January 11, 2008
Wireless Access Bridge with WRT54G
Thanks to the DD-WRT team, we can load a firmware replacement on the very common WRT54G made by LinkSys. There's many cool features in the DD-WRT build, but one in particular had a particular use for me.
There is a capability to turn the wireless router into a wireless bridge router, amongst others. This would be useful for when you have devices that can accept ethernet cables and do not accept wireless cards of your choice. Some likely candidates are older laptops, PPC like the Jornada, or the famous XBox 360. Additionally, a WRT54G router can be purchased at a lower cost than the official Microsoft Wireless Adapter for XBox 360. With this solution you get more functionality at a lower cost, how about that?
This article will go over an example setup that hooks up two devices to the WRT54G to access the internet connection without extensive cross home wiring. If you're primarily interested in the XBox piece, you can ignore mentions of the 3COM CF+ and HP Jornada.
If you're having trouble visualizing this so far here is a diagram. Further explanation after the link.
Hardware Equipment list:
A. Linksys WRT54G wireless router (with modified firmware)
B. HP Jornada 820 Windows CE Device
C. 3COM 3C1 CF+ LAN card
D. XBox 360
E. Linksys WRT54G wireless router (unmodified)
F. Cable Modem
G. My ISP Internet Connection
Software Equipment list
SW-A. DD-WRT
a. DD-WRT Home
SW-B. 3Com 3C1 Drivers (included with card, probably available from support site)
Explanation:
The Xbox is in a different room from the home office and running CAT5 wiring all over the place was not desirable. Additionally, the HP Jornada still has utility to me for some small tasks instead of a more expensive and slower to boot laptop. The Jornada can accept a few 802.11b WiFi cards that have support for drivers for Windows CE 2.11 (few & far between), so if you came here to see about the Jornada you may opt for the wireless solution itself. I chose to use ethernet cable for my Jornada's Internet connection, in part, because I already have the 3COM 3C1 CF+ LAN card.
For HP Jornada 820
Configure/Download the driver for the CF+ LAN Card and install according to the manual. Ensure it works by connecting to a port on the back of Hardware E. You can simply open Pocket Internet Explorer to verify you can hit a simple site like google. Put this away for now.
Configuring Router as Wireless Bridge
First you will need to follow the instructions for updating the firmware of your router to the DD-WRT. These instructions vary by your router model and revision. Extensive info is available on the DD-WRT page given above under SW-A.
DD-WRT has great instructions here. Follow these instructions and the verification methods.
Putting it All Together
Now that this router is updated, configured, and tested; you can locate it next to your XBox and Jornada. Plug it in then plug in your ethernet cables. Now you can enjoy your XBox Live by connecting to the Internet through this new wireless bridge and without spending a sizeable sum on the official Microsoft XBox 360 Wireless Adapter. Additionally, you have a ethernet port for your networked device that is unable to host a WiFi card or peripheral!