I want to buy an additional router for my WDTV Live

Community Archives WD TV Live Networking
1

I already have a Netgear WNDR3300 as my main router and a Netgear WNDA3100 Wi-Fi adapter plugged into the WDTV Live unit. Since there seems to be network interference from surrounding neighbors affecting playback, I’m thinking that buying an additional router to replace the WiFi adapter would give a stronger dedicated “connection” between the WDTV Live and the main router, thus strengthening the signal or extending the range (?) which I assume would probably improve 1080p playback experience significantly.

Basically, I’m considering replacing the WNDA3100 Wi-Fi adapter with ‘a wireless bridge’ by getting another WNDR3300 to plug into the WDTV Live (as a wireless bridge/access point) to further improve 1080p playback.

I’ve decided to go this route because I’ve heard positive experiences from people online who were able to flawlessly stream 1080p using (at least) two routers, where one router (Router A) is directly wired to the WDTV Live’s Ethernet port and is configured as a wireless bridge/AP and the other router (Router B) acts as the main router, which is wirelessly connected to Router A.

I intend to improve my wireless playback for 1080p with this setup. Please let me know if this isn’t a good idea or worth trying.

If someone here has had experience with this type of setup, could you please recommend me a good router to add to my ‘WDTV Live network’ or tell me whether the following routers (that I found from research) are good choices?

They are:

1.) Netgear WNDR3300
2.) Linksys E1000
3.) Asus RT-N12

Thanks and appreciate all your help!

2

Be careful here.

You keep saying “Configured as a Wireless Bridge / AP”

Those two things are OPPOSITES.   An “AP” is what a regular Wireless Router is.   That’s short for “Access Point.”

Wireless LAN Clients associate WITH an AP.  Whereas a BRIDGE acts as more like a CLIENT.

The Linksys E1000 will NOT work.   It does not support Client mode.  (At least, I don’t think it does.   I have an E3000, which is in the same family, and it doesn’t.

Don’t know anything about the other two.

3

I mean Wireless Bridge. Sorry for the confusion.

I would make the WNDR3300 a wireless bridge to act as a client and configure the E1000 as a regular AP.

Would this setup work?

Are you saying the E1000 won’t connect to the WNDR3300 (wireless bridge) because it doesn’t support in client mode and therefor unable to connect to/from other clients? Or are you saying the E1000 cannot function as a wireless bridge in client mode?

4

The latter.

5

Ok. The Linksys is a no go, unless I use it as the main router and use the WNDR3300 as a wireless bridge. But I’ve heard more mixed reviews about the e1000 than the WNDR3300.

I’m thinking about a NETGEAR WNHDE111. Would that work in my current setup and make it better?