Viewsonic WRLS ACCES/POINT/REAPTER/BRIDGE ( WAPBR-100 )

Product Description
Three products in one compact design ¿ you choose. The ViewSonic WAPBR-100 three-in-one AP/Repeater with 802.11g connectivity EXTENDS YOUR WIRELESS NETWORKING OPTIONS. You may use it as a WIRELESS ACCESS POINT for networking internal users allowing them to wirelessly share files, printers and other peripherals. Extend your WLAN range by using the WAPBR-100 as a REPEATER, relaying the wireless connection to remote users within the WLAN. Also acting as a BRIDGE, the WAPBR-100 can turn your Ethernet-connected game consoles, TVs and PCs into wireless devices. This 3-in-1 box boasts a STYLISH, COMPACT DESIGN THAT OFFERS HIGH PERFORMANCE wireless 802.11g connectivity and high-level security features.

Product Description:
802.11G WIRELESS ACCESS POINT REPEATER & ETHERNET BRIDGE WITH 125* HIGH SPEED MODE.

Average customer rating:

Move on...
working as AP Client, but not repeater or bridge
Works well, horrible documentation
It appears to work OK, but documentation is sparse

Viewsonic WRLS ACCES/POINT/REAPTER/BRIDGE ( WAPBR-100 )

Manufacturer: ViewSonic
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Expand your wireless networking coverage to eliminate dead spots
Works with both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks
Supports 64 and 128-bit WEP encryption
Compatible with Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, and XP
24/7 Toll free live Customer & Technical support.

ASIN: B00068YULQ

Product Description

The ViewSonic WAPBR-100 three-in-one AP/Repeater with 802.11g connectivity. Extends your wireless networking options. You may use it as a Wireless Access Point for networking internal users allowing them to wirelessly share files, printers and other peripherals. Extend your WLAN range by using the WAPBR-100 as a repeater, relaying the wireless connection to remote users within the WLAN. Also acting as a bridge, the WAPBR-100 can turn your Ethernet-connected game consoles, TVs and PCs into wireless devices. This 3-in-1 box boasts a stylish, compact design that offers high performance wireless 802.11g connectivity and high-level security features. 802.11g Networking Options: Wireless Access Point; Wireless Repeater and Ethernet Bridge.

Customer Reviews:

Move on..........2005-09-14

I am an advanced user and found this product to be incredibly frustrating. I could not make it work as a bridge or repeater. Checking Viewsonic's website yields no firmware updates (how is this possible?) and no advice on how to make it work in these modes. There are other products out there... don't waste your time here.

working as AP Client, but not repeater or bridge.......2005-06-28

I configured mine to work by connecting to it manually with a static IP of 192.168.1.xx and going to 192.168.1.2 (the built in web interface at default settings). I switched to AP Client on the tab that sets the operating mode. I then clicked the scan button and picked the AP I wanted to connect to off the list. Once it finally came back to the mode page with this info filled in (in blue, not red, red may mean it isn't working)I clicked apply. I never changed the SSID or channel or any of that. Then after the wapbr-100 reset itself I went and set my computer back to obtaining ip and dns automatically. Then after a few seconds it aquired an ip address from the AP and I was on the web. I tried this same proceduree in wireless bridge mode and in repeater mode, but neither of those worked. I also tried the thing where you set the ssid and channel to the same as the router/AP you are trying to connect to, and it worked, but I don't believe it was necesary unless people who use encryption need these settings changed. I don't use any encryption.

Works well, horrible documentation.......2005-06-14

I'll echo the previous reviewer -- the documentation is terrible for this unit. Most people are buying it as an AP Client (i.e. to connect an ethernet device to an existing wireless network). Thanks to the previous reviewer (and no thanks to Viewsonic) I was able to get this device working properly. A few points I'd like to add:

1) The WAPBR-100 needs a static address that is within the IP range of the wireless router you are using. Note that the default address of 192.168.1.2 is not within the default range of Netgear routers. Change the IP address of the WAPBR-100 to something like 192.168.0.30. Theoretically, to avoid collisions with the DHCP server in your router, you should "reserve" this address in the router.

2) If you are restricting access to the router based on MAC address (MAC address filtering), be sure to add BOTH the MAC address of the WAPBR-100 AND the MAC address of the device you are attaching to the WAPBR-100.

3) Once you have the WAPBR-100 configured and the device working, you can change the attached device (usually a PC) to use DHCP rather than a static IP address. It will then obtain an IP address, along with the DNS information, from the router.

Too bad Viewsonic has such poor documentation. I think this is a good quality product otherwise.

It appears to work OK, but documentation is sparse.......2005-06-06

I bought this unit specifically for the role of an Access Point (AP) client--essentially, an 802.11g adapter that connects to my computer via wired Ethernet instead of USB or PCI. This unit fulfills that role pretty well, once I figured out the right procedure. It handles WPA-PSK (TKIP) as well as no-encryption, but I could not get it to handle WEP encryption. WEP is crackable anyway.

Many reviewers attack this unit for its repeater and bridge capabilities, or lack thereof. But any good Internet reference will tell you that repeater and bridge capability is not fully standardized, and cannot be expected to work properly except between units of the same make and model. Most reviewers, I think, erroneously expected this unit to work as a bridge or repeater with a router or AP of some other make or model.

I did not try to use this unit as an AP (host).

This was my procedure to set up the unit as an AP client:

1) Set up the wireless router for either WPA-PSK encryption or no encryption at all.

2) Connect the ViewSonic AP client to the desired computer, via wired Ethernet.

3) Set the desired computer's IP address statically, to 192.168.1.150. Set the gateway and DNS addresses to that of the wireless router.

4) Bring up a Web browser on the desired computer, and go to 192.168.1.2 (the IP address of the ViewSonic).

5) Set the ViewSonic's operating mode to AP client. It will need the MAC address of the wireless router. You might be able to browse for it using a Scan button, but otherwise just get it from your router and type it in here. Apply settings.

6) Set the 802.11g parameters to the same as on the router--e.g., mixed b and g speeds, security/encryption of WPA-PSK. Apply settings.

7) Try to go to a Web site. If connection fails initially, reboot the computer.

After everything is working, one could probably switch the computer to use DHCP instead of the static 192.168.1.150; but I just left it that way.

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