I started streaming video to my media streaming devices using Buffalo and Linksys wireless G routers running Tomato or DDWRT to build wireless bridges to my entertainment system locations.
The basic architecture was one WAP with two routers in bridge mode bound to it (two remote locations).
All configurations of Linksys/Buffalo/Tomato/DDWRT would do the same thing;
1) When the software was first installed, it would perform its best. The little G routers would do OK for standard definition TV and music and got iffy on DVDs.
2) After 3 to 5 weeks, I would notice that DVD performance was worse, and some TV recordings would stutter or hang.
3) Soon after, the wireless bridges would fail. The failure was so totally and utterly complete, the first time this happened, I bought new routers.
The replacement equipment was flashed with DDWRT.
After 4-5 weeks, the wireless connections failed again.
This time, I played with it (for days) until I wound up doing a hard reset on all three routers and reconfiguring each one at the same time.
Suddenly, all worked again, just like new, for about 5 weeks, until the next wireless failure. Again, a hard reset and re-entering the routers' configuration settings fixed the failure. I have since confirmed that all of the routers are fully functional, even the first three I had originally replaced.
About a year ago, I upgraded to Netgear's WNHDE111s. Again, one configured as a WAP, with the other two bound to it in bridge mode.
After a year, I have found that:
1) Their performance slowly degrades. After 8 weeks in service, drop-outs/stuttering was unacceptable on HD TV streams (average though-put about 14 Mb/s).
2) Just for grins, I tried a hard reset on all three units. For once I got lucky, my problem was cured.
3) For the last 6 months, I’ve only been using one 111 bridged to the WAP, the wireless connection lasted longer, but by the end of 16 weeks, its performance had degraded to unacceptable levels.
Again, a hard reset of both 111s fixed the poor performance and the stuttering disappeared.
I have done three hard resets on the 111s since installing them.
Sorry to be so long winded, but I had to describe this with some detail to ask my question.
1) Is anyone else seeing this behavior in consumer grade wireless bridge applications?
2) If so, can anyone explain what’s happening? (I have a guess, but that’s all I got…)
The basic architecture was one WAP with two routers in bridge mode bound to it (two remote locations).
All configurations of Linksys/Buffalo/Tomato/DDWRT would do the same thing;
1) When the software was first installed, it would perform its best. The little G routers would do OK for standard definition TV and music and got iffy on DVDs.
2) After 3 to 5 weeks, I would notice that DVD performance was worse, and some TV recordings would stutter or hang.
3) Soon after, the wireless bridges would fail. The failure was so totally and utterly complete, the first time this happened, I bought new routers.
The replacement equipment was flashed with DDWRT.
After 4-5 weeks, the wireless connections failed again.
This time, I played with it (for days) until I wound up doing a hard reset on all three routers and reconfiguring each one at the same time.
Suddenly, all worked again, just like new, for about 5 weeks, until the next wireless failure. Again, a hard reset and re-entering the routers' configuration settings fixed the failure. I have since confirmed that all of the routers are fully functional, even the first three I had originally replaced.
About a year ago, I upgraded to Netgear's WNHDE111s. Again, one configured as a WAP, with the other two bound to it in bridge mode.
After a year, I have found that:
1) Their performance slowly degrades. After 8 weeks in service, drop-outs/stuttering was unacceptable on HD TV streams (average though-put about 14 Mb/s).
2) Just for grins, I tried a hard reset on all three units. For once I got lucky, my problem was cured.
3) For the last 6 months, I’ve only been using one 111 bridged to the WAP, the wireless connection lasted longer, but by the end of 16 weeks, its performance had degraded to unacceptable levels.
Again, a hard reset of both 111s fixed the poor performance and the stuttering disappeared.
I have done three hard resets on the 111s since installing them.
Sorry to be so long winded, but I had to describe this with some detail to ask my question.
1) Is anyone else seeing this behavior in consumer grade wireless bridge applications?
2) If so, can anyone explain what’s happening? (I have a guess, but that’s all I got…)