Netopia 3347nwg - all devices join to 802.11b when router meant to be G capable. Fix?

hatrickpatrick

According to all documentation, the Netopia 3347nwg is capable of both B and G in terms of 802.11 radio / PHY mode. However, using mine as an ethernet repeater, all of my devices connect wirelessly using 802.11b. I have scoured both the GUI admin interface and also the telnet commands which allow more "under the hood" tweaking, and I simply can't find an option to tell the router whether to use B or G - even though some sources online suggest that some of the 3347 routers actually have an option or setting to change this?

Could I have been incredibly unlucky and managed to pick one up (years and years ago when we first switched from Eircom ISDN to Broadband, may have been as far back as '04) which simply doesn't have the hardware for 802.11g?

According to the Telnet router information:

Netopia-3000/12871916> show wireless all

Wireless Statistics
  [b]Wireless Protocol: 	IEEE 802.11b[/b]
  Wireless MAC Addr: [REDACTED]
  Network ID (SSID):	Sky-Repeat  (Open System)
  Operating Channel:	7
  WPA-PSK Privacy Enabled

  Transmit OK           : 2094225
  Receive OK            : 1318705
  Tx Errors             : 0
  Rx Errors             : 0
  Rx No Message         : 0
  Rx Octets             : 193077291
  Rx Unicast Pkts       : 1313550
  Rx Multicast Pkts     : 5127
  Tx Discards           : 0

There is no option to change this.

One of the telnet menus has a "wireless" config option. In some online documentation, this section of the telnet SHOULD have a line which offers "b-or-g", "b-only" and "g-only" as options, but no such line exists on my own router's telnet in the same menu as it is described on other sites, and indeed some other sites contain screenshots without this menu option.

Anyone know what the story is? Is it possible for example, that the router is physically capable of running G mode but that Eircom's firmware (as every ISP used their own custom firmware for this router) has disabled it for some reason? And if so, is it possible that I can find a firmware to flash it with which will allow me to do this?

ED E

There seems to be a few HW revs produced for it. But, WHY? Like Id understand if you wanted an aggressive ADSL modem but as an AP?

hatrickpatrick

Because when used as a bridge, my download speed drops by half, from 1 MB to 500 KB per second, which is a substantial difference. As in, the main router receiving the broadband from the phone line gives us a wireless speed of 1 MB per second assuming you're not miles away from it in the house, but this one gives 500 KB max when bridged from the original router by ethernet. The only culprit I can think of to explain this is the fact that 802.11b is by far the weakest of the wireless protocols. I've messed with literally every other setting which might be responsible for this and come up short, so this is sort of a last resort before I just buy a new router altogether, which seems like a waste since this one is fine in every other respect for what I need it to do.