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DIY dual band WIFI w/ AEBS & Netgear WR814v1

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OldManSeed

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 26, 2008
7
0
Hello all. Having come across this article the other day (http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/how-to-set-up-dual-band-wifi-and-juice-your-downloads/), I decided to blow the dust off of my ancient, Netgear WR814v1 wireless router in an effort to optimize my home network. My primary router, an older AEBS (802.11n), had been using a ratio mode of 802.11n (b/g compatible) @ 2.4GHz, so that I could connect some not-so-new devices such as my iPhone3G and my Wii.
If i can configure this Netgear monstrosity to my current network and have it broadcast at 2.4GHz, I'd be free to bump my AEBS up to 5GHz and enjoy significantly faster speeds overall. The only thing connected at 5GHz would be this - my shiny, new 15" MBP 2.66. The Netgear unit would be set in bridge mode (or its ancient equivalent), and would handle the lesser capable gadgets, including the iPhone, which would still be able to be used as an itunes remote and all that other lovely stuff.
So, I reckon my question is one of specifics. I'd love to have a step-by-step 'guide' for making this work.
You guys are the bestest, thanks!:D
 
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p.luik

macrumors regular
Jan 18, 2008
196
0
Faribault, MN
Set up the AEBS to broadcast at 5 GHz. Plug your other router into one of the wired ports, and set it up just as you would normally at 2.4 GHz. Also, unless you have as fast of an internet connection as I do in my sig, then you wont notice 5 GHz. You didn't state that you had more than one 5 GHz device to transmit at the higher rates, so internet would be your only use.
 
spaceballl

spaceballl

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2003
2,892
285
San Francisco, CA
Basically, what he said...

You could try these steps, though.

1) Set up your AEBS to work on the 5ghz band, like you want. Make sure all is working.

2) Unplug your AEBS and swap in the older router. Get that set up so that it is working like a normal router on the 2.4ghz band.

3) Switch back to your AEBS.

4) Connect the WAN port of your old 2.4ghz router to one of the LAN ports of the AEBS. Power it on.

This should work.
 
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skorpien

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2008
2,339
0
While these suggestions would work, it would create two separate networks that would not be able to communicate with one another as I believe the OP had initially intended. Therefore any devices connected to one will not be able to communicate with devices connected to the other.

Looking at the information about your Netgear router (btw, I believe you mean the MR814v1 as there are no entries of any product called WR814), it does not seem capable of being set up in bridge mode. What you could do is set up your Netgear as your primary router and set up your AEBS in bridge mode (considerably easier to do with AirPort Utility). Then you would connect one of your old router's LAN ports to your AEBS's WAN port and you'll be set.

That being said, it also seems that your MR814v1 is an 802.11b router capable of only 11 Mbps. What I would do is buy a cheap 802.11b/g router which can be set up as a bridge and configure your network the way you want with AEBS doing the DHCP. This way, any non-802.11n clients will still be able to connect at 54 Mbps rather than only 11 Mbps.
 
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OldManSeed

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 26, 2008
7
0
Thanks alot, skorpien, for fully understanding the question and providing a great answer! In the Netgear setup, I had noticed there was no obvious option for a 'bridge mode', but I thought that unchecking the "Use as DHCP server" option would suffice. Apparently not.
The router is currently set up and working, though it operates as its own independent network as you mentioned. This was mainly what i was asking about, since I require all devices to be able to intercommunicate.

So, any recommendations for a cheap router to be used as a bridge?

Thanks again!
 
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skorpien

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2008
2,339
0
Anytime, I've set up a similar network so I've been through this all before.

As for which router to get, unfortunately I can't be of too much help. I prefer Linksys brand myself, but I'm sure there are others that would work just as well. I'd suggest looking around online for something relatively cheap that is also compatible with dd-wrt (http://www.dd-wrt.com/). That way, even if the firmware included is somewhat subpar, you can always install dd-wrt on the router and hopefully make it work to your liking.
 
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