How to add a wireless bridge network connection to your Uverse router for under $30

Wireless Bridge example

If your entertainment system is anything like mine, at least one of your devices can be networked. We have a Samsung LED TV with built in wireless, but we also have an older XBOX, a DirecTV HR34-700 receiver, and our Pioneer 1021K receiver. The last three devices only have ethernet network support by default, and there is no easy way to get a network cable to their location. You could spend upward of $75 just to add wireless support to one of these devices, but ideally it makes sense to plug all these devices into a wireless bridge that connects to your home’s Internet router. We have Uverse and DSL at our house, and I found it difficult to find an inexpensive wireless bridge solution that would play nice with our 2Wire 3600HGV. After digging further, I found a great solution to connect all three devices to my router via a wireless bridge, and it cost me only $20. If you are looking for a similar solution, you found the right article.

An ordinary WLAN router that’s been turned into a super router


My basic router that I turned into a super router

The Cisco Linksys E1000



Where do I start?


There are certainly inexpensive wireless bridges out there like these found on Amazon. But be careful, some of these won’t be compatible with your router, and others require you buy a pair of devices – one that plugs into your router via ethernet cable and the other you plug your devices into. That’s a lot of configuration headache, my approach requires you only buy one device and I can confirm it works with our Uverse 2Wire 3600 router.

The solution: Purchase an inexpensive WLAN (wireless) router that supports DD-WRT. DD-WRT is a software you can “flash” or copy onto certain routers that, for a lack of better term, turns your router into a SUPER router.
Cisco E1000 management screen

The default firmware on my E1000 made it impossible to use as a wireless bridge, until I installed DD-WRT


First, pick out a router that supports your specs (number of ethernet ports, etc) and make sure it supports DD-WRT. I purchased a refurbished E1000 Cisco router off eBay for $20, and you can find several WLAN routers like these on Amazon. Before you buy, go to the DD-WRT website support page and check to make sure the router you’re planning to buy supports DD-WRT. As you can see, my E1000 is listed as supported under Cisco / Linksys wireless routers. Next page >>


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