Wireless link between router and DSL modem?

Is there any way I can get a router (Netgear WNR3500v2) to connect wirelessly with a DSL modem (Zyxel C1000Z) which also has wireless connectivity, so that I can ultimately access my Internet connection through the router? So far I can't make it work.

The WNR3500 does have a "wireless repeating" function but it appears to be very limited, and possibly incompatible with anything aside from another Netgear router. I turned the option on, and gave it the MAC address of the DSL modem, but so far the DSL modem doesn't "see" the router even trying to connect.

I have a hunch that the DSL modem might possibly have a different MAC on the wireless connection vs. the wired one, but so far haven't been able to get the modem to show me that information. (edit: Nope, that wasn't it - checked MAC from my laptop, which is connected wirelessly to the DSL modem, and it's the same one the modem shows me on its conifg page and which I'm using in my attempts to get the router in "repeating" mode.)

Has anyone done what I'm trying to do? If so, how did you make it work?

Uhm, disable wireless on the modem, run an ethernet cable from the modem to the router. Connect your laptop the router's wireless. I'm not sure why anyone would want to wirelessly connect a router to a modem.

Because I don't have a cable long enough to connect the modem to the router wired. Thus the whole point of the question. If it were that simple I'd have already done it.

If your "modem" has wifi and is acting as a router, why are you trying to get it to another router?

Or are you trying to create a wireless bridge so you can use wired devices plugged in to your "router" at a remote location?

Get a longer cable? lol

This.... is not how it's done. Just plug the router into the modem. Make the computers connect wirelessly. You're asking for issues with what you want to do.

Innocence said:

If your "modem" has wifi and is acting as a router, why are you trying to get it to another router?

Or are you trying to create a wireless bridge so you can use wired devices plugged in to your "router" at a remote location?

Click to expand...

Finally, somebody gets it!

Yes, that's pretty much the situation. The DSL modem does have its own routing & switch functions. It hosts my network printer. However, I can't use it for my desktop machine. The desktop doesn't have a wireless NIC, and is physically too far from the DSL modem to plug in. But I do have a router/switch (that's the Netgear WNR3500), which is how I want to hook up the desktop to the DSL modem - using wireless - since it's impossible to make a cable connection at this time.

This should be possible in principle, I just can't get the DSL modem and router to talk to each other wirelessly.

It could be a security level mismatch. Starting to look like I'm out of luck until I can get a longer Ethernet cable.

What you're looking to do is called a "Wireless Bridge". Best way I can recommend is to put some custom firmware (DD-WRT) on that router and then change it to bridge mode.

Looks like your device is supported : http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices_802.11n

So have at it.

Thanks! I might just do that! Call this one "solved."

Objekt said:

Thanks! I might just do that! Call this one "solved."

Click to expand...

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but just so you're completely informed, a wireless bridge will halve the max wireless speed instantly on any device using the second router. This will include not just wireless, but physical connections as well.

Shouldn't be too big of a problem if both devices are using 802.11n, but I know it blows for 802.11g.

Exactly buy a couple of 802.11n (at least) cisco aironet devices and go for a root bridge + access point.

1141n / 1142n and 1252AGs will do this.

101001101 said:

Exactly buy a couple of 802.11n (at least) cisco aironet devices and go for a root bridge + access point.

1141n / 1142n and 1252AGs will do this.

Click to expand...

Yeah, because $1500 worth of otherwise sub-standard Cisco gear is TOTALLY cheaper than a 100' Cat5 and appropriate for OP.

....or maybe you're just clueless.

Liger88 said:

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but just so you're completely informed, a wireless bridge will halve the max wireless speed instantly on any device using the second router. This will include not just wireless, but physical connections as well.

Shouldn't be too big of a problem if both devices are using 802.11n, but I know it blows for 802.11g.

Click to expand...

True, the unfortunate part is that my laptop has a really lousy Intel wireless device that maxes out at 75 Mbit/s. Ugh. So, whenever I want to transfer a large-ish file in a timely fashion, I must plug in.

Someday I'm going to buy myself a really nice laptop with a dual-band wireless card, maybe one of those newer a/c jobs that claims 1 Gigabit wireless (although I'd be impressed if it even got 500 Mbit/s). Of course I would need a new a/c router to take full advantage.

I did get my 50" Ethernet cable, and was able to arrange it behind some furniture, so at least it's not in the way.