Using 2nd router as AP/Switch only?

[jimnms]

Right now I have 3 PC's and one notebook. I have a D-Link DI-624 in my room connected to the cable modem. The PC in this room connects to the switch of the 624, as does the notebook while it's on the desk. Another PC (HTPC) is in the living room with a D-Link DWL-G520 PCI card in it. It needs internet access to download TV listings, and I connect to it remotely to program TV recordings, install updates, copy files, etc. The 3rd PC has been on the floor by my desk collecting dust. It's what was left over after upgrading my current system, but I'm fixing it up as a new HTPC and it's almost ready.

Here's the deal. I do have ocasional problems with this setup, but I believe it is the fault of the DWL-G520 PCI card. I can not run WPA encryption or the PC in the living room will disconnect from the network. The notebook doesn't seem to have that problem when I use it wirelessly. I have a Rev.C2 DI-624, and have been stuck running firmware v2.50. Anything newer makes it reboot over and over. I did install v2.75b2 and it has only rebooted once.

Since I'm about to install the new HTPC, I need to keep the old on on the network so I can copy the recorded shows over to the new one, and then I will probably keep it for backup storage. Here's what I'm thinking:

Option 1 (the cheapest):
Buy another DI-624 (probably used from Ebay) and just use it as a wireless AP and hook the PC in the livingroom to the switch of the 2nd DI-624, ditching the DWL-G520 PCI wireless card. I'm hoping that with the two DI-624's talking together that the transfer speed between the PC in my room and the one in the livingroom would be much better. Plus having the built in 4-port switch means I don't have to have a HUB in there if I need to hook something else up in there. At first I will leave the old HTPC in the living room hooked up to the switch to copy the recorded shows over to the new one. That would be much faster than copying over the wireless.

My other hope is that I would be able to use WPA-AES between the two APs, making my network more secure. Right now I can only use WEP or the HTPC doesn't stay connected.

I did look at buying just a wireless AP, but you can buy a router cheaper and it should do what I need. I read a post on BBR on how to configure a DI-624 as an AP only.

Option 2 (probably better, but more expensive):
Buy two new Linksys WRT54GL routers and do pretty much the same as above. I would have the advantage of using 3rd party firmware. I'm wondering though, would this be slower than the D-Link option, since the DI-624 has the Super G, turbo, extreme 108Mbps crap.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

To take another router ....and McGuyver it into an access point....

Plug a PC into your second unit...
1) Make it's LAN IP within the same range as your primary router...just not the same, and outside the DHCP pool. Example...your primary router is 192.168.1.1...and its DHCP hands out IP starting at 192.168.1.100 to 150 or so...you have from 2-99..or actually..I put secondard IP units up on the high end. Often APs are something like .245 or whatever..I actually use .253 and proceed down from there for multiple APs. So assign your second unit an IP like 192.168.1.2, or 192.168.1.245 or 253 or whatever works for you...just as long as you remember it. Apply your changes.

2) Release/renew your workstation if you had to change it from a different range (say..by default it was something like 192.168.0.1) . Else..just log into its new IP

3) If your routers firmware supports it...find an option that flips it to "AP" mode. This will effectively kill the WAN interface. If it doesn't..no biggie. But some routers can get pokey..if you leave the WAN interface set to "obtain auto", or "PPPoE". It can kill CPU cycles since it's trying to log onto some WAN connection. So set it to static IP on the WAN interface..and pick an IP range that you'd never ever log into..like 192.168.55.10 or whatever..some obscure IP range.

4) Disable DHCP on the LAN side. You only want 1x DHCP service on your network..and that will most likely be your primary router (or server if you run a full server at home)

5) Now uplink this second unit...to your main router..using LAN ports. You will not plug anything in the WAN port of your second unit. Now you can use it as a switch or an AP. DHCP will flow down into it. Change your default admin password..and continue fine tuning.

FYI..those "turbo" modes can be finicky. Only work with same make/model/family gear..does not work across different brands. If mixing brands of wireless NICs on your rigs..disable those "turbo" modes on the APs.

 

[Madwand]

I think the OP wants to create a wireless bridge, and I'm not sure that another DI-624 will do that.

I read the the desired topology as:

-- = wired
:: = wireless

Cable -- DI-624-1 -- PC1, etc.
                  :: unplugged laptop
                  :: DI-624-2 -- HTPC-1, etc.

The desired connection between the DI-624-1 and DI-624-2 is not generally supported by consumer wireless routers. It's not a standard AP connection, which would be wired to the network, and wireless to new clients.

There are a few different modes which can do the wireless router/AP to 2nd wireless router/etc. device -- WDS and client bridge mode(s) are the most common.

The main difference between WDS (repeater) and client bridge mode would be that the client bridge device would not extend the range of the wireless -- it would use the wireless connection itself as a client, and pass that connection on to wired devices.

A Linksys WRT54GL + DD-WRT can handle both WDS and client bridge mode. I'm not sure that the DI-624 has WDS support, and even if it does, I'm not sure that it'd be secure and compatible with DD-WRT's. Client bridge mode, however, is usually faster and less troublesome, as it connects as a standard client.

A D-Link DWL-2100AP is an interesting device, with multiple modes supported including WDS and client bridge. It might also support a "super-G" compatible with the DI-624. It has only 1 wired port, so an other switch would typically be needed. 10/100 switches should be pretty cheap.

I've used a Netgear WGPS606 (stock) and Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT as client bridges to a D-Link wireless router, but haven't used the DWL-2100AP. But I believe that it would be fine.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I think the OP wants to create a wireless bridge, and I'm not sure that another DI-624 will do that.

Yeah yer right...I skimmed the first sentence in Option 1 and digested it backwards.

Oops!

 

[jimnms]

The DI-624's documentation doesn't give much detail, it just says you can either set it up as an AP, or connect it to an existing wireless network. The poorly written manual just says to use the wireless page in the setup to "establish a new wireless network or to add the DI-624 to an existing wireless network." I'm assuming that if I were to install a 2nd DI-624 that it would connect to the first DI-624 as a wireless client, but would it forward the LAN traffic over the wireless?

I did read in a review of the DWL-2100AP that it will only work as a PtP bridge with another DWL-2100AP. The 2100AP is about $80 new unless I can find a deal on Ebay, and it would suck to buy one and find out that I need a second one.

Two new WRT54GL's will run me ~$130, but a new DI-624 will only run me ~$40. The one I have now I bought refurbished on Ebay after the first one I had died. At the time there were tons of them, now it's just used and a few new ones that sell for more than a new one goes for.

I've seen several people here swear by Buffalo wireless units. They do have a neat little box that would do what I want. It's called a wireless ethernet converter, basically a 4-port switch with built in wireless, kind of like what I was hoping to accomplish by using a 2nd router. It costs about the same as a DWL-2100AP and supports Turbo-G, though I wonder if it's compatible with D-Link's Turbo-G. For a little less than two WRT54GL's I could get a Buffalo Turbo-G router and the wireless ethernet converter and that would work, but I've read that their web interface sucks pretty bad.

 

[Madwand]

The DI-624's documentation doesn't give much detail, it just says you can either set it up as an AP, or connect it to an existing wireless network. The poorly written manual just says to use the wireless page in the setup to "establish a new wireless network or to add the DI-624 to an existing wireless network." I'm assuming that if I were to install a 2nd DI-624 that it would connect to the first DI-624 as a wireless client, but would it forward the LAN traffic over the wireless?

From browsing the manual, I still find it hard to believe that this router has any bridging or WDS support, but I see hints of this in the point you raise above, and some mentions elsewhere of WDS support.

I did read in a review of the DWL-2100AP that it will only work as a PtP bridge with another DWL-2100AP. The 2100AP is about $80 new unless I can find a deal on Ebay, and it would suck to buy one and find out that I need a second one.

It would indeed, but you need to look at the AP client mode -- which is simple, and should work with any wireless router / AP. It's easy for a reviewer to say "it'll do point-to-point with another identical device", but this doesn't mean that it won't work as a client for another AP; perhaps that point was about WDS mode.

I also see a reference for WDS-compatibility with the DI-624. This probably means that the DWL-2100AP will give you the greatest flexibility with the DI-624.

BUT, you don't have to take web searches or my guess on this -- you have one of these products, and are considering other D-Link products for purchase -- D-Link pre-sales/support should be able to give you good answers to both questions -- whether 2 DI-624's can bridge / WDS and whether a DWL-2100AP can bridge and WDS with a DI-624. I wouldn't recommend another DI-624 personally, but it's your decision.

Two new WRT54GL's will run me ~$130, but a new DI-624 will only run me ~$40.

You'd only need one WRT54GL. One will definitely connect as a client to your router, and establish a client bridge. You just need a version that's easily compatible with DD-WRT. Check the DD-WRT HW compatibility notes. The WRT54GL is an easy recommendation. Any model 4 or lower can also do the job, and these should be easily available on eBay / etc. cheaply. I'm using a model 1.0 to bridge to my D-Link DGL-4300.

I've seen several people here swear by Buffalo wireless units. They do have a neat little box that would do what I want. It's called a wireless ethernet converter, basically a 4-port switch with built in wireless, kind of like what I was hoping to accomplish by using a 2nd router. It costs about the same as a DWL-2100AP and supports Turbo-G, though I wonder if it's compatible with D-Link's Turbo-G.

I'd bet that this would work (at least in non-Turbo/etc.). From what I see it's a simple client bridge device. The Netgear product I mentioned above is similar. Note that it is marketed as a "Wireless Print Server". You can see the simplicity in the docs. There are a handful of other "gaming adapters" / etc., which do the same thing in essence.

But products such as the WRT54G + DD-WRT and the DWL-2100AP, I think, can provide the same mode, and can also do tons of other things should you choose to use them in the future.

Some Buffalo products are also supported by DD-WRT, giving additional potentially confusing options.