FreeAgent Theater and GoFlexTV

[PixelPilot]

Hi

Another question for everyone.

I have looked on the forum here and found a few posts about the WiFi Adapter and possible alternatives.

I am based in New Zealand and its near on impossible to get hold of the Seagate WiFi Adapter unit apart of course from importing which is still an option.

Does anyone have any updates/success stories with regards alternative (just as good) WiFi Adapters to use with the FAT+ that they would care to share?

Thanks in advance.

PixelPilot

[Jaydn21]

From what I can tell, no, it does not have to be Seagate. I bought the cheapest N adapter I could find and it works just fine. It has a RT8192 chipset in it, but I gather there are dozens of drivers on the FAT+ for wireless adapters.

[PixelPilot]

Thanks for the information, i'll look into it.

[ngvu19]

Hi,

Can you please tell us what model of your wifi device?  I search and search but could not find a Realtek base

wifi USB device.  Please be the hero to list a few of the wifi USB dongles that will work with this FAT+

Thank you

Vu 

[Jaydn21]

I'm using an AirLink 101 model # AWLL6077, link below

http://www.airlink101.com/products/awll6077.php

Like I said, this was the cheapest one the store had when I walked in (I paid $29 Canadian), no where on the product page does it say it uses a Realtek chipset because pretty well all of them do. 

[ngvu19]

 Updated:

I ordered this Airlink thing and it works great with 1.26 and 1.27 firmware

Thanks,

I will get this one and try.  I have an Airlink 54G and it does not work.  Mine is AWLL3026/NA; I also have a preN from Netgear and 2 54G from Netgear.  None of them work with this box

Have a good day 

Vu 

Message Edited by ngvu19 on 01-30-2010 01:06 AM

[bodhi78]

There is another solution to this. If USB Wifi adapter does not perform to your expectation, get a wireless bridge.

The advantage of a wireless bridge is that ususally you'll have a lot more Ethernet ports than a Gaming adapter,

and better signal strength than a USB adapter. With a 4-port bridge, you'll able to connect 3 more other players

such Blu-ray players,... to the same bridge.

Using multiple USB adapters to connect all HT equipments is NOT a good solution. Even if you only need one right now,

using the bridge is great for future expansion your HT system.

[ngvu19]

Hi,

About the ethernet Bridge, how do you configure it?  Do you connect the bridge to the FAT+?  The gaming adapter thing seems OK because you connect to the ethernet port making the FAT+ thinks you connect to the other side using wired connection.

Can you elaborate a bit more because I am confused with your comment.

Besides, I have trouble streaming Blu-ray ISO over the wired ethernet connection.  With the pre-N connection, I was hoping it can pumps a bit more than 100Mbps/s.  However, after thinking over, I do not think the 100Mbps is the problem.  I think the FAT+ does not have the power to handle the 100Mbps speed over the ethernet protocol.

To play 1x blu-ray, you only need 36Mbps through put.  I think the FAT+ is doing 10Mbps over ethernet.  It has no problem streaming DVD ISO which requires only 3Mbps.

Someone on this forum said that he bought the pre-N wifi adapter from Seagate.  The one that is sold by Seagate for this FAT+.  He could not stream Blu-ray ISO over the wireless smoothly either.  I guess I can only use this wifi to stream youtube.

Vu

[bodhi78]

Vu,

Using a wireless bridge, you'd connect one of its Ethernet wired port to the FAT+, so it won't know you're using wireless. Wireless game adapters work the same way . Game adapters usually cost about the same (if not more) as wireless bridges but have only one port.The bridge connects to your router wirelessly to extend your network range. With an N-wireless bridge with Gigabit ports, and an N router, and your PC/laptop N-wifi adapter, you can achieve 300Mbps. The performance of a bridge or gaming adapter is almost always better than a USB wifi adapter. Even though the Seagate adapter claims enough throuput, you have to verify that by trying it. The safest way to eliminate a big factor in the wireless throughput performance is to set up your network consistently, because if you have one slow node (i.e. your FAT adapter), it will slow every other nodes down, because the router will go down to that speed. So the bottom line is I would eliminate one big variable which is the wireless network performance, and then worry about the hard drive. The hardrive is also important, because it must keep up with the streaming speed. 

If you think you will connect a blu-ray to your network later, then it's no doubt I would use a bridge, instead of USB adapter.

bodhi

[ngvu19]

Hi Bodhi,

Thank you for clarifying that up.  Now it makes a lot of sense! 

Unfortunately the performance won't work with this current released FAT+;  I have an ISO image of 1 of my Blu-Ray disc on a shared hard drive.  I have even tried with 1 of those raw m2ts files on this shared hard drive.  My file is about m2ts file is about 18GB.  The FAT+ does not play the movie smoothly.  The data does not seem to come in fast enough.  I know the HDD is not the problem.  Any drive is faster than 100Mbps.

Bottom line is that I think the FAT+ has trouble streaming any file that is about 20GB over ethernet.  Btw, the WD Live TV is no better.

Vu