Using your own Router

[Mo'Phat]

I fly to most of my gigs so don't have an IEM rack for the band. Band has personal transmitters.

Many venues have dedicated monitor desks with engineers.

Some monitor desks don't have (or the engineer says they don't have) WiFi or an outboard router. Most do.

I would like to bring my own dual-band router with ethernet cable and A) just plug into their desk's ethernet port if they don't have a router, or B) daisy chain from their existing router.

This would avoid the awkward, "What's your wifi password?" - as I would automatically connect to my own router.

Regarding B), I've never daisy chained from one functioning wireless router to another, so would this work? Or would I have to disconnect or disable the house router?

Any other pitfalls I might run into?

Looking at these two routers:
https://amzn.to/3KqW2Op
https://amzn.to/3lYy6sb

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Daisy chaining routers can be tricky in different ways depending on the routers set up.

Directly plugging a router into a mixer of unknown set up may or may not work depending on how the mixer's networking is set up. If the mixer is set for DHCP then it should be more or less plug and play, if the mixer is set for a static IP then 99.9% it's not going to work without out some re config either at router or the mixer.

 

[Geri O]

It sounds like you would like to use your router in conjunction with a router that’s already attached to a console. I don’t know if that’s possible.

When we use the provided production on a show, we advance the date with the knowledge that we need either the password of the provider’s password or to connect our own router (which I’m happy to share with the provider if they wish). We connect only 2, sometimes 3 tablets so it doesn’t get terribly messy.

I learned way early own that early communication with the provider saves the on-site headaches. (Okay, usually…)

 

[31HZ]

Just a data point that may be relevant:

I find that it is a necessity to scan the WiFi traffic to see if there are any other devices that broadcast on the same channel as your router. Using an otherwise unused channel will cut down on the likelihood of dropouts.

For example, at 2.4GHz, router auto-default channels are usually 1, 6, and 11. I have my Ui24r set on channel 9 and rarely see any interference when I scan on WiFi Analyzer (app).

Screenshot of recent gig below (the Ui is on ch 9). Would have been a dropout mess on an occupied channel.

 

[Mo'Phat]

It sounds like you would like to use your router in conjunction with a router that’s already attached to a console. I don’t know if that’s possible.

When we use the provided production on a show, we advance the date with the knowledge that we need either the password of the provider’s password or to connect our own router (which I’m happy to share with the provider if they wish). We connect only 2, sometimes 3 tablets so it doesn’t get terribly messy.

I learned way early own that early communication with the provider saves the on-site headaches. (Okay, usually…)

Requesting the wifi network and password is the first thing listed on our advance rider.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

It sounds like you would like to use your router in conjunction with a router that’s already attached to a console. I don’t know if that’s possible.

When we use the provided production on a show, we advance the date with the knowledge that we need either the password of the provider’s password or to connect our own router (which I’m happy to share with the provider if they wish). We connect only 2, sometimes 3 tablets so it doesn’t get terribly messy.

I learned way early own that early communication with the provider saves the on-site headaches. (Okay, usually…)

My stuff lives in the 5G wifi bandwidth 95% of the time and I ran a wifi scanner app on my Android tablet to get an idea of what is going on.

All bands take note of Geri advancing the show with the sound provider and or promptly responding to the sound providers emails and phone calls as they are advancing the show to make contact with the bands to get tech info and stage plots.

The number of bands who do not respond and or wait till the night before the show is crazy.
Had one guy say in all my years no one has every asked for so much stage or tech info.
"We're just a seven piece band"

Back on topic, any band members wanting to mix their IEM's with the app for my mixers
is more then welcome, I'll help them with the app and get them connected to my network.

 

[Mo'Phat]

@Geri O and @Mike Caldwell - Of the 70+ shows I play per year - all of which are advanced weeks ahead of time...

I would say just about 35% of shows, we walk into the club and the soundguy still asks, "So...how many vocals? Do you run tracks? Wait...you're using IEM's? (sigh...) Do you have a rack or what? Sends? How many sends and where?" And then when I ask if I can run my own mix with my iPad, it's not uncommon to hear that the router is broken or they don't have one or they don't know the log in. All with very professional rooms and crews, most times.

I have a very thorough tech rider - but have found that as much as I can take out of the soundman's hands and put in to mine, it works out better for me. Hence the question of just bringing my own router. If it's going to be mostly dead weight, I'll skip it.

 

[Geri O]

@Geri O and @Mike Caldwell - Of the 70+ shows I play per year - all of which are advanced weeks ahead of time...

I would say just about 35% of shows, we walk into the club and the soundguy still asks, "So...how many vocals? Do you run tracks? Wait...you're using IEM's? (sigh...) Do you have a rack or what? Sends? How many sends and where?" And then when I ask if I can run my own mix with my iPad, it's not uncommon to hear that the router is broken or they don't have one or they don't know the log in. All with very professional rooms and crews, most times.

I have a very thorough tech rider - but have found that as much as I can take out of the soundman's hands and put in to mine, it works out better for me. Hence the question of just bringing my own router. If it's going to be mostly dead weight, I'll skip it.

Being a semi-retired pro audio guy, I actually find a lot of good thought in your last paragraph…

On playing gigs, (about the only gigging per se I do anymore), I carry two computer bags, along with 2 basses, a wireless rack, pedal board with my REDDI DI, and most of the time, a bass rig.
I keep a router in each computer bag, so I have 2 routers with me. Their size and weight aren’t enough to be considered dead weight for me, even if flying. And for me, how many times must such an item be used and solve a problem(s) to be worthwhile to keep in the bags? (Sorry, I don’t mean that last sentence to be at all as snarkey as it looks when I read it…).
Carry that router. If it winds up being dead weight, it won’t be much….

 

[Manticore]

Requesting the wifi network and password is the first thing listed on our advance rider.

I too do mostly fly-in dates now, and have run into precisely the same issue. I know a very detailed stage map is sent every single time, but it is only read in advance (if at all) about half the time. It can be frustrating.

 

[mike o]

Please advise what Wi-Fi analyzer app do you folks recommend?

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Please advise what Wi-Fi analyzer app do you folks recommend?

I use "WIFI Man" the wifi scanner apps seem to all be for Android only.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I fly to most of my gigs so don't have an IEM rack for the band. Band has personal transmitters.

Many venues have dedicated monitor desks with engineers.

Some monitor desks don't have (or the engineer says they don't have) WiFi or an outboard router. Most do.

I would like to bring my own dual-band router with ethernet cable and A) just plug into their desk's ethernet port if they don't have a router, or B) daisy chain from their existing router.

This would avoid the awkward, "What's your wifi password?" - as I would automatically connect to my own router.

Regarding B), I've never daisy chained from one functioning wireless router to another, so would this work? Or would I have to disconnect or disable the house router?

Any other pitfalls I might run into?

Looking at these two routers:
https://amzn.to/3KqW2Op
https://amzn.to/3lYy6sb

Once you plug into thier router, yours will automatically be broadcasting a full bandwidth signal you can connect to. Do that.

 

[Aidenn7]

Interesting a router and wifi booster.. With that scanner app.. Would be a good Idea.. But I think I like a cable snake more..

 

[musicman7722]

Slightly off subject but I also recommending turning off 2.4g and hiding the ssid name.

 

[Modulus 96]

I believe if you plug router A into router B, then router A must be in bridge mode.

Perhaps bring two routers, take a marker and write "bridge" on one of them. Then you have one router to plug into whatever, and the bridge router to plug into some other router.

Verify setup: At home, plug router B to your modem, configure A for bridg mode and plug into B. Test both.

 

[Modulus 96]

I fly to most of my gigs so don't have an IEM rack for the band. Band has personal transmitters.

Many venues have dedicated monitor desks with engineers.

Some monitor desks don't have (or the engineer says they don't have) WiFi or an outboard router. Most do.

I would like to bring my own dual-band router with ethernet cable and A) just plug into their desk's ethernet port if they don't have a router, or B) daisy chain from their existing router.

This would avoid the awkward, "What's your wifi password?" - as I would automatically connect to my own router.

Regarding B), I've never daisy chained from one functioning wireless router to another, so would this work? Or would I have to disconnect or disable the house router?

Any other pitfalls I might run into?

Looking at these two routers:
https://amzn.to/3KqW2Op
https://amzn.to/3lYy6sb

So this one, https://amzn.to/3KqW2Op, has what looks like a bridge mode switch on it. That's the one I would get. No need to follow my suggestion of getting two and one set for bridge. This one easily, without a computer on hand, can switch modes (but read the manual first).

 

[Ric5]

using your own router ...

something like this come to my mind

 

[4Mal]

The IOS LAN Scanner I use is either Apple Airport Express utility or NetAnalyzer.

If the desk doesn't have ethernet out. Yer screwed... If you are at one of my shows don't even bother asking me to unplug my routers... I'll be happy to let you hook in but that would honestly accomplish nada. In my case lighting is on one lan 10.10.1 and audio is on another 10.10.2

I'm not real familiar withWAP devices but if they support dhcp and a reservation table by mac address, then it seems as though all you would have to do is configure the WAP to reside on 10.10.2 and I would have to open up a reservation for thr WAP on my end which is easy.

I may be assuming more capability that a WAP has... in which case I think I need to investigate putting my routers in bridge mode.

One question that comes to mind after re-reading the OP. Band has personal transmitters. If they have transmitters, why is WIFI even a thing ? Seems like monitor mix from the desk to the TX and you're done ...

 

[Mo'Phat]

One question that comes to mind after re-reading the OP. Band has personal transmitters. If they have transmitters, why is WIFI even a thing ? Seems like monitor mix from the desk to the TX and you're done ...

Because I, personally, love doing my own mix and hate being beholden to anyone. Asking a sound guy to mix ears is awful, for me. Every adjustment feels like asking a favor. If I can use my own iPad, I can tweak mid-song and band doesn't have to stop playing.

 

[4Mal]

I'm with you there but isn't the only way to accomplish that reliably, venue to venue to carry a splitter and mixer along with the tx/rx and router rig ? I mean one night it might be an A&H, another an X32, another a GLD-80 and another maybe an SI or VI ...