Kitz Forum
Computers & Hardware => Networking => Topic started by: Weaver on September 26, 2016, 03:34:32 PM
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(By reconfiguring them, not by replacing the firmware.) So you get a standard Ethernet-to-WLAN bridge as in any normal simple WAP and one that acts at L2 only.
I'm wondering if some of the high-spec wireless routers out there might be alternatives worth considering if I'm shopping for WAPs.
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(By reconfiguring them, not by replacing the firmware.) So you get a standard Ethernet-to-WLAN bridge as in any normal simple WAP and one that acts at L2 only.
Yes, that's do-able. I'm quite certain fellow Kitizens have done so. (But I can't recall any names without a search . . . )
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I use a TP-Link W8980 as a WAP, also an Asus AC-68U, I have also used a couple of others in the past. Actually it can be a pain but depends a lot on the individual firmwares, the TP-Link in particularly doesn't make it easy - ideally would be good to flash to OpenWRT - would be easier.
Currently the OpenWRT version for the W8980 has a bug which switches off 5 Ghz, annoying.
Chunks
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Can't pretty much all wireless routers do this? You simply don't use the router features, disable the DHCP server, disable as much stuff as possible basically.
The drivers for the 5GHz wireless in the TD-W8980/9980 probably aren't in OpenWRT, although the source code does exist in the TP-Link GPL code.
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For a while I used my TT HG635 as a wireless access point with no problems at all and no change in firmware.
Stuart
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> Can't pretty much all wireless routers do this? You simply don't use the router features, disable the DHCP server, disable as much stuff as possible basically.
I can't see how this is going to work. L2 stuff in general, random Ethernet frames, that are not IP (or not IPv4) are not going to be bridged (copied across from wired side to wireless and the reverse) as far as I can see? Apologies if am I going mad?
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A "router" is actually several units all stuffed together in one box:
- modem
- LAN/WAN gateway with PPP authentication
- DHCP server
- a switch
- a WAP
The WAP is connected to a port on the switch part. All you are going to do is us the last two which will just pass packets between devices so it will just work.
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What I should have said is that I can't see how it's necessarily going to work without reconfiguration, but if the Ethernet ports are just configured as a straight switch and bridged onto the wifi then of course it will just work. It's just that on my router (no wifi) each Ethernet port is independently configurable and the set of ports is not necessarily grouped into a single switch unless configured that way. That's what led me astray.
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Can't pretty much all wireless routers do this? You simply don't use the router features, disable the DHCP server, disable as much stuff as possible basically.
Done this several times myself... dating back well over 10yrs before I had wireless n in an attempt to improve signal. Was doing so with a Netgear 834g and Voyager 2100 for a long time - no such thing as powerlines back then. Also done so for several others using old wireless modems as repeaters. Basically gave it an allocated IP in the same range and turned off DHCP.
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I need the ability to turn off DHCP to be on the checklist, forgot about that.