[hpsdr] Fw: Hpsdh on Wi-Fi

[Mark Leone]

> 
> How can I make my computer talk to metis via a wi-fi home network ?
> 
> Thanks
> 73, Giovanni

Hi Giovanni,

I assume your computer and the HPSDR are not connected via wired interface,
and you need a Wi-Fi link between them? If so, then you have a couple
options. In general, you need a device with a wired interface and a wireless
interface, configured in Bridge Mode, with the wired interface connected to
Metis and the wireless interface connected to your computer. You also need
your computer and the "bridged" device to have IP forwarding enabled to/from
the appropriate subnets.

The aforementioned "device" can be a computer properly configured, or you
can purchase a wireless "router" capable of running DD-WRT firmware, install
DD-WRT (free software) if not already installed, and then configure DD-WRT
for "Client Bridge" mode.

I tried using my Ubuntu system to bridge between the Metis wired connection
and a wireless connection to a MacBook Pro via a wireless hub. I was able to
configure IP forwarding for both computers (see
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1905048 for details). But the
discovery protocol used by Metis and SDR software requires "Broadcast"
packets to be passed between the interfaces, which is why you also need
bridge mode. I configured Ubuntu for bridge mode per published instructions,
and it did not work. My failed attempt is documented here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1906359

I then purchased a used DD-WRT capable router for $10, and successfully
configured DD-WRT for Client Bridge mode. With this setup, I can run SDR
software on my MacBook Pro, connected wirelessly to Metis via a wireless hub
connected to the DD-WRT router. See
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged for instructions on
configuring DD-WRT for Client Bridge mode. The DD-WRT main page, for
download and other support, is here:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

My installation is somewhat bandwidth-limited. I can run well at 48,000 SPS,
but higher rates don't work so well. Others here have reported running with
no problems at the highest sample rate in a wireless setup. Your results
will depend on the type of hardware you use, and the quality of the RF
interface between the wireless devices. Note that with DD-WRT you can
configure the RF TX power level, which does not default to the highest level
possible. Also, my bandwidth utilization is cut in half because I use a
wireless hub to connect the MacBook Pro to the DD-WRT router. (I do this
because of desired connectivity wrt other devices on my LAN.) If your
computer links directly to your SS-WRT router, you'll have much better
performance. I also use the older 802.11g protocol. If you have devices
running with the newer 802.11n protocol, you should get much higher
effective bandwidth.

A more detailed description of my setup can be found here:
http://lists.openhpsdr.org/pipermail/hpsdr-openhpsdr.org/2012-January/016529
.html

Hope this helps.

73

Mark K4XML


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