Huawei Wi-Fi Repeater/extender for £26.99 inc delivery

_Whimsical_

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007SU0BJU/ref=nosim/?tag=hotukdeals-21

It gets decent reviews for the price. It might reduce speed a bit but it should be ok if you aren't planning heavy duty interneting in certain rooms.Reports seem to say it's easy to set up. There's an option to buy direct from amazon for £26.99 if you look to the left of the page.

whowantstwoknow

Hi all,

I have wireless at home that I'm looking to improve. Basically at the moment I have EW-7209APg providing my wireless network. Issues at the moment are:

1) every once in a while I have to re-power the WAP to get the network working
2) the WAP is upstairs need my incoming UPC while most of the wireless work is done from downstairs at the other end of the house where the signal strength isnt the best.

Am I right in thinking I'd be better off getting a better WAP rather than extender? Also at the moment my router is a Netgear ta612v as I use blueface for the house phone. So I'm cautious of replacing the router with a wireless unit if I cant keep the blueface/VOIP working? I'd be sent to the dog house if you know what I mean!!!

Thanks in advance
W.

galwayjohn89

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Hi all,

I have wireless at home that I'm looking to improve. Basically at the moment I have EW-7209APg providing my wireless network. Issues at the moment are:

1) every once in a while I have to re-power the WAP to get the network working
2) the WAP is upstairs need my incoming UPC while most of the wireless work is done from downstairs at the other end of the house where the signal strength isnt the best.

Am I right in thinking I'd be better off getting a better WAP rather than extender? Also at the moment my router is a Netgear ta612v as I use blueface for the house phone. So I'm cautious of replacing the router with a wireless unit if I cant keep the blueface/VOIP working? I'd be sent to the dog house if you know what I mean!!!

Thanks in advance
W.

I'd just grab one of these. I use it with my imagine modem and it is brilliant

clint_silver

If you have a spare router at home (I have several from switchign ISPs over the years) see if fits the DDWRT install models.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

the latest version of DDWRT firmware lets you use it as a repeater bridge and also lets you manually boost the wifi signal.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge

Instructions look quite complicated but once you the firmware on, follow the link instructions line by line and it just works.

I was going to buy those wireless repeaters last month but the day before found the DDWRT firmware had the repeater bridge mode. Installed the firmware to an old 54g I had, and now have wifi in every room.

I boosted the signal to max which made the router go hot as its pushing the CPU limit so reduced to half max, which is still more than the default and still have strong wifi everywhere.

It should be noted I had an argument on here last month with someone saying the wifi repeaters are not as performant as the powerline adaptors. this is well known but powerline adaptors cant be installed everywhere depending on house circuitry. As a test I ran a speedtest on both routers and got same results so as far as Im concerned I see no degradation of performance running the extender router in bridge repeat mode and can show screeners of this if anyone wants to see them.

anyway, may save someone some cash if they wanted to try the DDRT firmware first if they had an old router at home.

rocksolid

clint_silver wrote: »

If you have a spare router at home (I have several from switchign ISPs over the years) see if fits the DDWRT install models.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

the latest version of DDWRT firmware lets you use it as a repeater bridge and also lets you manually boost the wifi signal.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge

Instructions look quite complicated but once you the firmware on, follow the link instructions line by line and it just works.

I was going to buy those wireless repeaters last month but the day before found the DDWRT firmware had the repeater bridge mode. Installed the firmware to an old 54g I had, and now have wifi in every room.

I boosted the signal to max which made the router go hot as its pushing the CPU limit so reduced to half max, which is still more than the default and still have strong wifi everywhere.

It should be noted I had an argument on here last month with someone saying the wifi repeaters are not as performant as the powerline adaptors. this is well known but powerline adaptors cant be installed everywhere depending on hose circuitry. As a test I ran a speedtest on both routers and got same results so as far as Im concerned I see no degradation of performance running the extender router in bridge repeat mode and can show screeners of this if anyone wants to see them.

anyway, may save someone some cash if they wanted to try the DDRT firmware first if they had an old router at home.

Interesting reading, i have 2 vodafone routers (HG556a) here, but dont use them due to their dodgy wireless signal dropping constantly, but i cant find if they are compatible with DDWRT, even in the forum on that site, people have asked the question but no answers...Any ideas is it compatible??

clint_silver

NoelDoran wrote: »

Interesting reading, i have 2 vodafone routers (HG556a) here, but dont use them due to their dodgy wireless signal dropping constantly, but i cant find if they are compatible with DDWRT, even in the forum on that site, people have asked the question but no answers...Any ideas is it compatible??

I have 4 of those routers myself!!! worst yokes ever. theyre not coming up in the model search in ddwrt but if I was you and had the spare one, Id try and install ddwrt on to it anyway. youre not losing anything trying to get the firmware on as you can't give them away so if you fry it youre saving yourself some office landscape by chucking it in the bin.

Putting it on my 54g, the firmware install file came down in 2-3 minutes, uploaded the bin file to the router over cat 5, rebooted the router and it was working in seconds so deffo worth a try for me..

whowantstwoknow

Afraid I dont have any old router with wifi...

Thanks anyway

W.

clint_silver

whowantstwoknow wrote: »

Afraid I dont have any old router with wifi...

Thanks anyway

W.

theyre going for 5-10e on adverts, should be someone near you. just make sure its ddwrt compatible first.
http://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/q_router/

gctest50

NoelDoran wrote: »

Interesting reading, i have 2 vodafone routers (HG556a) here, but dont use them due to their dodgy wireless signal dropping constantly, but i cant find if they are compatible with DDWRT, even in the forum on that site, people have asked the question but no answers...Any ideas is it compatible??

http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/huawei/hg556a

User name: admin }
Password: VF-IRhg556 } older firmware admin login (save you reading pages of stuff)

transmission torrent client for it :

https://forum.transmissionbt.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13070&p=59817&hilit=hg556#p59817

rocksolid

gctest50 wrote: »

http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/huawei/hg556a

User name: admin }
Password: VF-IRhg556 } older firmware admin login (save you reading pages of stuff)

transmission torrent client for it :

https://forum.transmissionbt.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13070&p=59817&hilit=hg556#p59817

Thanks for that, its a great help...

madmoe

Hey NoelDoran,
Did you get the Vodafone\Huawei HG556a up and running with the DDRT firmware mate?

Cheers,
M

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

clint_silver wrote: »

If you have a spare router at home (I have several from switchign ISPs over the years) see if fits the DDWRT install models.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

the latest version of DDWRT firmware lets you use it as a repeater bridge and also lets you manually boost the wifi signal.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge

Instructions look quite complicated but once you the firmware on, follow the link instructions line by line and it just works.

didn't bloody work for me when i tried it a couple of weeks ago

clint_silver

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

didn't bloody work for me when i tried it a couple of weeks ago

I have it working at home. If I get a bit of time over next few days I'll put up a screenshot of everything in a tech post somewhere.

there were so many changes to make that I thought it was never gonna work, but once I completed every change that was in that note, restarted, connected to the repeater bridge router, straight on to internet.
Its important all the passwords and names are the same as the primary as listed so it can bridge properly.

If I get a bit of time I'll try one of those huweii routers this evening with both openwrt and ddwrt.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

yeah I had the passwords, settings and all the same on both routers. followed the wiki to the letter but still didnt work. I'll try it again soon, I just got bored over the holidays and let it be for the time being.

madmoe

Sounds promising guys! I would like to get a Vodafone\Huawei HG556a so that my Mum can plug her O2 USB Broadband stick into it. Currently she can only use it with her laptop and when I'm home I have no way to connect my phone and tablet.

Cheers,
M

clint_silver

madmoe wrote: »

Sounds promising guys! I would like to get a Vodafone\Huawei HG556a so that my Mum can plug her O2 USB Broadband stick into it. Currently she can only use it with her laptop and when I'm home I have no way to connect my phone and tablet.

Cheers,
M

If she has it in her laptop you should have an option on the laptop to create a wifi network to connect to so you can piggyback out. no need to get an additional router.

BostonB

Kinda easier to flick on a router than a 2nd laptop though.

I have one of these TP-Link Wireless N Router (TL-MR3420) works well with Meteor and O2 USB sticks.
http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE2325214

Seems to open firmware for it not tried it though.
http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3420

They seem to have a newer model of this on the OEM site.
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-MR3420
Which has a nice additional feature
"Bandwidth control allows administrators to determine how much bandwidth is allotted to each PC"

On the one I have it doesn't seem to have any mean of tracking download caps. at least not on the stock firmware. Which would be useful with a 3G modem and limited cap. I mainly use mine with UPC though.

madmoe

clint_silver wrote: »

If she has it in her laptop you should have an option on the laptop to create a wifi network to connect to so you can piggyback out. no need to get an additional router.

I have tried that in Winodws 8 and it works but then the tablet\phone keep disconnecting :-( It's down to the wireless card in her sh***y Compaq computer as when I try the same thing with my brothers eMachines laptop the tablet\phone stay connected all the time!?

Cheers,
M

whowantstwoknow

Vuzuggu wrote: »

I'd just grab one of these. I use it with my imagine modem and it is brilliant

Me again,

Need to resolve this as the wireless signal is becoming flaky. Seeing that the wireless signal is mainly required for downstairs in the house & I have a lan connection downstairs connected to a gigabit switch, I assume If I get a WAP or wireless router with gigabit port(s) I can have the wireless signal downstairs and still maintain my gigabit connection for my media centre PC?

The about doesnt have any gigabit ports. Is there such a model? Also the PoE seems like a good idea so I dont have to plug-in yet another device..

Thanks
W.

k123456

Hi I have a 3g dongle from three, (embarrassing I know) without an Rj45

I need an RJ45 port for a VOIP phone,

Using method outlined here, I can extend my wifi, by adding my netgear router

Will the RJ45 work or just the wireless ports

Thanks