Wifi as WAN

[Axel Spallek]

Hi.
I wonder if it is possible with merlin to configure Wifi as WAN. I have a customer, who wants to connect his machines to the internet and to the OpenVPN of the manufacturer for support purposes. He has wifi, but does not want to put ethernet-cables to the machines. The Routers should have detachable antennas, because they will be installed in the electrical cabinets because of the dirt in the production area, so the antennas will be installed on the outside of the cabinets. So I bought 5 x RT-N18U because of its detachable antennas. With the stock firmware I can configure openwrt and the private ip-area of the machine needed for openvpn. But I can not connect to wifi as WAN as I always do with openwrt.
Openwrt does install on RT-N18U, but Wifi is not supportet .
Now I installed merlin. No luck with the gui. Is it possible to achieve that by command line?
Sincerly,
Axel

 

[ColinTaylor]

Now I installed merlin. No luck with the gui. Is it possible to achieve that by command line?

There is no official support for Merlin on the RT-N18U. Merlin doesn't make firmware for the RT-N18U. Ask the person that made the firmware you are using for support.

 

[RMerlin]

Wifi client mode is not supported by Asuswrt or Asuswrt-Merlin, sorry.

 

[eibgrad]

You can always convert *any* wired device to wireless, including the WAN of any router, using a standalone ethernet bridge. That ethernet bridge can either be another router that supports client bridge mode (e.g., dd-wrt, tomato), or retail product designed specifically for that purpose. Having this capability built into the Merlin might be nice, might be more convenient, but its absence shouldn't be a showstopper. Just takes additional equipment.

 

[Klueless]

5 x RT-N18U

Five? Why do you need the WAN port? Can't they all be configured to be wireless access points to your main router?

 

[Axel Spallek]

Thank you for your replies.
I decided to take that approach:
With the original Firmware, I will use the media-bridge mode. The machine in the back and the RT-N18U will have fixed IP-Adresses in a Subnet different than the company net. A 6th router will be placed in the network room. On its client (mostly yellow) ports it has a fixed IP in the subnet of the fixed IPs of the 5 Asus routers and will be plugged into the company network. No DHCP there because I do not want to interfere with the company DHCP. This router will be the defauklt gateway for the machines. On its Internet port (blue) it will be a DHCP client also plugged into the company network.
Machine1 192.168.7.2/24 GW192.168.7.1---------WLAN Bridge1 RT-N18U 192.168.7.100/24 GW 192.168.7.1 -----WIFI-------Company WLan AP 192.168.1.x--------Company Switch1-------6th Router 192.168.7.1/24 static and wan interface is DHCP Client 192.168.1.x ------Company Switch1 192.168.1.x-------192.168.1.x Company Internet GW Router internet address --------Internet
Machine2 192.168.7.2/24 GW192.168.7.1---------WLAN Bridge2 RT-N18U 192.168.7.100/24 GW 192.168.7.1 --WIFI---to Company WLan............
Machine3 192.168.7.2/24 GW192.168.7.1---------WLAN Bridge3 RT-N18U 192.168.7.100/24 GW 192.168.7.1 --WIFI---to Company WLan............
Every Machine needs a separate Asus, because no ethernet cable is available (huge manufactoring space) and the company does not want to install one, even not between the machines. But WLan is available everywhere.
The 6th router has the openvpn tunnel. I have that config working (but without wlan) at another customers place.
Two problems:
1. Does Asus RT-N18U support static IP in Bridge m Mode. I have to check that.
2. The other customer insists, that since my router is in his network, the whole network brakes down from time to time (once every week). We unplugged it and I wait for the next brakedown which will appear hopefully to proof it is not my routers fault. They have several strange things in their network, as example using internet addresses for their machines (140.80.1.x/24) which I route through openvpn tunnel. But I suspect a hardware failing switch.
Does anyone have a clue, if the problem described in 2. could eventually be the fault of my router configuration anyway?
Admittedly, it looks quite strange: the blue port connects to its own yellow port and one yellow port connects to the company network.......

Sincerly,
Axel