How best to get a PS3 to integrate into an 802.11n network?

[Var]

Due to a recent upgrade in my DSL speeds (now 10Mbps; yeah, not awesome), I've had to move my DSL router and Wireless AP (let's call them the 'network hardware') to a new room, due to deficient telephone wiring in the original location which was unable to support the speed increases.

The network hardware now resides in one room, separated by short corridor (about 5 feet), and have all my wireless devices across this hallway in an adjoining room or they get moved (cell phones and tablets) throughout the house as the day progresses. I had previously all devices working on either wired or 802.11-n 2.4GHz wireless connections. Due to the network equipment move, I've had to transition all wired devices to being exclusively wireless.

This worked for everything, except my old PlayStation 3 (PS3) - which supports 802.11g.

Rewiring is not really an expense I want to pursue; I've already had an assessment done for this, and the cost would be too much, for too little gain.

What I want is to find a solution that, ideally, gets the PS-3 working via 802.11n (2.4Hz or 5Ghz).

My current wireless AP is an Asus RT-N56U flashed with custom firmware from here (when I originally moved to it, the FW had more options than Asus stock FW): https://code.google.com/p/rt-n56u/

This dual-band device supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11n radios, so I'd like to ideally separate the PS3 onto a 5GHz band, lowering possible congestion in the 2.4GHz region, but appreciate this may not be worthwhile/cost-prohibitive.

The one benefit I consider of having a device that the PS3 hard wires to which then transmits 5GHz between itself and the Asus RT-N56U AP, would be the ability to hard wire currently operating 2.4GHz-only devices to it, thus removing further devices from the 2.4GHz band.

I've considered an Ethernet to wireless cable, and homeplug, but these would be a one-shot deal for the PS-3 and not allow other devices to share this - potential - 5GHz connection.

I have no concerns also in buying a different device to wire to the DSL modem, and resiting the Asus RT-N56U to be the device that the PS3 hard wires onto.

I've also done my own wireless site assessment with inSSider. I'm not showing any power congestion issues with surrounding networks (my network, even lowered to 7% radio power, outperforms the surrounding wireless routers by a high factor in all areas of my home).

I'll consider solution costs later, but would say that this should not be even thought as a factor at all.

Lastly, I'd suggest that - while an option - hardwiring the PS3 between the 2 rooms to the AP is the solution of last resort.

What would you propose as the best solution to this PS-3 conundrum, enabling all wireless devices to be in position to get the best speeds out of the network?

 

[L&LD]

Don't know about PS3 - but if it supports 11g only - then you can't use the 5GHz band.

If you can get an 11N (dual band) adaptor for the PS3 - this should work.

If a newer PS3 offers dual band capability this may be the way to go.

The best (and cheapest if you do it yourself: ask your favorite Home Depot helper) is wired as everyone else will tell you. For such a short run - it seems like it is worth doing, imo.

You can also consider buying another router and using it as a bridge. Many options but the dollars will drive this decision in the end.

 

[sinshiva]

You can also consider buying another router and using it as a bridge. Many options but the dollars will drive this decision in the end.

definitely this. any cheap router you can get dd-wrt installed on will do and the performance will probably be worlds better than the ps3's adapter

 

[Var]

If a newer PS3 offers dual band capability this may be the way to go.

PS3 is only 802.11g, all models.

The best (and cheapest if you do it yourself: ask your favorite Home Depot helper) is wired as everyone else will tell you. For such a short run - it seems like it is worth doing, imo.

Definitely this is the last resort. I can easily run the cable, but it'd just be a tripping hazard and moreso... just look guff.

You can also consider buying another router and using it as a bridge. Many options but the dollars will drive this decision in the end.

Actually, maybe just buying another router, attaching it via a switch to the DSL modem and running that as the 'g' network, isolating the PS3 totally from my 'n' AP, would be the cheapest/best (i.e. non-wired) option. Good call on the second router idea.

 

[Var]

definitely this. any cheap router you can get dd-wrt installed on will do and the performance will probably be worlds better than the ps3's adapter

Yeah, I think this is the way I'll go. Get something that just 'does the job', rather than having any bells and whistles to it. Open firmware would be nice giving greater control over the AP options, so I think that's the way I'll go ... A low price, 802.11g capable, DD-WRT compatible router. Stick a switch between the 802.11n AP and the DSL router, attach the new 802.11g to that, and have an isolated 'g' network running in tandem to the 'n'. Thanks!

 

[L&LD]

Lol... no, don't leave the cable in the middle of the floor! There are better ways to do it. Seriously - go ask someone at Home Depot.

As for the second router - you most likely cannot connect two routers to one modem (even if you use a switch) - your ISP won't let you.

You would attach it to your main modem as an AP.

But this won't gain you anything imo.

If you used it as a bridge - the 5GHz network would be used solely for your PS3 at very close to full connection rates (300Mbps vs. the 54Mbps the PS3 offers) and your 2.4GHz wireless network would be unaffected (and also not affect your PS3's network) too.

Even if the 5GHz range makes you drop to 20MHz instead of 40MHz and allows connections of only 150Mbps - this will at least allow you to get the full benefit of your new connection, which the 54G capable PS3 won't.

Not only that - but the 54G radio will cause huge interference with your 2.4GHz network - and this will be worse than simply using the router you have now. Worse? Yes, you'll pay money to make it so.

Btw, the PS3 does have a LAN port, right?

 

[Var]

OK, this sounds like a much better solution, offering what I had wanted to ideally do before - move some devices off the 2.4 GHz connection onto a 5Ghz connection, by wiring them to a separate AP and having this new device connect to my original AP by wireless. This is, I believe, regarded as bridge mode operation.

Just to clear up an item form the last post, I should mention that the DSL modem I mentioned last (earlier clarified as a DSL router) IS indeed router in and of itself. It has no wireless capabilities, but provides all the DHCP responsibilities for the network AND the DSL access.
A switch in this case would work (unlike for - what I think you alluded to - a Cable modem, which would not work due to not being able to assign more than 1 IP address by general default; although not true for all cable companies/cable regions, as can sometimes purchase more IPs for this very purpose).

It now seems I'd still buy a new 802.11n router (to function as the bridge device), and wire the PS3 to this (plus any other devices I want to no longer operate over direct 2.4GHz). Then setup bridge mode on the 5GHz channel between the Asus RT-N56U and the new router, and revert the 2.4GHz channel back to being purely 802.11n on the RT-N56U.

Most devices without inbuilt 5GHz-capability will then operate on wireless direct (over 802.11n 2.4GHz). All other devices will be wired into into the AP bridge Ethernet ports, and transmit back and forth to the internet via the 5GHz wireless bridge.

I like this solution a lot more, as it lets me take devices out of the 2.4GHz band, removing some potential congestion.

It does posit a couple of questions...

Disregarding cost... for this setup do you have any suggestions as to what could become the new Bridge-mode device?

Also, would electronics which ARE capable of 802.11n 5GHz (I have zero of these, currently) be able to use the 5GHz connection being broadcast too or does Bridge mode EXCLUDE any devices from using this connection, other than the 2 bridged devices (being the current AP and the new router)?

 

[sinshiva]

hey,

a more optimal solution would be like thus;

get the dsl router running in bridge mode, may need to contact the ISP on the specifics of how to do it, or pull out the manual. this will give the n56 your WAN IP rather than a LAN IP assigned by the dsl router.

connect WAN port of the n56 to one of the LAN ports on the dsl router. the reason for this is because the dsl modem+router combination devices generally have poor routing capabilities. even if it's capable of routing at your max throughput, it might be sacrificing latency to achieve this, etc. (far more important for games and voice, etc than bandwidth) this will be the device that provides dhcp for your whole network.

2.4ghz generally gets longer range, so reserve that for your portable devices, etc.

get a cheap wireless router that can at minimum switch between 2.4ghz and 5ghz, if it's not capable of simultaneous dualband and configure this to be the (5ghz) wireless bridge client for the ps3, which is connected wired. this is especially nifty because the 300mbit wireless will work well with the ps3's 100mbit nic

i have linksys e2000's running dd-wrt that have worked out great in the past as a wireless bridge. these are like what i mentioned above; switchable between 2.4 and 5ghz, but not simultaneous. iirc, they had a somewhat intricate install process for dd-wrt, though. be sure dhcp is disabled or set to forward to the n56

an aside, both cable and dsl modems come as either pure modems or modem/router combinations. most newer devices are probably the combination sort, though.

[edit1] sorry, made lots of edits after posting, if you've already read this [/edit1]

[edit2/] to answer your last question, other devices will be able to share the 5ghz with the wireless bridge client; sorry about the delayed response there