networking - Can a consumer wireless router act as both a wireless client and access point?
2014-07
glibdud
I'm going to be moving in the future, and integrating my home network into that of my landlord. I wish to maintain an isolated network while using his internet connection, so I'm planning on cascading my router off of his (WAN-to-LAN type configuration). Unfortunately, it looks like it might not be feasible to run a wire between the two. Therefore, I'd like to send my WAN connection over WiFi to his router.
At my disposal, I have a WRT54GL (running Shibby's Tomato mod), and I just bought an Asus RT-N66U (I can be flexible with the firmware). My first thought was to set up the WRT as a wireless bridge, then run a wire between that and the N66U's WAN port. I'm reasonably sure I could make that work, but can I eliminate the WRT from the equation altogether? Can the N66U connect to the landlord's WiFi as a client, effectively using that as the WAN port, while simultaneously providing wireless access to my devices on an altogether different WLAN?
silverwind
I think this can be made to work as long as you have two antennas which you can control seperately (I'm not sure if that's the case for the N66U, but my AC66U allows different settings for the 2.4 and 5 GHz interfaces).
Another option could be to use a USB wireless adapter to run on the router's USB.
You might have to manually tinker with the routing table so the default route goes out on the interface in client mode.
IAmTheSquidward
I know with DD-WRT firmwares, each interface (2.4GHz and 5GHz, along with each eth) are independently controlled. If your landlord is broadcasting 5GHz, you could take your 5GHz radio and connect it to that network, and set the mode to "WAN Client - DHCP." Then, with your 2.4GHz radio, simply set it up like you normally would with a "LAN - Infrastructure" model.
Shred
I have my main router running Tomato. My second router is configured as an access point using a different channel as the main router, but the same SSID/WPA2 info. All the firewall stuff, plus DHCP is turned off. It is connected WIRED to the first router using one of the LAN ports and is on the same IP range. Things are working fine and clients can connect to either one, though the main one is N while the second one is G.
I was reading about Wireless Ethernet bridge mode recently. I was thinking of replacing the second router with another N router that can run Tomato. But only if bridge mode gives me something I can't do now. Is there any advantage to using bridge mode?
Kit Ramos
The answer to your question "does it give you something your current set up doesn't?" the answer to that strictly speaking is yes. as right now you need to use a Ethernet cable in-between the two routers with Wireless bridging you could set up the two to relay over a wi-fi link and thus no need to use a cable.
However if you got it working fine now and the Ethernet cable running between the two is not causing you any hassles then you won't really see any benefit with using wireless bridge mode over what you are currently doing. As a wired connection between the two will be generaly more stable, and faster then using a wi-fi link to connect the two routers which is the only new feature it offers.
End users, (the ones connecting to either router) will connect in the same way to their respective router in either setup. this new method only changes how the two routers talk to each other, and not to the computers that are connecting to them.
barlop
I don't think it would. From what I understand, Bridge mode often turns off access point mode. But some devices can do both simultaneously. If you want just advantage then you'd at least need that. Then the only advantage with Bridge mode is the ability to connect 2 Bridge mode devices / Wireless Bridges to each other wirelessly. If you only have one such device and no other device also in bridge mode to connect to it, then you don't really gain anything. Besides the fact that you probably don't have a problem necessitating it.
The idea of it is if you have computers far apart, and a poor connection, they can't wirelessly reach your access point, then one possible solution, though an expensive one, is a pair of Wireless Bridges. Some do one on each floor. Computers could then connect to it with a wire, or if it can do AP with that, then wirelessly to the AP aspect of it.
For the wireless bridges to connect they I think need to be compatible, and that may require the same make.
Here is a manual for the DLink DAP 1360 it has some good pictures early on.
ftp://ftp.dlink.co.uk/wireless/dap-1360/DAP-1360_B1_Manual_v2.00(WW).pdf
Note- I don't know if 3 wireless bridges can connect.. like top floor and bottom floor connect to central one. Pairs can definitely connect though, so an even number.
But the fact is that since your computers can reach your access point wirelessly, you have no advantage in a wireless bridge and if you wanted to do it you'll need 2.