2. Setup: I'm reading conflicting information about channels. Some recommend keeping all access points on Same channel 1, 6, or 11. others advocate using only those channels but separating the AP onto different channels. Mine currently have all same SSID and same channel in an effort to allow for seamless switching between AP as we move around the house. it appears to be working.

Multiple APs should be assigned to different channels, using 1, 6 and 11 (in the U.S.) If you have all APs assigned to one channel, they will compete for banwidth. Assigning different channels lets each one have its own bandwidth.

3. Range: The whole in the middle of the house that extends to the patio and the pool. If I am going to lose the guest access anyway i had considered getting the ubiquiti PowerAP N but I read on their site that many people were having issues specifically with android tablets connecting. One solution was to lock it in 20MHz but that didn't work for everyone. does anyone have experience with this? I like the idea of this device as an AP to really fill the whole in my wifi coverage.

I don't have any experience with this problem. 2.4 GHz band N APs should be using 20 MHz mode only anyway so that they don't hog bandwidth.

 

[dyskinesia]

thanks for the wonderfully complete response to my long rambling question.

Still on the fence on whether to keep the E1200 or move to the PowerAP N
might order it and compare just to see if there is a big difference

 

[thiggins]

There is no better way than trying it for yourself. Keep in mind that the Power AP N is actually a router that can be configured as AP, bridge and repeater. It does not, however, support multiple / guest SSIDs.