Category Archives: WiFi & LAN

Wireless Router Setup with Verizon DSL

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Despite over a decade of networking experience, I spent two hours on the phone this past weekend with my sister as she attempted to setup a wireless router with her Verizon DSL. Needless to say, it didn’t go as expected. Here’s what we learned…

First, a bit of background info. There are three types of authentication that Verizon can use:

A) DHCP only — Verizon reads your current MAC address and assigns an IP address
B) PPPoE only — A username/password is required, but MAC address is ignored
C) Both PPPoe and DHCP

Like many other Verizon users, I initially setup MAC address cloning on our router, expecting to trick Verizon’s servers. I then setup PPPoE and thought we would be done. No go! Continue reading →

Charter and DOCSIS 3.0 (Motorola SB6120 Review)

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I subscribe to one of the cheapest broadband options in the area,  Charter’s “Express” cable service, which is advertised as an 8Mb downstream / 1Mb upstream service on a DOCSIS 2.0 cable network. Believing Charter’s DOCSIS 2.0 claim, I plugged in a cheap Linksys CM100 cable modem when we first signed up. After observing nearly double the advertised download speeds, I started to wonder if Charter’s sales representatives were mistaken. We’re in a brand new neighborhood just 20 miles east of St. Louis. Why wouldn’t they have hooked up fancy new DOCSIS 3.0 lines?

Google searches revealed nothing definite. Some folks claimed that upgrading to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem brought much greater performance, even on DOCSIS 2.0 lines. Some claimed no changes at all. I still wasn’t sure whether my area supported DOCSIS 3.0 or not, and further, I assumed that those who saw major benefits were subscribers of top-tier, 25Mb+ services. Then I read about Powerboost®, which is apparently the reason I see download speeds above 8Mb/sec. So, if I was right about my cable line, channel bonding might further improve performance.

Motorola’s SB6120, a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, was on sale at Best Buy last week. I had to pick one up to satisfy my nerdy curiosity.

The SB6120 makes things simple: Blue status LEDs = channel bonding (DOCSIS 3.0); Green LEDs = no channel bonding (not DOCSIS 3.0). Sure enough, the SB6120 booted up with a blue “Receive” LED. Logging into the status page (http://192.168.100.1) confirmed 4 bonded channels.

LEDs top to bottom: Link, Online, Send, Receive, Power

Continue reading →

Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N Review

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A few days after installing my new Netgear WNR3500L router, I noticed two problems with DD-WRT build 13527 (documented here). In summary, I found that DD-WRT reboots every 20-90 minutes under heavy 802.11n traffic on the WNR3500L. Rather than waste days or weeks experimenting with different builds of DD-WRT, I decided to fix several problems at once by adding a second wireless access point (AP). By placing a dedicated 802.11n AP upstairs, wireless coverage would improve, the WNR3500L would (in theory) stop randomly rebooting, and my 802.11g devices would no longer create throughput bottlenecks.

Since the WNR3500L had made no use of its gigabit switch during 802.11n transfers, I settled for a simple router, the Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N:

Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N, Fresh out of its retail box

Continue reading →

Netgear WNR3500L Performance with DD-WRT

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I’ve been running DD-WRT on a trusty Linksys WRT54G v2.0 since 2006. Back then, DD-WRT hadn’t achieved the dominant position it holds today, but beta release by beta release it’s turned my router into a powerhouse that I can’t do without.

However, the famous WRT54G is starting to show its age: gigabit Ethernet is now standard, as is 802.11n, and 8MB of RAM is quite limiting. I upgraded the wired portion of my home network with a gigabit switch over four years ago, seeing that there were no decent (read: DD-WRT capable) gigabit routers when I needed the speed. Now that 802.11n is finally “official” according to the IEEE, I started shopping for a modern router. With a few simple requirements in mind—under $100, DD-WRT support, gigabit and 802.11n—I ended up with a shiny new Netgear WNR3500L:

Netgear WNR3500L

Netgear WNR3500L installed in my basement

This review takes a look at real-world 802.11n performance in my home using the Netgear WNR3500L loaded with DD-WRT v24, build 13527. Continue reading →