TP-Link wireless adapter

[tvmaster2]

Is anyone using one of these (or similar) with an HD200, primarily using the HD200 to supply power via USB?
My concern is prolonged use of the HD200's usb port supplying power, and if it burns out the unit earlier than if not used.

http://www.tp-link.us/products/detai...odel=TL-WR702N

reason I am looking to use one of these, in CLIENT mode, is because I would like to use the HD200 in a house location where there isn't any WIRED network available.

[wayner]

As an alternative to wifi take a look at the thread on Powerline networking in this forum (down about three posts right now from this one) which discusses powerline and also Moca.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by wayner

As an alternative to wifi take a look at the thread on Powerline networking in this forum (down about three posts right now from this one) which discusses powerline and also Moca.

thanks - I've looked at that thread. This solution also gives me a nice little travel router for hotels

[wayner]

I also take a small travel router along with me. I travel a lot and some places charge you by device for internet. Being the geek that I am I normally have at least three devices that want wifi - laptop, ipad and Blackberry. The other advantage is that often the wired connection for hotels is much faster than the hotel wifi, particularly if each room does not have its own WAP.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by wayner

I also take a small travel router along with me. I travel a lot and some places charge you by device for internet. Being the geek that I am I normally have at least three devices that want wifi - laptop, ipad and Blackberry. The other advantage is that often the wired connection for hotels is much faster than the hotel wifi, particularly if each room does not have its own WAP.

I have a D-link travel router that works in client mode, but only at G speeds. I was hoping this little N router would be better for HD200 throughput.

but the power issue is the main thing - if the HD200 can supply power consistently without becoming damaged, then I only have one Wall-wart

[KryptoNyte]

I got 6 megabytes per second fairly reliably from this unit.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

I got 6 megabytes per second fairly reliably from this unit.

cool....do you tap power off the HD200?

[KryptoNyte]

I actually tested the unit with a computer where the TPlink adapter was in the same room as the wireless router.

I hooked it up to an HD300 just now (about 25 feet, through one studwall), it wasn't capable of playing a 38.4 Mbps (bluray) file, so I guess that was a little disappointing it couldn't even pull 4 to 5 megabytes per second. If all your high data rate media files were compressed, and were in the 1 to 2 megabyte per second range, it might work okay.

[KryptoNyte]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

cool....do you tap power off the HD200?

I tested it using the power from the HD300 USB jack, and again using power from the wall with the same results.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

I actually tested the unit with a computer where the TPlink adapter was in the same room as the wireless router.

I hooked it up to an HD300 just now (about 25 feet, through one studwall), it wasn't capable of playing a 38.4 Mbps (bluray) file, so I guess that was a little disappointing it couldn't even pull 4 to 5 megabytes per second. If all your high data rate media files were compressed, and were in the 1 to 2 megabyte per second range, it might work okay.

that's a little dissapointing...you'd think any 150n wireless router could move that data

[KryptoNyte]

Yeah, it is disappointing. I really just needed to have something handy to work on computers for friends and family without needed to be right next to the router to do it. I suppose your mileage with the unit may vary. The menu systems (Gemstone) were also a bit laggy with it.

Oh what the heck, it was only 20 bucks!

[tvmaster2]

true, it's hard to go wrong at that price

[RedR]

This may be a bit more than you care to dive into but look at dd-wrt. Enter the first three letters (ie wr7) and you'll see a few of the TP-Link models listed that work with dd-wrt. At a glance the TL-WR740N is basically the same, same price, and more features, as well supported by dd-wrt.

NOTE: dd-wrt will take a bit of research, and can brink your router if you do not know what you are doing. I am using it on old linksys and after days of reading and lining up exactly what I needed, pushed the firmware updates in order, and now my WRT54GS is a very functional part of my network again.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by RedR

This may be a bit more than you care to dive into but look at dd-wrt. Enter the first three letters (ie wr7) and you'll see a few models listed that work with dd-wrt. At a glance the TL-WR740N is basically the same, same price, and more features, as well supported by dd-wrt.

NOTE: dd-wrt will take a bit of research, and can brink your router if you do not know what you are doing. I am using it on old linksys and after days of reading and lining up exactly what I needed, pushed the firmware updates in order, and now my WRT54GS is a very functional part of my network again.

thanks. client mode is a must, as is a tiny footprint

[sflamm]

My concern is prolonged use of the HD200's usb port supplying power, and if it burns out the unit earlier than if not used.

Nothing to worry about - the current draw for the wifi is nominal. It should be something like 5V at 500ma. The +5V power on the usb connector isnt supplied from the usb port circuitry it is supplied directly from the power supply of the HD200 and that current drain is a drop in the bucket.

[sflamm]

Oh - and of course the current draw is basically 0 when the wifi isnt transmitting (it drops into low power mode when not transmitting)

[sflamm]

After a couple quick google searches it seems the current draw typically maxes at around only 150ma for an N wifi.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by sflamm

After a couple quick google searches it seems the current draw typically maxes at around only 150ma for an N wifi.

thanks for the info...that would make things much more compact, if I could piggyback the power from the HD200 to supply the mini-router