Fixing a nagging problem –Tomato to the rescue

For a long time I have been struggling with a speed issue – my network speeds were/are north of 15M/s.  Which is really quite nice. But my work area in the playroom was much slower.

I had two Linksys G routers running DD-wrt linked together. The best I could get was 7M/s. Tried multiple things, with nothing really pushing the pace higher, including tweaking the settings and adding larger antennae.

First Pass

My first thought was to replace the working solution with a N network. I picked up two  N-routers for cheap.  One was a german one LevelOne. Very cheap on amazon and relatively ok. It came with stock firmware which I do not think can be upgraded to anything open source.  So I used this this became the base solution. It is a very nice router although a little weak reach. But very very fast.

I picked up a wrt310n off E-Bay for cheap. Put dd-wrt on it as soon as I could. I set it up in the playroom as a client bridge to the new N-router downstairs.

This setup was promising, with speeds in the work area going up to 10M/s initially. BUT the solution was not stable.  I saw speeds with a wide variety and felt like it was a step backwards.

Taking a step back and one big step forward

I consider looking at more or different hardware. Even looked at several N routers online and in person. But felt like between the two G and two N that had enough hardware. So I started to look online specifically at dd-wrt, and alternatives to this solution.  Looking specifically at Tomato. 

I installed Tomato to my g-router downstairs, reconfigured my other router as a client bridge in the work area.   SUCCESS. I basically doubled or more my speed. My network speed was up to 16 to 18 m/s.  So, it was the firmware on the g-router.

Took the n-router solution and I amusing to run my direct tv on demand solution for my HD tv in the family room. Seems to work ok

Reflections on a Holiday season

The holidays of 09 are done; onto a bleak cold winter.  Some themes that have been repetitive for me in the last few weeks.

Background

During the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we basically got a new kitchen. We needed and bought a new fridge. The old won, while working, was held together by duck tape and was fading. The oven stopped heating above 350 so we got a new oven. And then the cook top developed a short. So we got a new cooktop. All of this was very stressful for me as I supervised the installs of all three pieces.

I am blessed

In the midst of the craziest time of the year, with work just going off and all of the kitchen repairs (tracking down when everything would show up and making do without a cook top for almost a month), God faithfully reminded me of my blessings. 

I saw parents with children who had illnesses and long term disabilities repeatedly to remind me of my three healthy children. 

I was reminded that we had the money in hand to buy the appliances we needed, and buy nice replacements, as my people we know could not.

I was able to return gifts as we over bought for our kids. And our kids were grateful for a few meaningful gifts.

Time and how I spend it is immensely precious

I kept holding one hand up with 5 fingers, then after Christmas with 4. Anna now has only 4 more Christmases at home as ours. In 5 years she will come home from college, with one foot firmly out the door.

Huck turns 6 on Thursday. Six years ago I was mentoring 4 young men. In 4 years, they have all moved on in life, back to school, married, bought homes, changed jobs and all have children of their own now. I am reminded that the young man that I mentor today was a junior in high school when Huck was born. Six years for me is not a huge leap, although looking at the pictures we took of the three of them when Huck came home it is amazing to see how they have grown.

Six years from now Huck is in middle school, Ruth a senior in high school and Anna sophomore at college. The young man I mentor today will likely be married, with a child or more of his own.

Although this is melancholy is some ways to write, it is a reminder of three very concrete things that I can never forget:

1. Despite all of the devices I own and use to manage my time well, i can not event time. In fact the productivity gains of today become the normal expectations of tomorrow.  But time marches on.

2. How I invest my time then becomes the question of each day, with whom and how.  How will I spend the next 6 years and how will it impact the Kingdom. What am I doing today and tomorrow.

3. The worries of today (like paying for all of these appliances) are temporary. They are important in the moment but I can not let them overwhelm the longer term.