# Windows 10 Pro: Creating a "High-performance" network bridge. Also Linux.



## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

Hello all.

A while back i wanted to link a PC to share an WiFi internet connection of another PC by using the PC with the Wifi adapter as bridge with both PC's connected with Ethernet. Now it has been a while but the idea of doing this is interesting me again as i can then move my Wifi card out of my main PC.

So basically, i tried to do this and it worked. But. The performance was _abysmal. _I mean we are talking double digit KB/s of throughput. It is a software bridge and there is something about a "multiplexor protocol" or something, that was not included in Windows 10, even Pro. This worked absolutely fine for ages in Windows 7 back in the day. I remember at my aunt's house i used my W7 laptop to bridge Wifi to ethernet to my PC instead of using a wifi adapter in my PC. Windows 10 cant seem to do this.

I tried to do the task in Linux but i gave up and raged and swore never to use Linux again (as i do regularly). I have Ubuntu 18.04 LSE on my crunching rigs atm. I would like to connect my PC to one of those PCs via Ethernet, and share that PC's wifi connection, while that pc can still use it too. Can I do this on Ubuntu with relative ease, or is there something in Windows 10 Pro I am missing?

Sorry If i am being Dumb.

Thanks^^)


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## hat (Mar 9, 2019)

Are you trying to use Windows Internet Connection Sharing or something? I can't really think of a good reason to do this. Even if you do get good performance, it's still... a mess. You're better off getting a cheap switch or wireless access point or something.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

hat said:


> Are you trying to use Windows Internet Connection Sharing or something? I can't really think of a good reason to do this. Even if you do get good performance, it's still... a mess. You're better off getting a cheap switch or wireless access point or something.


I go to network adapter settings and i select two adapters (Wifi and Ethernet) and i create a network bridge. It worked fine on windows 7 :/ hmm i do have a switch but all ports are filled . Is there a device that will convert wifi into ethernet i can get? the wireless access point. thing is i already have the Asus 5G wifi card and its really good. So i kinda wanna use it. :/


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## OneMoar (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> I go to network adapter settings and i select two adapters (Wifi and Ethernet) and i create a network bridge. It worked fine on windows 7 :/ hmm i do have a switch but all ports are filled . Is there a device that will convert wifi into ethernet i can get? the wireless access point. thing is i already have the Asus 5G wifi card and its really good. So i kinda wanna use it. :/


most routers are capable of operating in bridge mode
if not get something capable of running dd-wrt a 30 dollar tp link will do


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

OneMoar said:


> most routers are capable of operating in bridge mode
> if not get something capable of running dd-wrt a 30 dollar tp link will do


Thanks will something like this work

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-RT-AC...ie=UTF8&qid=1552155094&sr=8-2&keywords=dd-wrt

I want to put it next to my PC and use it to take Wifi from my main home router and convert the internet from that into ethernet which goes into my PC? How do i set this up? That would be super useful actually i could get rid of my dodgy powerline adapters.......


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## hat (Mar 9, 2019)

I would either get a bigger switch, or a second switch to stack on top of the first switch. Just connect the original switch to the new one with a short ethernet cable, and you get moar ports.

The only way I would use that wireless card to share internet is if I had it in a computer with a proper operating system for doing specifically that (one of the many "router" systems, like m0n0wall or something).

Sharing network devices in this way with Windows... really shouldn't be done. It works in a pinch, but if you have better options, definitely use them. An 8 port gigabit switch costs like $20 here. Step up to 16, that's about $60.



ArbitraryAffection said:


> Thanks will something like this work
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-RT-AC...ie=UTF8&qid=1552155094&sr=8-2&keywords=dd-wrt
> 
> I want to put it next to my PC and use it to take Wifi from my main home router and convert the internet from that into ethernet which goes into my PC? How do i set this up? That would be super useful actually i could get rid of my dodgy powerline adapters.......



If all you're doing is taking WiFi and passing it over to your other machines via Ethernet, I might recommend instead of buying a router, you buy a wireless access point. There _should_ be a way to connect the WAP to your router, then connect the WAP to a switch.

...I tried to do something similar once, though, and failed miserably. All I wanted to do was connect an old WiFi router to my PS3, using the router to connect to my other router wirelessly and connect the router to the PS3 with ethernet, instead of using the PS3's abysmal Wireless G. Couldn't figure out how to get it to work. It might have been simpler to use a bare access point instead of a router, though, which is why I recommend you use a WAP instead of a router. Routers have a lot more stuff to configure and get in the way than a simple access point.


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 9, 2019)

Just get a cheap USB WiFi adaptor? They're about £10 and will give you WiFi on your main pc that will be better than a bridged connection or sending a WiFi signal upstairs then being converted to ethernet, if I read your posts correctly.


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## OneMoar (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> Thanks will something like this work
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-RT-AC...ie=UTF8&qid=1552155094&sr=8-2&keywords=dd-wrt
> 
> I want to put it next to my PC and use it to take Wifi from my main home router and convert the internet from that into ethernet which goes into my PC? How do i set this up? That would be super useful actually i could get rid of my dodgy powerline adapters.......



need to set as an Access Point and configure it as a bridge in the Wireless section(there's a tab in there to set it up as a Bridge

Choose 'AP-Client only' within that 'Bridge' tab.

Or 'AP and AP-Client' if you want the RT-N56U to function as a Wireless Bridge as well as a Wireless Repeater. (warning repeaters half the bandwidth for clients connected to the  repeater wirelessly) 

that model does not support ddwrt but will run padavan AFAIK that unit should have support for bridge mode out of the box but not 100% sure not a big deal to flash padavan

you want to flash the base verison first
https://bitbucket.org/padavan/rt-n56u/downloads/


so long as devices are physically wired into the bridge you should get the full throughput of whatever the main router can provide

but seriously Ethernet cable is cheap just run a cable =/ get a switch if needed the entire thing should cost less then a router

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-GS...155837&sr=8-4&keywords=netgear+gigabit+switch

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasi...155874&sr=8-1&keywords=50+foot+ethernet+cable


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

hat said:


> I would either get a bigger switch, or a second switch to stack on top of the first switch. Just connect the original switch to the new one with a short ethernet cable, and you get moar ports.
> 
> The only way I would use that wireless card to share internet is if I had it in a computer with a proper operating system for doing specifically that (one of the many "router" systems, like m0n0wall or something).
> 
> ...


well i do have another switch i could use but my powerlines are dodgy for 24/7 internet use. I mean they are fine for the crunching rigs using the internet to download and upload work, but if i try to download a game for example it drops out all the time and its annoying when in WF and DC from squad lol. I am going to look at WAP tho



NdMk2o1o said:


> Just get a cheap USB WiFi adaptor? They're about £10 and will give you WiFi on your main pc that will be better than a bridged connection or sending a WiFi signal upstairs then being converted to ethernet, if I read your posts correctly.


I have a ton of USB wifi adapters but they all suck LOL. I even got one with a big antenna and it was terribad, i had to return it. dropping out all the time. The little "Foktek" (seriously is called that) adapter i have is pants for heavy use too . can you recommend one for heavy use/ online gaming? thx



OneMoar said:


> need to set as an Access Point and configure it as a bridge in the Wireless section(there's a tab in there to set it up as a Bridge
> 
> Choose 'AP-Client only' within that 'Bridge' tab.
> 
> ...


seems complicated honestly  i do have a ton of ethernet cables but i can't run them downstairs as my mum trips over them, and she doesn't really want them bolted to the walls. I tried this before, it is ideal solution but it's her house so i gotta respect that. Well actually, our house doesn't have Ethernet in the walls (2014 build wtf) and we part-rent (shared ownership) we are not allowed to do big modifications to the house ,for example installing a wire in the walls. :/

I should probably just get a bigger, atx motherboard. I Wanted to get a Noctua 14 or 15 cooler and with the bigger board i oculd have the wifi card somewhere else so it would all fit. (I have sound card too).

just curious why it was rock solid in windows 7 but wont work in 10. Honestly i used Network bridge for 7 months of online gaming no issues, off a laptop. :s

thanks for the help guys. so at this point is either WAP, a decent usb adapter or new mobo. Btw this is for when i upgrade my heatsink. Then i can use the 5g wifi card in another PC.


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## hat (Mar 9, 2019)

You can also get a big ass roll of ethernet cable. $50 gets you 500 feet of the stuff. As a bonus, when making your own cable, you can run through walls and stuff with a much smaller hole than you would need to run a pre-made cable, given the size of the rj45 head. $50 doesn't quite cover the whole cost, though... you'll need rj45 heads and a crimping tool if you've never made one before.

If you can't run ethernet, though, then yeah, your only solutions are powerline adapters or WiFi. In your case, getting a wireless access point would probably be the best solution. You should be able to connect to the router wirelessly with the access point, the connect the access point to the switch. Alternatively, just connect powerline to the switch, and forget WiFi. You might just have crappy powerline adapters. Better ones... might work better, heh.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

hat said:


> You can also get a big ass roll of ethernet cable. $50 gets you 500 feet of the stuff. As a bonus, when making your own cable, you can run through walls and stuff with a much smaller hole than you would need to run a pre-made cable, given the size of the rj45 head. $50 doesn't quite cover the whole cost, though... you'll need rj45 heads and a crimping tool if you've never made one before.
> 
> If you can't run ethernet, though, then yeah, your only solutions are powerline adapters or WiFi. In your case, getting a wireless access point would probably be the best solution. You should be able to connect to the router wirelessly with the access point, the connect the access point to the switch. Alternatively, just connect powerline to the switch, and forget WiFi. You might just have crappy powerline adapters. Better ones... might work better, heh.


Yeah ethernet is a no go. The powerline adapters were 30 quid, they are TPlink ones. we have 2 kits. Thing is they get expensive, real quick. and i need a 4-way kit or 2x 2-way kits. one connects my camera in the rear room to the network. that camera is in my mum's bedroom looking at the carpark out the back. Ethernet cable coming out of that is 100% not allowed XD

Do you have any recommendations for a decent, low cost WAP? or am i going to get what i pay for? rip wallet lol


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## hat (Mar 9, 2019)

I'll have to leave the WAP recommendation to someone else who knows more about it than me. All I know is WAPs can work like that... some might not even be able to do it. I wouldn't know which ones are going to be good.


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## Vayra86 (Mar 9, 2019)

Just some quick suggestion, but if you can't run cable, have you considered Powerline adapters?


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

Vayra86 said:


> Just some quick suggestion, but if you can't run cable, have you considered Powerline adapters?


Yeah I have some already but they suck for 24/7 heavy use:/ my budget is really small at the moment too


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 9, 2019)

Meh powerline adapters then, job done

Edit just read your above comment, they would be better than a bridge connection and you can probably find a single pair for £15 on ebay

Also what WiFi adaptor is in the other pc as that one seems to work OK for you to want to share its connection.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Meh powerline adapters then, job done


Nuuuuuuuu. I can't afford a better set. Why can't Windows 10 just bridge the damn connection like 7 did. Rip


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> Nuuuuuuuu. I can't afford a better set. Why can't Windows 10 just bridge the damn connection like 7 did. Rip


See my edit.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Edit just read your above comment, they would be better than a bridge connection and you can probably find a single pair for £15 on ebay
> 
> Also what WiFi adaptor is in the other pc as that one seems to work OK for you to want to share its connection.



I have a pce-ac68 in my main pc and its working great right now and a cheapy realtek one in the 1200 crunching rig. But I dont want the wifi adapter in my main PC as i want a bigger heatsink and it blocks it. So i want to put the pcie-ac68 into the 1200 rig but share its connection. ah well i think i will just get a new motherboard lol always handy to have a spare am4 board... what with 1700's so cheap right now
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

meow


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> I have a pce-ac68 in my main pc and its working great right now and a cheapy realtek one in the 1200 crunching rig. But I dont want the wifi adapter in my main PC as i want a bigger heatsink and it blocks it. So i want to put the pcie-ac68 into the 1200 rig but share its connection. ah well i think i will just get a new motherboard lol always handy to have a spare am4 board... what with 1700's so cheap right now
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> meow


Why's the wifi card going to block the heatsink? Also what powerline adaptors have you got out of interest?


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## Aquinus (Mar 9, 2019)

Powerline adapters are highly dependant on how good and long the wiring is in your house. I highly suggest the access point in bridge mode option. I do this on my tower with an old Linksys E4200 and I see ~140Mbit down of my ~230Mbit using it which is more than enough for me most of the time.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Why's the wifi card going to block the heatsink? Also what powerline adaptors have you got out of interest?



Iwant to get this and i am fairly certain it is wider than the 120mm tower i have now. 


Spoiler: Position of my Wifi card









I use two of these. 



Aquinus said:


> Powerline adapters are highly dependant on how good and long the wiring is in your house. I highly suggest the access point in bridge mode option. I do this on my tower with an old Linksys E4200 and I see ~140Mbit down of my ~230Mbit using it which is more than enough for me most of the time.


Is a new built from 2014 lol. But knowing our luck is probably shoddy wiring x_x


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## GoldenX (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> I tried to do the task in Linux but i gave up and raged and swore never to use Linux again (as i do regularly).


This is both cute and true at the same time.

Windows 10 was one hell of a downgrade in the network department, and neither I know how to do the bridge with networkmanager on Linux...
I would also go the new hardware route.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 9, 2019)

What is your current wireless configuration?  Is it Wireless N, Wireless AC?  What main wireless router do you use?  How fast is your internet connection?  Are you going to be using this connection for transfering files over the network, or are you just using it for internet?


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

newtekie1 said:


> What is your current wireless configuration?  Is it Wireless N, Wireless AC?  What main wireless router do you use?  How fast is your internet connection?  Are you going to be using this connection for transfering files over the network, or are you just using it for internet?


it is AC and i have an asus RT-AC68U. we have 60mbps FTTP. I only use for internet. I do not transfer files over the local network. I download frequently though and lots of online gaming


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## NdMk2o1o (Mar 9, 2019)

How much clearance do you have at the top of the case between your current hsf and the 120mm as it looks from the picture you might struggle to fit the NH-D15S both ways, though it could be the angle, also have you not a pci-e below the GPU you can put the wifi card into? seems to be the easiest solution without buying any new hardware.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> it is AC and i have an asus RT-AC68U. we have 60mbps FTTP. I only use for internet. I do not transfer files over the local network. I download frequently though and lots of online gaming



You can pick up one of these, once set up and connected to your wireless network, you can plug your computer into the ethernet port and it will function as a wireless to ethernet bridge.  It won't be fast, but it will get you an internet connection.

You can get this if you want something faster that uses your Wireless AC.

This would match up with your RT-AC68U the best.

It all comes down to how much you want to spend.


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## ArbitraryAffection (Mar 9, 2019)

NdMk2o1o said:


> How much clearance do you have at the top of the case between your current hsf and the 120mm as it looks from the picture you might struggle to fit the NH-D15S both ways, though it could be the angle, also have you not a pci-e below the GPU you can put the wifi card into? seems to be the easiest solution without buying any new hardware.


Got a soundcard in the slot below the GPU . i need it as my mobo does not support 5.1 audio out for my logitech z906's. its actually using a small pcie 1x extender cable and mounted at the bottom slot as it would choke the GPU otherwise. then again i just had an idea. I could us the same cable to run the 1x slot where the wifi is now, under the GPU and then connect to a bracket above the soundcard^^ the cable was like a fiver lol.



newtekie1 said:


> You can pick up one of these, once set up and connected to your wireless network, you can plug your computer into the ethernet port and it will function as a wireless to ethernet bridge.  It won't be fast, but it will get you an internet connection.
> 
> You can get this if you want something faster that uses your Wireless AC.
> 
> ...


I like the first option the best. Thats about how much i want to spend lol. But is 2.4g, would I still get solid 60mbps through that? I have some otehr 2.4g wifi cards and they never give me 60mbps at all, is weird even though they are technically capable of it. It was worse when i was on the 3d floor in our house. But now i moved to the middle floor so i am closer to the router.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 9, 2019)

ArbitraryAffection said:


> I like the first option the best. Thats about how much i want to spend lol. But is 2.4g, would I still get solid 60mbps through that? I have some otehr 2.4g wifi cards and they never give me 60mbps at all, is weird even though they are technically capable of it. It was worse when i was on the 3d floor in our house. But now i moved to the middle floor so i am closer to the router.



It all depends on how good of a WiFi signal you are getting with the 2.4GHz network, but I can tell you it is highly unlikely that you'll get the full 60Mbps with the cheaper 2.4GHz one.


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