Merlin@home and broadband

Thanks!

by Darvox - 2014-02-23 07:02:30

I'll have to give this a try! I just got my Merlin a week or so ago and can't get it to work because I have cable internet and phone. I really need to get it working, so I am willing to give this a try. Thanks for the advice.

Might be more to it than that...

by goodoldan - 2014-03-02 12:03:50

Zapper:

I just got the Merlin@Home unit a week or so ago too after the battery in my old ICD went ERI (after 6 years) and I got a new one. I have only VoIP phones and very poor cell coverage at home, so like you I need internet connectivity for the Merlin unit.

You're right about the off the shelf (Buffalo) router and USB WiFi adapter kit they're selling for $450. A real rip off, and a kluge besides (and who wants a second router, especially when it's locked down by SJM?). But I don't think that the Merlin@Home unit will support just any USB WiFi adapter. It probably doesn't have driver support for many adapters (maybe just the Ralink chip set used by the Buffalo adapter they supply?), and then there is the issue of setting up the wireless parameters. You could do that with WPS, but the adapter would need to have a hardware WPS button since there's no way to use a wireless client setup utility.

It sounds as though you might already have WiFi working with the Merlin box... if so, which USB wifi adapter did you use? I have an adapter here with a hardware WPS button that works fine with my Windows PC... but it won't even light up when plugged into the Merlin (and it even has a Ralink chip set, although not the same one used by the Buffalo adapter they are selling). I'm thinking that there is more going on here than meets the eye... that maybe they have something hard coded in the Merlin box that is specific to the items in their kit.

Dan

Merlin to broadband network via non-proprietary USB adapter

by brs - 2014-05-29 05:05:41

so, Dan and Zapper or others, did you figure out a way to get the Merlin to talk with a home broadband network via a generic USB-wifi adapter? what worked for you?

Me too

by rogerboyd - 2014-05-30 11:05:45

Have same situation - have a Merlin 1150 and only have internet and VOIP and cellular phones. Integron told me the $450 box had to be hard wired and would not work with WiFi - that it had to be plugged into an internet router. Anyone got a solution that works without paying for yet another cellular line, installing a landline or buying their hokey box for $450?

I got screwed

by sextro - 2014-06-24 03:06:44

I bought the broadband kit for $450 so I wouldnt have to pay the monthly cell charge. What a ripoff. I should have read this forum first. Anyway it works and I can call st judes anytime for tech support. The gal named Dana at integron is an idiot and very rude. She said you have to plug into router which is wrong!!! You get a transmitter and a router. The transmitter sends data over wifi to the router which plugs into you existing router. Get a different person if you get Dana.

Merlin Transmitter

by dlconover - 2014-08-10 06:08:42

Zapper I'm very confused. I baught a USB 2 adapter but am not able to get it ti pair with my dlink Dir 615 roter. Software seemed to load onto the USB fine pluged into my computer but when I remove it to plug into the Merlin EX1150 it wont connect. Any ideas?
Thanks Douglas

DIY

by floam - 2014-09-17 03:09:43

I'm a computer science graduate and working network administrator and my dad has a Merlin@Home I'm trying to get to work over VOIP. This wifi kit intrigues me... it seems plausible to replicate this with off the shelf hardware but we need to figure out a few things.

Have any of you been able to log into the web interface of the provided router? If so, go through the various tabs and check to see what the SSID (name the wifi network is) as well if it has a password or WEP/WPA key set. Check for anything related to WPS. The Merlin@Home units likely rely on some hard-coded parameters and replicating them with an off the shelf router shouldn't be too difficult. If you can't get in to the web interface on the router or don't know how, there are other ways to try to see what's going on and I can probably help. Shoot me an email me+merlin@aaron.gy.

Also

by floam - 2014-09-17 03:09:56

You can also run something like https://www.kismetwireless.net on a laptop near it and see the network name there (or of it's hidden, the BSSID number), and it will tell you what kind of authentication is being used. If you can't get into the router.

Anybody make it work?

by pmguy0602 - 2014-09-29 10:09:15

Has anyone gotten a successful connection using off the shelf WiFI or Ethernet USB adaptors connecting to home broadband?

Or... found a way to make the Merlin@Home more VoIP friendly? I have a pretty good VoIP phone setup, but the Merlin@Home just wont make a dial up phone connection.

Merlin@home voip

by dkm4280 - 2014-10-09 11:10:36

We have Vonage and it has worked flawlessly for 2 1/2 years. 36.00 per month unlimited phone calling. Tried to reduce fees by installing magicjack, then basictalk which is a vonage offshoot. They will not work with the merlin. In both cases when I hooked back up to Vonage it went through first try. Am now changing to the Vonage 400 hundred minute plan which will be about 19.99 month. It only measures calls out against the 400 minutes. You can receive any amount calling in. Hope this helps.

usb adapter

by mikep - 2014-11-12 04:11:28

hi, anyone know which brand/model of usb adapter to use to make this work?

USB adapter for Merlin?

by tdm5032c - 2014-12-17 06:12:23

Anybody get an off the shelf USB to connect to broadband internet?

Merlin@Home WIFI connection

by jhweigel - 2015-03-05 02:03:44

I know about the $450 (Merlin EX1170 accessory) option using the Buffalo USB wireless adapter and a wireless router to connect the Merlin EX1150 to the internet. I am just too stubborn to give up trying to make a $35 USB adapter with my Netgear R4500 dual band router work with the Merlin. I was encouraged by Zapper's Feb 2014 post saying it was a piece of cake. Evidently he is a lot smarter that I am, but he never gave up his "simple secrets" either.

I did easily get the adapter to connect to my wireless network (which is connected to the internet through a cable modem to Comcast internet). I am stuck getting the Merlin Unit with the wireless USB adapter to connect to the SJM server on the Internet. I set up the adapter on one of my PC's, ran the installation software, then unplugged it and plugged it into the Merlin. I needed to reset the Merlin to factory default, then ran it's setup. I can see it download the data from my SJM ICD, and then try to connect with the SJM server. Then I get an error message as it tries to send the data to the SJM server.

I will keep working on trying different things. Both my router and the USB adapter have WPS capability. It might be that I need to use the WPS button on the USB adapter after it is plugged into the Merlin unit. But I do have a good wireless network connection from the USB adapter to the wireless access point.

Info

by estgad - 2015-07-20 03:07:47

Wanted to add some info I came across.

OS for the Merlin:. MontaVista Linux
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_that_run_MontaVista_Linux

Some info about this version of Linux
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MontaVista_Linux

Info about usb & work on MontaVista
https://support.mvista.com/DocViewer/pro_5_3kernelDev_intro.html

A search on 2 shopping sites shows a few usb wifi adapters that claim to work with linux drivers, and also have wps for quick access to a router.
Oh, the price on them is less than $20

wireless merlin @ home

by nabob11 - 2015-08-31 06:08:47

Just like others above I was offered one of the wifi router
setups for an unbelievable price, I declined and decide I drive to get my device checked 4 times a year. Then I went to my second home near Grand Rapids Michigan and spectrum health gave me the buffalo router and wireless net work card free. I then realized it wasn't worth $400 or $500,
Next I had the problem with connectivity. I remembered my training from way back in the windows 98 days that you can plug the routers together. So I plugged the Ethernet out on
my netgear router and to other end into the buffalo internet plug (the one surrounded in blue. I then turned on my merlin at home and it connected to wireless buffalo router. Not being one to take anything for granted I took the Ethernet connected to my computer and unplugged it from the netgear router in into the buffalo router. The internet worked but the router is slower than the netgear so I'll go it back into the netgear. Now the buffalo is just another network device on my network.

Model numbers of the wifi adapter?

by bovineyard - 2015-10-01 03:10:38

Can anyone kindly offer us a model number of the usb wifi adapter and router? $450 is a ripoff. I just ordered a cheap usb Ethernet adapter that claims to be plug and play with a Linux kernel 2.6.35 or later. I will let you know how that works

Model numbers of the wifi adapter?

by mando25 - 2015-12-22 01:12:58

I'd like to know, bovineyard, the specifics on your usb adapter, as well as whether it works or not.
Thanks.

Trying to find a way to hack the ex1150

by nickp - 2016-11-15 15:12:33

Not sure if this ever got resolved, but I thought I'd throw this in the mix. My cardiologist is providing a SJM EX1150 monitor. The instructions tell me to plug in a TP-link TL-WN721IN USB wireless network adapter and a TP-Link 150mps Wireless Access Point, attached by CAT5 to a router. I plugged the wireless adapter into my laptop with the access point on, and it looks like it's broadcasting an SSID of MAP043. There must be some magic in the network adapter, because I can't see this SSID on my laptop's built-in Adapter.

I would prefer the EX1150 connect directly into my existing WiFi network so I won't have to use the wireless access point. I suspect the EX1150 is firmwired to find MAP043 and connect there. If qanybody finds out how to hack the EX1150 so I can do this, please post. Thanks!!

USB Broadband

by chewey18 - 2017-01-23 14:02:21

any one here have any success on getting an off the shelf USB to connect with the 1150? my mom lives with me and has the 1150. We refuse to pay $450 for something that costs less than $50. we really don't want to get another landline because ATT in Chicago requires Uverse internet to work. we were paying $100 a month just for phone line which is just nuts. 

I purchased the wifi usb and router that nickp used and have no luck on getting that to connect. I am pretty handy with a computer so if anyone can provide the model of the usb. i can write up the steps to do this. 

Exact model numbers for WiFi kit

by khind - 2024-07-09 14:32:59

Just posting to help others out.

I live in Canada so the WiFi kit was free for me so I wanted to post on here in case someone can make it work for themselves.

The USB adapter that plugs into my Merlin@Home is a TP-Link TL-WN727N (v4.1)

The wireless base station is a TP-Link TL-WA701ND (v2.3)

Both units have a sticker that's been placed on them from I'd assume Merlin, the stickers both say: PAIR 502xxxx (x = four digits I don't want here).

They came together as a kit pre-configured in their original boxes with both boxes put into a generic brown box.

I plugged the USB adapter into the Merlin, and the basestation into my wired router and it just worked, it took no configuring on my end.

Wish I could give more guidance but that's all I know.