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Sky Wireless router on Virgin cable

andy.barron

andy.barron

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 30, 2006
443
0
Bedford, England
Hi All.

I have been trudging through info all day for a way to do this, but thought I would try you guys for a solution.

I have Virgin Media broadband & would like to extend the wireless range (get a connection into the garage).

Is is possible to use an old Sky wireless router (adsl connection to wan not ethernet) to extend the range?

I think not but if anyone has a way that would be fantastic!!

Thanks for your help in advance:)
 
It depends what model it is, at-least with the older Netgear DG834G's they used you could reflash them to use the normal firmware, which would let you use them with any provider.

However I don't think this is going to help much in this situation as I don't think you'll be able to use it in a WDS as a relay, or hook it up via a long ethernet cable due to it having the ADSL modem instead of an ethernet WAN port.

Can you post what model it is.
 
Hi

Not sure on the answer on model numbers (I probably am coming across a bit dim), but I will try to describe them as I have 2 different ones:

1. Netgear, White, 1 adsl port 4 lan ports with antenna

2. Netgear, Grey, 1 adsl port 4 lan ports (coloured green, blue, yellow, yellow) no antenna

Does this answer enough? I could also give serial n°s?
 
Might be a DG834G not sure which revision and possibly a DG834GT.
I think both are flashable to the official firmware, though you'll need to find the exact model number of the routers and google how to do this.

Unfortunately many of Netgears routers look pretty similar, especially between revisions.

With the official firmware I don't think they offer much that would help though. However possibly a custom firmware like DGTeams might help as it supposedly supports WDS on a DG834GT I think, though whether it will act as a relay and whether Virgins wireless router can act as a WDS main is another matter.
 
Thanks Alfihar, but you have totally lost me!!!

What I am after doing is to use one of those routers (that have adsl port only, not ethernet for wan) to publish an additional wifi upstairs that would extend the range.

I guess ethernet into one of the lan ports will not transfer the connection to allow to broadcast?

Sorry if I don't get this!
 
Ah sorry about that.

Well the way I was thinking was to use a WDS or Wireless Distribution System. This is where you can have a main wireless router with the internet connection, and then another wireless router (can be more than one) connected to the first wirelessly which then also broadcasts a wireless signal, which allows clients (like a laptop etc...) to connect to the network and access the internet.

Internet --- [Wireless Modem/Router] >>wireless signal >> [WDS Relay] >> wireless signal >> [Laptop in the garage]

If you are able to have an ethernet cable go from the first router to the second then it should make things easier, I'm not too sure how well the ADSL routers would handle this though. You would need to turn off DHCP on it at the very least. I seem to remember when I tried to do something similar with my DG834G there were some quirks which stopped it from working quite right. Though I only ever ran the standard firmware on it.

Really though it would be a lot easier if you can run a cable to the other location, and buy a cheap wireless router with an ethernet WAN port. Or a wireless access point, which would do the same thing.
 
Hey no worries chap, really appreciate your time my friend.

Totally understand your answer this time (sorry for being a bit of an idiot!).

How would I set up the 2nd or 3rd wirleless router to receive then distribute signal? I am fine with turning off dhcp, but is it just a case that it will 'piggyback' & increase the signal?

Hey, thanks for all your help, your a top man!
 
& would it need an ethernet connection to one of the lan ports (as the wan port is adsl).

So if you can tell me that I could position an adsl wireless router to receive signal wirelessly then boost signal you are a god my friend!!!!
 
Just been taking a look at Netgears website, if you have a DG834G v3 there it appears to support WDS with the standard firmware.

Added support (DG834Gv3) for Wireless Distribution System (WDS) under the Advanced menu. WDS allows a wireless network to be expanded using access points without needing a wired backbone to connect them. The DG834Gv3 can be configured to connect with other access points as a bridge (with wired clients only) or as a repeater (with wired and/or wireless clients)
Click to expand...
Netgear website

you may be in luck if:
1) You have a netgear wireless router which you can flash to the standard firmware (this may not be necessary) and supports WDS
2) You have a second wireless router which also supports WDS. Hopefully the one provided by Virgin does.
 
I cannot thank you enough for your efforts on this Alfihar, you really are a good person.

I will attempt to access the routers tomorrow to find out their versions & let you know if thats ok (its nearly 11pm & I have to work in the morn)

Thank you SO much for your help so far & talk tomorrow I hope:D
 
Hi Alfihar.
A bit of progress... I managed to get the grey coloured router up & running & was able to access it on a Lan cable (the 2x white ones were having none of it!).
I gave it a different SSID & enabled WAP. I then put the network back together as norm & published the 2nd SSID with success! However it was still no good in the garage & dropped off. In addition if I unplug the lan cable I can no longer get into the router...
I am now thinking of trying: giving it the same SSID etc. as the main network & situating it in the garage to see if it will extend the network.
Is that a good idea?
 
andy.barron said:
Hi Alfihar.
A bit of progress... I managed to get the grey coloured router up & running & was able to access it on a Lan cable (the 2x white ones were having none of it!).
I gave it a different SSID & enabled WAP. I then put the network back together as norm & published the 2nd SSID with success! However it was still no good in the garage & dropped off.
Click to expand...
Careful with this, only one router should be configured with a DHCP server as otherwise the two routers will conflict with each other. This is true if you connect the routers together.

andy.barron said:
In addition if I unplug the lan cable I can no longer get into the router...
Click to expand...
If you are connected wirelessly/wired to one router then you will not be able to access the other. Unless the two routers are connected somehow.

andy.barron said:
I am now thinking of trying: giving it the same SSID etc. as the main network & situating it in the garage to see if it will extend the network.
Is that a good idea?
Click to expand...
The two routers will need to communicate with each other, simply giving them the same SSID and other wireless settings isn't enough.

You'll need to see if the routers you have support WDS. They may require a firmware update for this. WDS allows the routers to communicate with each other wirelessly.
 
Hi again!
I see what you are saying (although i was actually able to access both routers whilst they were on the Lan at the same time...)
So next stage is to flash the firmware of the router, so I really need to find out the model (as it gave me a sky page it only seemed to have MAC address etc. (I have attached screen grab of what it had)).

By the way my main router is a DIR-615 funning firmware 1.00VG Wirless N.

Hey thanks again for your time:)
 

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Doesn't look too hopeful for WDS.
The D-Link DI-615 doesn't appear to support WDS.
And the Netgear seems to be a Netgear DG934G which is like a DG834G, which also seems not to support WDS.

Though for reflashing this site may help, though you would need to check it's the router you have.


Might want to look into purchasing a Wireless Repeater instead,
or even a cheap wireless router with an ethernet WAN port and a long ethernet cable.
 
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