Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:44:15 -0400 From: rjhjr0@gmail.com To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Repeaters [off topic] Message-ID: <20120822054415.GA2234@stainmore> In-Reply-To: <5033F93B.3070908@hdk5.net> References: <20120821173001.GB5070@stainmore> <5033F93B.3070908@hdk5.net>
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On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 11:10:19AM -1000, Al Plant wrote: > Bob Hall wrote: > > I'm using a repeater to grab a wireless signal and pass it to my local > > (wired) lan. For various reasons I won't go into a repeater is, in > > theory, the best way to do this. However, I'm having trouble finding a > > repeater that isn't garbage. I've been through 2 Linksys units, both of > > which required constant reboots and both of which died after almost > > exactly a year. I tried a Hawking HWREN1 which is still working after > > slightly more than a year but has trouble with encrypted traffic and > > also requires frequent reboots. I also tried a Hawking HW2R1, which was > > much less flaky than the HWREN1 and handled encrypted traffic OK, but > > died after about 3 months. > > > > Since these things cost $100-$140 apiece, it would be cost effective to > > to pay more for a unit that worked consistently and didn't die after a > > few months of light use. Has anyone on the list used a repeater that > > they had good experience with? > > > > Bob Hall > > _______________________________________________ > > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > > Aloha.... > > > I have a similar system for a HP Linux mini that I use portably. It > works at my home base as well as in several locations including on > board NCL ships. > > What is the origin of the wireless signal are you picking up to begin > with? Landlord's wireless router. > I sounds like interfere or no permission to use the originating signal. I have permission; I have the passphrase necessary for access. Internet access is included in my rent. > If the original signal is flaky or blocked or timed out then the > repeater may not work. The original signal is flaky. Even though I'm less than 75 feet from the source, I use a high-gain antenna to compensate for a weak signal. However, I was able to maintain semi-stable access with the HW2R1 and antenna, until the HW2R1 died. (With the other three units, access consistently sucked.) Flakiness doesn't explain why three out of four repeaters died in a year or less. Traffic is light; I'm the only one using the repeater and I mostly use the Internet for email and reading news sites. I never even watched a video during the three months the HW2R1 was alive. When I say that three of the repeaters died, I mean a total cessation of function. They stopped functioning as repeaters, they stopped responding to pings, their built-in web servers no longer provided the configuration web pages, and rebooting didn't fix anything. The HWREN1 that I'm using right now stops functioning as a repeater several times a day, but I can still ping it and get the config pages. Rebooting usually (but not always) gets it working again. Sometimes I have to ask the landlord to reboot the router. I can't get permission to install an ethernet cable. I've already asked.
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