Ooma with wi-fi internet

Got something else to discuss that is not covered by the previous forums? Post it here!
donl1133
Posts:15
Joined:Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:25 pm
Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by donl1133 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:33 am

Hello;
I plan to go to warmer climate for a few months and will be in an RV park with wi-fi access. Am wondering if I can use my Telo down there with my laptop, and what I would need in addition to the laptop. I understand that a strong signal is needed for decent QOS, but will need some help with setting up the system. Anyone on this forum familar with this kind of setup and will it work? Thanks; Don

User avatar
lbmofo
Posts:9337
Joined:Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:37 pm
Location:Greater Seattle
Contact:

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by lbmofo » Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:07 pm

Given the wifi signal is usable, you'd need a wifi access point such as this one to plug your Ooma into:
http://amzn.com/B0044GK9YI

thunderbird
Posts:6388
Joined:Mon Nov 08, 2010 4:41 pm

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by thunderbird » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:36 pm

Wireless Network Connection.pdf
Wireless Network Connection
(33.64KiB)Downloaded 377 times
If you are going to use only Wi-Fi for your Internet connection, you may enable Internet Connection Sharing, in Wireless Network Connection Properties window, in your laptop computer’s Network control panel as shown int the attached PDF file, in the Window XP setup. (Other Microsoft Windows operating system settings are similar). Than all you need is a patch cable to be routed from the Ooma device to the (wired) network connection port on your laptop. When setting up, sometimes you have to disable and enable each Network Connection, starting with the wireless network connection first, than the local area connection next, and restart your computer to get everything to work right.

User avatar
lbmofo
Posts:9337
Joined:Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:37 pm
Location:Greater Seattle
Contact:

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by lbmofo » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:41 pm

Yes, now I remember the Mexican KGB thread: viewtopic.php?t=7898

donl1133
Posts:15
Joined:Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:25 pm

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by donl1133 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:03 pm

Thanks, Ibmofo and thunderbird for your responses. I will do a little more research of these things and hopefully be able to use my telo down there. Don

User avatar
nn5i
Posts:554
Joined:Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 pm
Location:Portland, OR

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by nn5i » Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:31 pm

lbmofo wrote:Given the wifi signal is usable, you'd need a wifi access point such as this one to plug your Ooma into:
http://amzn.com/B0044GK9YI
Forgive me, lbm, but I don't think that's correct. What he would need is a client bridge. It may be, of course, that that particular AP will also serve as a client bridge -- but many (most?) won't. I run several client bridges, but all of mine are routers running DD-WRT firmware, configured as client bridges (three Linksys WTR54GSv1 and one Netgear WNR834Bv2). I have a couple D-Link APs that are on the shelf because (a) they don't have enough memory to run DD-WRT, and (b) they can't be reconfigured as client bridges.

One of my WTR54GS routers that's a client bridge runs my Telo in a back room. I have also run the Telo on a WTR54GS client bridge in my motor home in the parking lot of a Howard Johnson's. It worked just fine.
.

User avatar
lbmofo
Posts:9337
Joined:Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:37 pm
Location:Greater Seattle
Contact:

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by lbmofo » Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:26 pm

Okay, I am really not too sure what the difference is between access point and bridge :?

Let's say I want to connect my Dish receiver (which only has an ethernet port and no wifi card) to my wifi network, what product do I need?

Could you find an inexpensive example product from Amazon?

User avatar
nn5i
Posts:554
Joined:Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 pm
Location:Portland, OR

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by nn5i » Sat Dec 11, 2010 10:02 pm

Lbm, I was going to write a general tutorial, but -- looking at the original inquiry -- it would be a hijack of the thread, because it would have to be fairly long; it would be a disservice to the original poster. However, here's a little bit of explanation.

What he wants to do is make use of Internet services that are available through a wireless LAN, or WLAN. Because I find WLAN unpronounceable, I prefer to write out wireless LAN.

There are two kinds of Local Area Network: wired, and wireless. The Wi-Fi is just a wireless LAN that's made available for general use. The Telo (or Hub) can't connect to a wireless LAN; it requires a wired LAN.

Where did the Wi-Fi come from? The motel, or campground, or restaurant, has a wired LAN, to which they connect an access point, or AP. That's a device that makes the services (including Internet) of a wired LAN available to wireless devices, which are then called clients. Every Internet café, every Wi-Fi hot spot, has at least one AP installed; some have many APs.

Wireless devices, then, can connect to the AP and talk to it over the radio. The AP has a radio, and so does anything that connects wirelessly to the AP. When a wireless device connects to an AP and receives services, it is a client.

A PC with a wireless card in it is a client when you use it in an Internet café. If the PC doesn't have a wireless card but has an Ethernet port, it needs something else in order to become a client. A client bridge takes the wireless services available from an AP and converts them back to wired services.

A Telo has no wireless card in it, and can connect to the Internet only through an Ethernet cable. If the services are available only wirelessly, something must talk to the AP (over the radio) and relay information back and forth (over the wire). The Telo would then be a wired client, and the thing that connects this client to the wireless LAN is called a client bridge. In essence, a client bridge is the opposite of an AP.

Some devices (my routers, for example, with aftermarket firmware) can serve at either end of a wireless link (be an AP or a client bridge), but must be configured to be one or the other, not both. Most consumer devices, if running the manufacturer's firmware, are restricted to one or the other of these roles. That's because the manufacturer would like to sell you a new device whenever you need one for a different role. Alas.

Incidentally, a wireless router, very popular nowadays, is actually just a wired-only router that's built in the same box with an Access Point (AP). Usually it's a little cheaper than buying a separate router and AP, because the two essentially separate devices can share some hardware such as the power supply and the plastic enclosure.

Hope this helps. It seems to have grown long despite my original intention.

Anyway, to connect a Telo to a wireless LAN requires a client bridge to talk over the radio with the AP that created the wireless LAN.

User avatar
nn5i
Posts:554
Joined:Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:02 pm
Location:Portland, OR

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by nn5i » Sat Dec 11, 2010 10:09 pm

lbmofo wrote:Could you find an inexpensive example product from Amazon?
Actually I'm not familiar with any client bridges in the consumer market. Perhaps there are some. I think the OP (original poster) could probably use a laptop that has both a wireless card and an Ethernet port to serve the function of a client bridge, by enabling Internet Connection Sharing in Windows, as someone suggested. I have not tried this and don't know whether it would be fast enough or whether it would introduce excessive latency. But it's worth trying.

murphy
Posts:7554
Joined:Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:49 pm
Location:Pennsylvania

Re: Ooma with wi-fi internet

Post by murphy » Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:41 am

The first item on this page is a client bridge. It connects to a device using a LAN cable to give it wireless capability. If the associated wireless router has WPS support, it connects by pushing a button on the device. If not, it has to be connected to a computer first to configure it. It will work with any device that has a LAN connection and needs wireless support. It's not only for a TiVo. It's expensive but it does the job. The cheaper third item on the page connects via a USB port and only works with a TiVo.

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-acces ... index.html
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

Post Reply