Wifi hotspot

[rhbush]

I recently bought the Allied R36 router and the USB wifi extender (Allied also, but don't have the model number in front of me) and am having quite a bit of difficulty with getting it installed. I have found tech support to be pretty much non-existent from Data-Alliance and Allied. The instructions are pretty straight forward but seem to be missing some vital information. In fact, Data-Alliance told me that they have alot of these units returned because people can't get them to work. Anyone have any experience with this setup?

[clownfishsydney]

Can you log onto it via wifi?

[rhbush]

Not sure what you mean. You access the R36 unit to set it up by Ethernet. Once the router is set up you can access the router by wifi but it does not connect to th internet. The router and the Usb device both work independently but don't seem to be talking to each other.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, rhbush.

Did you connect your router to your modem? The cable plugs into the router jack named WAN or uplink or Internet. After connecting the cable, be sure to power cycle (turn off and turn back on) the modem to ensure the router recognizes it.

[belizesailor]

Why not just return it and get a more useable system?

Lots of discussion here of similar products.

[rhbush]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, rhbush.

Did you connect your router to your modem? The cable plugs into the router jack named WAN or uplink or Internet. After connecting the cable, be sure to power cycle (turn off and turn back on) the modem to ensure the router recognizes it.

Yes. Way past the basic stuff like plugging it in. The fact that Data-Alliance is already offering an RMA is probably an indication of the problems they have had in getting this sytem to work.

[a64pilot]

Your in Pensacola, I'd return what you have and take a day trip to visit these folks
Marine WiFi Systems

I've never been there, nor do I have his equipment yet, but I have talked with him on the phone and he had no problem with me running by there and he setting everything up so all I had to do was put it in the boat and turn it on

[SaltwaterChef]

i take it that your getting internet from your usb extender but no internet from your R36 router as a hotspot, lets say you have os xp running bottom right in tool bar double click wireless network connection then click properties then click advanced tab make sure that you have internet connection sharing box checked then under windows firewall click settings your firewall window comes up then click advanced tab then under network connection settings look for your wireless network connection on click to highlight then to the right of it click settings now adbanced settings window comes up click all box's but remote desktop then click ok and ok again on the next window and the next window then click close on the last one this should do it. you have to reset the R36 in small pin hole

[rhbush]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChef

i take it that your getting internet from your usb extender but no internet from your R36 router as a hotspot, lets say you have os xp running bottom right in tool bar double click wireless network connection then click properties then click advanced tab make sure that you have internet connection sharing box checked then under windows firewall click settings your firewall window comes up then click advanced tab then under network connection settings look for your wireless network connection on click to highlight then to the right of it click settings now adbanced settings window comes up click all box's but remote desktop then click ok and ok again on the next window and the next window then click close on the last one this should do it. you have to reset the R36 in small pin hole

I can get internet from my usb extender only if it is plugged directly into the computer. The router does not recognize it when it is plugged in thru the router. The problem is not in getting my comuter connected to the router, it is in getting the router to recognize the usb extender. In the setup of the router, it does not find it.

It has to be something in the setup of the R36. However, I have three sets of instructions - all slightly different - from Data Alliance and from Alfa (the mfg.) but the router still shows that there is no usb extender connected.

[SaltwaterChef]

Originally Posted by rhbush

I can get internet from my usb extender only if it is plugged directly into the computer. The router does not recognize it when it is plugged in thru the router. The problem is not in getting my comuter connected to the router, it is in getting the router to recognize the usb extender. In the setup of the router, it does not find it.

It has to be something in the setup of the R36. However, I have three sets of instructions - all slightly different - from Data Alliance and from Alfa (the mfg.) but the router still shows that there is no usb extender connected.

okay so you have USB extender connected in the computer and you are running a cat 5 cable to you R36 correct

[rhbush]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChef

okay so you have USB extender connected in the computer and you are running a cat 5 cable to you R36 correct

The usb extender connects to the router. the R36 router then connects to the computer with a cat 5 cable for purposes of setup. In the setup of the R36, where it should show the usb extender it shows "not connected". Also, tried different usb cable just in case the cable was the problem.

[barnakiel]

Why plug a usb wifi dongle into a router if you can buy a router (called extender in this case) that has both devices onboard?

Are you trying to extend/boost an existing network?

If you try to make a simple job difficult, expect some challenges to make it work.

1) Are you sure that your router can accept a USB wifi dongle? (Meaning : is it built to allow for the required USB wifi dongle driver).

I ask this as normally the USB port on routers is used for other tasks (e.g. 3G dongles, etc.)

b.

[SaltwaterChef]

what type of extender do you have why don't you plug it in straight to the computer by USB then cat5 out to the R36 and follow my first previous instructions. you should try different scenarios with this

[rhbush]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Why plug a usb wifi dongle into a router if you can buy a router (called extender in this case) that has both devices onboard?

Are you trying to extend/boost an existing network?

If you try to make a simple job difficult, expect some challenges to make it work.

1) Are you sure that your router can accept a USB wifi dongle? (Meaning : is it built to allow for the required USB wifi dongle driver).

I ask this as normally the USB port on routers is used for other tasks (e.g. 3G dongles, etc.)

b.

The whole point of this (and other sytems like it) would be to extend an existing system, such as picking up wifi at the marina and boosting it (USB Extender) and then making it available on the boat for multiple devices (R36 Router). I found several places that these Alfa systems were supposedly used to do just this. Although after I ordered them I found some reviews that said that they had difficulty in getting them setup. Now the company that sells them, Data-Alliance has indicated that this is frequently a problem. It looks like a good time to return and get something else that actually works.

I was just hoping that someone else on here had fought thru this and would know what needed to be done on the router to fix it.

[jstevens]

No personal experience with the R36 (I think the manufacturer is Alfa. Allied may just be a distributor), but I looked at a couple of Youtube videos on the installation process. Most of them demonstrate problems getting some of the Alfa USB adapters to work with the router.
So it would appear that your inclination to use the RMA to return the product is the best action to take. I've used a number of Alfa products over the years and found them all to work as advertised - that is until the last Wifi adapter I bought, which only worked intermittantly. Currently I'm at a marina with a strong Wifi network so I do not need an extender. When I get ready to leave I will once more be in the market for an extender, but probably will not consider an Alfa product.

John