DD-WRT troubles

[Pshawn5]

So I wanted to setup a router downstairs to increase my wireless range, as well as connect some items that do not have wifi access.

My primary router is dlink dgl-4300.
My secondary router is linksys wrt54gl v1.1 with dd-wrt v24-sp2(07/22/09)mini.

So I believe with what my goal is, I should be trying a wireless bridge.

So I follow these instructions found here: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge#Instructions

everything seems to take, except I can not connect to the internet. When I go to status-->wireless
nothing shows up under wireless nodes. If I click site survey, select the ssid of the primary router and click join, i get "successfully joined the following network as primary client: primaryrouter's_ssid". i click continue,then save, then apply.
Unplug the power from the secondary for 10 seconds then plug it back in.

The computer shows that it's connected to "Network 5", but can not connect to the internet. I opened up a browser and tried google.com and no dice.
Checked on the primary router and the secondary router does not show up under wireless clients.
I've tripled checked to make sure the wireless security settings are exactly the same with the primary router and secondary router.

So my question is what am I doing wrong?! For some reason the secondary router can not connect or maintain a connection with the primary router wirelessly. Frustarted! =/

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Actually what you want is a wireless access point.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Access_Point

That tutorial should accomplish what you need. I have a similar setup in a 3 story house with one main router and 2nd access point to extend the wireless range.

One thing the tutorial leaves out (i think) is that you need to set the wireless routers on different channels. I have the main router on channel 1, and the 2nd router on channel 11.

It has worked flawlessly for over a year now with 30+ wireless clients. Going to be upgrading the system to wireless N shortly.

Also make sure to enable, "Assign WAN Port to Switch". The tutorial says this is optional, but I could not get my setup to work without this enabled.

 

[Pshawn5]

thanks for the reply OVerLoRDI.

though I get to all of it and end up here:"Apply Settings and connect Ethernet cable to main router via LAN-to-LAN uplink* "

What I am trying to do is have the two routers connected wireless, so I don't have to run a cat-5 cable downstairs. Or am I missing understanding what they're trying to make me do?

 

[AD5MB]

you need a wireless router at the wired Internet end, and a wireless bridge downstairs

explained here:

http://www.wirelessforums.org/how-tos/wireless-101-day-one-65311.html

 

[bobdole369]

There is a difference between "successfully joined" and actually connected.

The D-Link DGL-3000 is your WAN router, with wireless AP duty too right?

And you are attempting to connect the DD-WRT enabled wrt54g to that wireless network, so that you can connect further devices to its switch ports.

Thus creating a link from downstairs to upstairs over wifi.

OK so dd-wrt is in wireless-bridge mode as it should be.
You associate the dd-wrt and it reports "successfully joined" - what this means is that it taps the AP and says here I am - lets start talking (It does NOT however authenticate or do the handshake yet - DD-WRT reports successfully joined when it sends the connection request, not when that request is successful):

The next step is the authentication phase.
You need to have the wireless networks authentication method and passphrase or key input into the dd-wrt before you click that "Join".

I suspect you entered it wrong or have the wrong method.

 

[Pshawn5]

thanks for the suggestions guys.

bobdole369 - thanks for the info about what happens when you click "join" . i guess i'll try tonight with turning the dlink wireless security off and see if the linksys can connect and go from there. i agree the problem is probably in the authentication phase, but the settings look exactly the same on both routers.

 

[JackMDS]

Best way is to connect temporarily the Linksys to a computer via wire on its own (not connected to the Network)_.

Do all the configuration as needed and give it a static IP of the subnet of the source Wireless and out of the source's DHCP range.

 

[Pshawn5]

yup that's what I'm doing. got a laptop connected to the linksys do the configuration and set the linksys as 192.168.1.2, with the dlink being 192.168.1.1

 

[OVerLoRDI]

thanks for the reply OVerLoRDI.

though I get to all of it and end up here:"Apply Settings and connect Ethernet cable to main router via LAN-to-LAN uplink* "

What I am trying to do is have the two routers connected wireless, so I don't have to run a cat-5 cable downstairs. Or am I missing understanding what they're trying to make me do?

Oh I reversed what you wanted. You want to bridge the network via wireless and have your router upstairs basically be a switch, connected to the main router via wireless.

I think you want a wireless bridge then. The appropriate links look like they have been spammed about this thread.

 

[aylafan]

I've set up the wireless bridge successfully at home. The primary router upstairs and the secondary wireless router downstairs with DD-WRT installed on both. The upstairs one is hooked up to the cable modem and has DHCP enabled. The downstairs one (client-bridge) is connecting to the primary router upstairs wirelessly and is grabbing IPs from it. You can access any of the devices connected to either router because they share the same network and surf the internet.

If you read the instructions more carefully. It will tell you that you might not be able to have the same SSID on both wireless routers because many people have problems using the same SSID. For example, the primary router SSID should be named "Router1" and the secondary router SSID should be named "Router1_Repeater". You'll have to connect to each SSID manually because it will not have seamless wireless connection from router to router if you are using different SSIDs. You can use same channel for both wireless routers (ex: channel 11 on both) in this case and you must have the same wireless security & password.

However, if you are able to use the same SSID for both wireless routers, you must choose different channels (ex. channel 6 & channel 11) for the wireless routers.

Also, you must choose WEP, WPA-TKIP or WPA2-AES. Any other type of wireless security will drop the signal randomly. Do not choose WPA2 with TKIP+AES or anything similar to that.

Follow the instructions in this image and it should work for you.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/images/3/3a/Standard_bridge_large.jpg

 

[bobdole369]

I've set up the wireless bridge successfully at home. The primary router upstairs and the secondary wireless router downstairs with DD-WRT installed on both. The upstairs one is hooked up to the cable modem and has DHCP enabled. The downstairs one (client-bridge) is connecting to the primary router upstairs wirelessly and is grabbing IPs from it. You can access any of the devices connected to either router because they share the same network and surf the internet.

If you read the instructions more carefully. It will tell you that you might not be able to have the same SSID on both wireless routers because many people have problems using the same SSID. For example, the primary router SSID should be named "Router1" and the secondary router SSID should be named "Router1_Repeater". You'll have to connect to each SSID manually because it will not have seamless wireless connection from router to router if you are using different SSIDs. You can use same channel for both wireless routers (ex: channel 11 on both) in this case and you must have the same wireless security & password.

However, if you are able to use the same SSID for both wireless routers, you must choose different channels (ex. channel 6 & channel 11) for the wireless routers.

Also, you must choose WEP, WPA-TKIP or WPA2-AES. Any other type of wireless security will drop the signal randomly. Do not choose WPA2 with TKIP+AES or anything similar to that.

Follow the instructions in this image and it should work for you.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/images/3/3a/Standard_bridge_large.jpg

The above regarding ssid and channels should be disregarded. You are connecting as a client, not a second AP. This isn't a repeater, you actually need to connect to the d-link as if you were a computer. Regarding SSID's and channels, it would be true if this were a repeater or second AP instance, but it isn't.

Disregard this too:

Any other type of wireless security will drop the signal randomly.

Use what you used on the D-Link. Diff versions of dd-wrt have certain anomalies regarding some implementations of security, but as long as you haven't gone off the deep end and installed some odd bin - they all work.

 

[aylafan]

My mistake. My home network is set up as a Repeater Bridge and not as a Wireless Bridge. Ignore what I said earlier. I didn't get to read the page fully because I was at work.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge

 

[Pshawn5]

so i downgraded the dd-wrt firmware to DD-WRT V23 SP1 and followed the instructions again and for some reason it worked this time. not really sure if the firmware was the problem, but i'm glad it works now. just wanted to updated everyone.


thanks for all the help guys!

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

nvm since the OP has resolved his problem