How to add wireless router as AP Client/bridge'

[mac29]

Alright, I've been all over the web, and I mean ALL over, and I cannot find a simple graphics rich instruction page for config'ing a wireless router to an AP that is NOT wired to the main wireless router. Found your http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...w-to-add-an-access-point-to-a-wireless-router and thought I'd struck gold.

Seems there are webpages out there confusing whether to set your IP inside or outside the main router's range in order to become an AP. As I understand it, to config my WRT54, Tomato, Netgear, Linksys, whatever, as a totally wireless AP (that I can then connect to via ethernet) I should set the 'AP' router's IP to something inside the main IP range.

(One difficulty I may be experiencing is that the new landlord's linksys E1000 may not want to play with any of the others.)

Apologies for not wading through numerous articles, posts, whathaveyou to try and drill down to the way I'm using AP. There's just way to many articles and posts everywhere delving into Bridge vs. AP, WET, WDS, etc.

I'm about to give up and use two routers of my own but don't know if I can use a switch off the cable modem for both the E1000 and another 'base' for myself.

Either way, if an article already exists on your wonderful site that happens to cover an AP wired only to it's 'client'/pc/etc. I would be grateful to learn about it.

Thank you,

Mac

 

[thiggins]

Sorry, but I don't understand what you are trying to do. An access point is used to connect wireless clients to a wired network.

If you want to connect a wired device to a wireless network, that is done with a wireless bridge. Is that what you are trying to do?

If you want simple, just go buy one instead of trying to convert a router into a bridge, which, depending on your networking ability, patience and the router you are trying to connect to, isn't simple.

Wireless Bridges can be found here.

 

[azazel1024]

I am a little confused by what you are asking as well.

It SOUNDS like you are trying to ask, "how do I add a router to my network as a wireless access point, as I already have another router in my network".

If that is the case, connect one of the LAN ports on that new router in to your network on a switch, or to one of the existing router's LAN ports. You also need to disable DHCP on the new router (generally under LAN settings on the router). For the IP address, you can set the router to automatically get an IP address if you want.

Or you can set it for a static IP. If a static IP address, set it for an IP address OUTSIDE of the range that your main router is set to assign. You want it INSIDE of the IP block, but outside of the assignment range.

Most routers are defaulted to DHCP x.x.x.2 to x.x.x.255 with x.x.x.1 assigned to themselves. So you'll need to change your main router's DHCP settings to assign, say, only x.x.x.2 to x.x.x.250, and then change the address on the router you are adding as an access point to x.x.x.254 or something.

Its within the x.x.x block, but it is outside the range of IP addresses the main router will assign within that block.

So real world example, my router is setup as 192.168.1.1 (LAN IP address, not the WAN IP address). Its DHCP settings are setup to assign addresses from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.249. My Seperate access point has DHCP disabled on it, is connected to my main switch using LAN port 1 on it the router/Access point and it has a static IP address assigned to it of 192.168.1.254.

I leave .250-.255 out because I have several pieces of networking gear that I have statically assigned to that block of addresses.

You'll need to connect to the new router/access point using a computer and set it all up initially before you connect it to your network.