Comments on Orinoco's RG-1000 from the AccessPointReviews page.
- Approximate Cost: $180 w/ rebate (November 2001)
- OS Support: Windows only config utility
- Protocol: 802.11b
- Features:
- Nics: 1 Wireless, 1 Ethernet, 1 56k Modem
- Antenna Connectors: Yes if you drill a hole in the case to connect via the Orinoco Silver card inside.
- Bridged Mode: Yes
- Security: Basic NAT, 40 bit WEP and MAC filtering
- Power Source: 9V, 1.1A DC
- Useful Links (Reviews, Product Description etc):
[http://wavelan.com/template.html?section=m59&page=129&envelope=95 Product Page]
[http://www.practicallynetworked.com/reviews/orinoco_rg1000.asp Review and User Comments]
[http://www.murgatroid.com/rg1000/rg1000.htm Christopher Hoover's page]
- Comments/Thoughts:
I played with a demo of this for about two days on and off. In the end I never actually got it to work properly. It is possible that the problem was that I was using Windows 2000 and the drivers weren't fully supported yet (they claimed to be though), however I had to resort to weird combinations of hitting the reset and power off button just to get the configuration utility to talk to it. Over all I wouldn't buy one and was very frustrated with the time I did spend with it. Other reviews seem to agree that the setup is a pain. -- AdamShand
The RG-1000 isn't plug-n-play but I was able to get it running within 30 minutes using the drivers under Win98. My biggest complaint is reconfiguring the RG-1000 after it's already configured. If your client machine is not on the same IP subnet as the RG-1000 you cannot talk to it. I've used both the internal 56k modem and onboard ethernet. I prefer the onboard ethernet (for obvious reasons) and the 56k modem works fine. However, making the 56k modem disconnect off the POTS line cannot be forced. It must timeout. (~2-4 minutes) Overall, the interface is Average. I wouldn't want to play with it on a daily basis though. --ChrisHufnagel
After I wrote my above comments I found that Lucent just released v1.38 (Spring 2001) firmware update. The IP issues seem to have been resolved. PPPoE is now supported, along with LAN Infrastructure. --ChrisHufnagel
- Had a somewhat hellish experience during the setup using an Aironet 340 card for testing. The dumbed-down Lucent setup utility didn't work with my Cisco NIC so I did a wired setup directly to the unit. I had to go through the setup multiple times to get the changes to "take" and was frequenly presented with a password prompt to login, even after doing a supposedly fresh unit reset. Finally got the system configured as a bridge (stupidly called by the non-standard nomenclature "LAN Infrastructure") but still couldn't get my Cisco NIC working on the network. Finally got ahold of a Lucent Silver NIC and everything worked perfectly. In retrospect, I probably had the AP configured correctly many hours prior to testing it with the Lucent card. My most useful source of information and trouble shooting was from the practicallynetworked site. Once it's working, it's great, but here are the points to watch out for: 1. Make your life easy and use a wired connection to run the setup progarm initially. 2. Be prepared for multiple resets and password prompts from nowhere. 3. Try to buy or borrow a Lucent card for the initial testing and/or setup. The RG-1000 will work with other vendors NICs but this will take out some of the guesswork. 4. Depending on which source of documentation you use you'll see that there are differing opinions on what the default IP of the AP is. Keep trying one until it works. You may or may not want to use the updated setup program and firmware for the AP. I read about a couple of people who toasted their unit during the flash upgrade of the firmware necessitating they return it for another unit. If being used as a bridge, their may not be a compelling reason to upgrade. Also, I could never get the Access Point Manager software to work properly. Got a mystery password prompt which I couldn't get by. -John
I worked with another NYCWireless member's RG-1000, and found it very frustrating. The configuration software that comes with the RG-1000 is designed to be easy not flexible. Turns out that FreeBase (the Apple Airport Configurator) works on the RG-1000. I loaded FreeBase up and it was able to configure the RG-1000. I wanted to do two things, turn off WEP and change the ESSID. I was able to turn off WEP (which Lucent says isn't possible), but wasn't able to set the ESSID to what I wanted (www.nycwireless.net). The RG-1000 kept over righting the first part of the ESSID with its stupid MAC Address Like identifier (17eb4). I didn't find a solution to it, and eventually gave up. -- TerrySchmidt
The RG-1000 is not WiFiCertified because it doesn't support roaming, which seems really weird since it is really the same thing as the Apple AirPort that does support roaming and is WiFiCertified.
I believe in the latest release version of the firmware from Orinoco the RG-1000 supports roaming. Another cool trick is that you can flash the AP-500 or Apple Airport Base Station firmware on the RG-1000 with FreeBase or Jave Configurator. Get the fuctionality of either the AP-500 or Airport while paying the least. (See ApFirmwareSwapping) -- TerrySchmidt
You can now download the latest AP-1000 (Yes AP-1000 not RG-1000) software and fully configure your RG-1000 to change the ESSID, turn off WEP, and enable roaming
It also supports access lists for MAC addresses and a whole lot more. It includes a new flash rom as well, but there's not much docs on the new rom. There is also a linux CLI utility and a windows CLI utliity. The thing is really usefull now, seems better really than the AP-500 when you count in the modem.
From a post to the MailingList by AlHooton:
For anybody bringing up their new RG-1000: Very FIRST THING, download the latest AP-1000 package from http://www.wavelan.com/, and use that to do the firmware upgrade. Don't change the stupid default name (6 hex digits), or change anything else for that matter. Use the AP-1000 package to upgrade the firmware as step 1. Also, don't bother to load the bundled RG-1000 utilities. Just load up the AP-1000 utilities, and you'll be much happier... -- AlHooton
From a post to the MailingList by RichardLangisJr:
- Instead of wasting money with another RG and cable modem, follow a simple hack and install a range extender antenna into your existing RG. This will greatly simplify what you're trying to do with the above equipment - as having two access points and only one printer will become a tiresome burden.
You'd get one of [http://www.wavelan.com/template.html?section=m57&page=110&envelope=93 these] then follow either these [http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/2001q3/000473.html instructions] or maybe even [http://www.karlslund.dk/dontknow/antenna-rg-1000.html these ones].
From a post my KenCaruso:
Here is what I usually do since I dont really care for the RG-1000 setup tool. Download FreeBase a windows OpenSource configuration tool that works with the airport RG-1000.
Use a crossover cable between your laptop/computer and the RG-1000, you shouldnt have to worry about IP settings at all, nor the WEP stuff since you are on the wire. FreeBase should auto discover the RG-1000, and you can use the default password which I believe is default, but check the manual. I have never had any problems doing it this way.
* 01-2002: For those with a brand spankin'-new RG-1000: Download and use the AP-1000 package from http://www.wavelan.com/, as mentioned above, to upgrade the firmware. Do this FIRST THING. If you decide to use the bundled RG-1000 utility to do the firmware upgrade, be sure not to change the default identifier in the RG-1000 (6 hex digits). If you change this identifier, the bundled RG-1000 utility will not be able to talk with the RG in order to upgrade the firmware. Once the firmware is upgraded, you will still want to use the AP-1000 configuration utility and toss the RG utility. -- AlHooton