Highest Mbps Wireless Bridge?

[Zach]

I need a dedicated Access Point / Wireless Bridge combination that is capable of supporting a consistent throughput of at least 60 Mbps to a single client device. The access point would be wired to my main switch and the client device would be wired to the bridge. My priorities in order of decreasing importance are:

1. Maximize throughput: At least 60 Mbps CONSISTENTLY

2. Maximize reliability

3. Maximize ease of setup (but not at the expense of the above)

4. Minimizing cost would be nice, but not at the expense of any of the above

Security is not important, but in order to maximize throughput, I would like to minimize the overhead associated with other devices trying to connect to this access point (or actually connecting to it) instead of connecting to our primary wireless network where those other devices belong. Only one device will be connected through this dedicated bridge.

From your tutorial on WDS, that sounds like a good possibility, and from your reviews I thought a pair of Asus EA-N66 might be a good choice, but I really want to hear what you think will work best.

 

[stevech]

WDS costs 50% of the throughput per WDS-repeater.
That's really bad, as follows.
Say you want 60Mbps net yield at the IP layer. Not 60Mbps indicated WiFi raw speed. You didn't clarify which in the posting above. So I'll assume.

To get 60Mbps net IP yield, you'd need twice 120Mbps at the WiFi raw bit level, i.e., 240Mbps. That's because WDS costs 50% due to the delay to retransmit (repeater), and 50% or so for WiFi and IP overhead.

If you meant 60Mbps at the WiFi raw bit rate level, this changes to 120Mbps on BOTH WiFi Links. The slowest/weakest link constrains WDS.

These assume you mean the rates TO the client. High rates FROM the client are harder yet because client side transmissions for handheld devices are usually quite inferior in strength to the reverse direction.

Don't use WDS. Use an access point connected to the router via cat5, AC Power Wiring (HomePlug) or MoCA. These methods, unlike WDS, avoid the slow-downs due to competition for air-time among nearby WiFi systems on/near your channel. The numbers, above, assume zero slow-downs for such. (WiFi terms: CSMA/CA).

 

[thiggins]

What distance are you trying to cover and do you have a band preference?

You will not suffer the 50% throughput penalty that Steve refers to because you are running Ethernet to both ends of the link. The 50% throughput applies only if a wireless client is connecting at the far end of the bridge.

 

[Zach]

Both the access point and the bridge will be in the same room, which is 55 feet long by 16 feet wide. The bridge will be on a mobile cart that will be moved around to different parts of the room from time to time. No point in the room is more than 37 feet from the fixed location of the access point.

Virtually all of the data will be flowing in one direction, from the access point to the bridge. I'm not knowledgeable enough to have a band preference, other than wanting the one that will allow the highest consistent throughput (hopefully at least 60 Mbps net yield at the IP layer).

Our application (HDMI over IP) was described in detail in my earlier thread (Dedicated WDS Bridge for Just Add Power, http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=12029), but I think all that detail put everyone off from answering (too much to understand, and no one getting paid to do that), so in this thread I just pulled out the essential question that I need to answer, but the application is the same, and you will find additional detail there.

 

[thiggins]

Many products can provide that throughput under those conditions, including the EA-N66. The problem is that wireless throughput has higher variation than wired. If your player does not buffer, you can still get get glitches.

Use the Wireless and Router charts, select 5 GHz downlink benchmark and Location C results to screen for other products.

There are also dedicated products for wireless HDMI like this one http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/mult...stv-multi-room-wireless-hd-video-kit-reviewed

 

[Zach]

Thanks so much for your reply. If we do go the 802.11 route, having reviewed all of the information that you suggested, I am now much more comfortable that a pair of Asus EA-N66 access points would be a good option to test.

However, I also appreciated your link to the review of MyWirelessTV. We had tried a similar product from IOGear (virtually the same spec), but it did not seem to have the same level of reliability that you described in your review, so we have been looking into the 802.11 alternative. Perhaps we should check this product out first.

Once we have decided and tested, I will post feedback.

Thanks again.

 

[stevech]

What distance are you trying to cover and do you have a band preference?

You will not suffer the 50% throughput penalty that Steve refers to because you are running Ethernet to both ends of the link. The 50% throughput applies only if a wireless client is connecting at the far end of the bridge.

Confusion.. he said WDS which means wireless in/out, repeater. Whereas as you say, a client bridge does not have that WDS speed penalty.

 

[thiggins]

Confusion.. he said WDS which means wireless in/out, repeater. Whereas as you say, a client bridge does not have that WDS speed penalty.

Whether WDS or client bridge, as long as the far end is wired, there is no 50% (retransmit) penalty.

 

[thiggins]

However, I also appreciated your link to the review of MyWirelessTV. We had tried a similar product from IOGear (virtually the same spec), but it did not seem to have the same level of reliability that you described in your review, so we have been looking into the 802.11 alternative. Perhaps we should check this product out first.

Once we have decided and tested, I will post feedback.

Yes, best thing is to narrow the field, then test for yourself. If you really want to spend a bit more, Gefen makes a few wireless HDMI extenders that you might have better luck with:
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/gtv-whd-1080p-sr.jsp?prod_id=10709
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/gtv-whd-1080p-lr-blk.jsp?prod_id=10922

 

[Zach]

Today, we hooked up the MyWirelessTV product that you recommended we look at, and just as your review said, it was the easiest thing in the world to set up. We just plugged all of the included the cables into their obvious places and it worked perfectly the first time without any human intervention or configuration. We tried a few stress tests, like cutting the power and then plugging it back in, and it recovered automatically and quickly without any user intervention. This is the way technology should work but seldom does. The picture and sound quality showed no discernible degradation.

Thanks again for the suggestion.