Best option for a dedicated AC media bridge?

[ElShaddai Edwards]

Curious what people's opinions are for a dedicated AC media bridge... I know almost all routers can be set up as a media bridge, but I'm curious if there are dedicated units that offer a more attractive price point without the need for the WAN and routing overhead.

I have one such unit from Buffalo (AirStation AC1300 / N450 4-Port Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Ethernet Bridge and Gaming Adapter - WLI-H4-D1300), but they don't make that anymore. Looks like Linksys had one (Linksys Wireless-AC Universal Media Connector WUMC710), but again, not an active SKU.

Is this a dead category?

 

[sfx2000]

The Buffalo box is still available (used) from Amazon - it's a good unit, as you probably know...

 

[pete y testing]

I know almost all routers can be set up as a media bridge

you would be wrong there as the term media bridge is quite specific

but I'm curious if there are dedicated units that offer a more attractive price point without the need for the WAN and routing overhead.

sure there are specific ones like the asus rp-ac68u but they aint that much cheaper , or the specific asus ea-87 media bridge

for a media bridge you need something with good coverage and throughput and placement is important

you might be interested in something like the netgear orbi that will also act as a media bridge

of course there is also 3rd party firmware like dd wrt and its client bridge mode which will turn any compatible router into a media bridge

so there is still lots of choice just depends on how much you want to throw at the solution and how important the actual connection is

 

[ElShaddai Edwards]

The Buffalo box is still available (used) from Amazon - it's a good unit, as you probably know...

Indeed, it is a very good unit. If I could get a second one for what I originally paid ($75/used), it would be almost a no brainer.

 

[ElShaddai Edwards]

you would be wrong there as the term media bridge is quite specific

Fair enough. I'm not going to claim to be an expert. I'm referring to a function/term/device that allows wired-only devices to connect to a wireless connection with a router. I'm not looking for a repeater or extender -- just a device that can establish a wireless connection to my router and provide a wired interface for my computer, printers and NAS in my office.

sure there are specific ones like the asus rp-ac68u but they aint that much cheaper , or the specific asus ea-87 media bridge

for a media bridge you need something with good coverage and throughput and placement is important

you might be interested in something like the netgear orbi that will also act as a media bridge

Thanks for the suggestion -- I'll take a look at the orbi.

of course there is also 3rd party firmware like dd wrt and its client bridge mode which will turn any compatible router into a media bridge

so there is still lots of choice just depends on how much you want to throw at the solution and how important the actual connection is

Yep. The connection is important to me since I have my NAS connected to the bridge and like to stream movies and audio to devices within the network and externally.

 

[System Error Message]

my suggestion if you want to bridge is to get directional antennas and a decent AC wifi unit. This also restricts the function in that it cannot distribute wifi itself. However i found with the AC3200 3 of the antennas belong to 1 radio (for 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz) and the other 3 belong to the other 5Ghz radio so its just a matter of replacing the right antennas but i heard the ac3200 doesnt have a bridge mode.

 

[sfx2000]

my suggestion if you want to bridge is to get directional antennas and a decent AC wifi unit. This also restricts the function in that it cannot distribute wifi itself. However i found with the AC3200 3 of the antennas belong to 1 radio (for 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz) and the other 3 belong to the other 5Ghz radio so its just a matter of replacing the right antennas but i heard the ac3200 doesnt have a bridge mode.

Compared to the Buffalo unit that OP has - no...

 

[thiggins]

"Media" is a marketing term. There are two categories of wireless bridge, those that use WDS and those that do not. The latter is more flexible because it works with any router and supports wireless encryption.

I agree that pickin's are kind of slim in dedicated wireless bridges. But most wireless extenders also support bridging via their Ethernet port.

 

[ElShaddai Edwards]

"Media" is a marketing term. There are two categories of wireless bridge, those that use WDS and those that do not. The latter is more flexible because it works with any router and supports wireless encryption.

I agree that pickin's are kind of slim in dedicated wireless bridges. But most wireless extenders also support bridging via their Ethernet port.

Thanks for the clarification -- always good to get the lingo right! I did try a TP-Link RE450 with an external switch and that worked pretty well, but my power outlets are not convenient for good AC reception. I'm getting almost double the connection rate with a second AC66U unit that I can move around a bit.

 

[sfx2000]

"Media" is a marketing term. There are two categories of wireless bridge, those that use WDS and those that do not. The latter is more flexible because it works with any router and supports wireless encryption.

I agree that pickin's are kind of slim in dedicated wireless bridges. But most wireless extenders also support bridging via their Ethernet port.

It's been a niche market - they're out there, just need to find them... fortunately, many Router/AP's do have "bridge" mode, which pretty much does the same thing...

Things dried up a bit for dedicated media bridges once the consoles and media players started including WiFi, esp the newer ones with 11n - used to be a healthy market for game adapters... Tim reviewed a few some years back...

 

[ikecomp]

I know this thread is old but I was actually looking for something like this that won't break the bank. I ended up doing the same thing that was suggested above and just bought a used Asus AC66U and put it into bridge mode. It more than handles my needs (media streaming, large file transfers to my machines in the basement). Plus if something happens to my main router I would have backup.

I was thinking of going with the netgear orbi's as I've heard good things about their throughput but I couldn't justify the almost $400 price tag for 2.