HOWTO: Use Linksys WRT54G as a wireless ethernet bridge

[vanillatoast]

I've read this thread about as well as I expect to be able to. I'm really close to having this working but it doesn't - the client router recieves an IP but can't communicate with the main router. I'm pretty sure I understand why, too.

My problem is that I am setting this up in an apartment that I haven't even moved into yet. The main router is in my landlord's section of the house--it's his internet connection and his router. I can http it but don't have a password for making changes.

Now. I think the problem is that there is IP address overlap:
1. I have no idea what the main router's DHCP address range is. There are only 2 or 3 other computers on the wireless network. One was given 192.168.1.10, mine was given .100, another was given something else ... the point is that I don't see any discernable pattern. I have no reason to believe that it will stop at 127 like we want, but I haven't seen it assign any addresses above 127 yet.
2. The IP address for the main router is 192.168.1.254. I'm sure this is what's causing the problem, it's just that i can't do anything about it.

Am I just SOL? I'm hesitant to ask my landlord for access to his router, since I've only talked to him 2 or 3 times. He is not technically literate and won't understand why I should have to access his router, at least in technical terms. Because of that, I'm pretty sure that if I ask him, he will either a) not want to give me the password, or b) not even know what the password is. And in the event that I get access to the router, I'm not even sure if it is advanced enough to customize those settings.

My last resort would probably be to buy him a new router. But is there anything else I can do, strictly with my WRT54G? And if I do get access to the router, is this what I should change the settings to:

subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
router ip: 192.168.1.1
dhcp range: 192.168.1.2 - 127
?

 

[designgirl]

just so people know or maybe it's just me.

I tried using the final release version of the firmware and could not get this to work.

make sure to USE the Alchemy_6rc5. I did that and magically it works. (following the instructions posted by OP of course).

great stuff.

 

[ba990300]

Hi,
first of all I would like to thank you for the manual. Now everything works just fine.

The only thing I just cannot get to work is FTP.
Internet Explorer tells me that it cannot find the DNS or the Server. When I use a ftp-client, the client tells me that the Server closed the connection.

Do I have to forward/open any Ports in my Linksys Router or any Ports in my Netgear MR814V2, which is connected to the DSL-Modem.

Thank you very much for any help.

ba990300

Nevermind, it was the XP Firewall!!

 

[CrazySmurfs]

Thanx user1234. Your steps worked great! Well, all except for the last one, but I'm very happy nonetheless.

 

[ucenec]

Hello!

I have two of questions for user1234 or other users who know my situation.

1.question

I connected mine 2 WRT54gs and work perfectly. But I have another WRT54gs and I would like to connect to the client router (WRT54gs)

My situation:

Internet ------- Main router (WRT54gs)---------1st Client Router (WRT54gs)------------2nd Client Router (WRT54gs)

Second router must use the first client router because it is to away from the main router.
How can I solve this problem?

2.question

How to share files.....because I don`t see a files of client computer?


Thank`s to answer....... sorry for my not fluent english . I`m from Slovenia...

 

[ucenec]

Hello!

I have two of questions for user1234 or other users who know my situation.

1.question
I connected mine 2 WRT54gs and works perfectly. But I have another WRT54gs and I would like to connect to the client router (WRT54gs)

My situation:

Internet ------- Main router (WRT54gs)---------Client Router (WRT54gs)------------2nd Client Router (WRT54gs)

Second router must use the first client router because it is to away from main router.
How can I solve this problem?

2.question

How to share files.....because I don`t see a files of client computer?


Thank`s to answer....... sorry for my not fluent english . I`m from Slovenia...

 

[ucenec]

Hello!

I have problem to login via telnet because I don`t have login name (username), and you can not leave login field empty in telnet.

One topic describe how to connect via telnet. It said that you can login the same way as the web interface. But when you login to the web interface you don`t use any username....where can I find this username?


Thanks..... sory for my not very fluent english !

 

[clarkkent333]

Can someone help me out with this: I've got 2 WRT-54G's - 1 hardwired to my DSL modem and the second that I want to connect to wirelessly. I don't need access to the computer on the second router since it's only down the hallway but I'd like to use WPA for the most secure connection. Is this possible?

 

[Charon]

Originally posted by: ucenec
Hello!

I have two of questions for user1234 or other users who know my situation.

1.question
I connected mine 2 WRT54gs and works perfectly. But I have another WRT54gs and I would like to connect to the client router (WRT54gs)

My situation:

Internet ------- Main router (WRT54gs)---------Client Router (WRT54gs)------------2nd Client Router (WRT54gs)

Second router must use the first client router because it is to away from main router.
How can I solve this problem?

2.question

How to share files.....because I don`t see a files of client computer?


Thank`s to answer....... sorry for my not fluent english . I`m from Slovenia...

OK basically as you have 3 WRT54G's you wish to connect, the easiest way is using WDS mode. With this you'll be able to view shared files between them all, it's easy to setup, and the client computer should roam seamlessly between them all depending on signal strength -> IDEAL SITUATION. (correct me someone if i'm wrong ).

To do WDS, you just need to install a compatible firmware on them all, as far as i know, the alchemy builds from the first post should work fine.

Only catch may be how WDS works when the third router is too far away to communicate with the first router, i assume this is not a problem, but i'm honestly not sure. Anyway just a quick answer for you.

 

[ThroatPunch]

I've been having the problem that after I have set everything up, including the telnet command, I cannot see other computers on the network(or other computers sharing iTunes libraries in particular). I apologize if this has been answered already. Thanks for your help.

 

[DidlySquat]

Originally posted by: ThroatPunch
I've been having the problem that after I have set everything up, including the telnet command, I cannot see other computers on the network(or other computers sharing iTunes libraries in particular). I apologize if this has been answered already. Thanks for your help.

You will not be able to automatically see other computers which are connected to the other router because this guide sets up two subnets which do not share their broadcast messages. But if you performed step 10, you will be able to ftp,telnet,ssh or use http to connect to any computer on your private network by EXPLICITLY SPECYFING THE IP ADDRESS OF THAT PC. For example, suppose PC-1 is connected to the main router and has IP of 192.168.0.50, and PC-2 is connected to the client router and has IP 192.168.0.150. PC-1 can ftp to PC-2 by doing "ftp 192.168.0.150" or to browse PC-2's shared folder go to "my network places" and add a network place "\\192.168.0.150\share". Note you may need to set up the sharing permissions accordingly.

 

[DidlySquat]

Originally posted by: ucenec
Hello!

I have two of questions for user1234 or other users who know my situation.

1.question
I connected mine 2 WRT54gs and works perfectly. But I have another WRT54gs and I would like to connect to the client router (WRT54gs)

My situation:

Internet ------- Main router (WRT54gs)---------Client Router (WRT54gs)------------2nd Client Router (WRT54gs)

Second router must use the first client router because it is to away from main router.
How can I solve this problem?

2.question

How to share files.....because I don`t see a files of client computer?


Thank`s to answer....... sorry for my not fluent english . I`m from Slovenia...

Q1: not possible using this setup. The client router cannot have wireless clients. You need to use WDS mode.

Q2: see my previous post one above

 

[DidlySquat]

Originally posted by: ucenec
Hello!

I have problem to login via telnet because I don`t have login name (username), and you can not leave login field empty in telnet.

One topic describe how to connect via telnet. It said that you can login the same way as the web interface. But when you login to the web interface you don`t use any username....where can I find this username?


Thanks..... sory for my not very fluent english !

username = root
password = admin

 

[antsct]

I don't suppose with will work for a D-Link DI-524?

 

[DidlySquat]

yes it does

 

[pascal333]

Kenny. You have really taken off with this stuff!!
Prof Pascal333

 

[ogonzo]

Hate to ask such a dumb question but will this work having a WRT54G as my primary router and a WRT54GC as my secondary. I'm trying to connect the GC to a Slingshot media box so that I don't have to run an ethernet cable....

Thanks

 

[The Green Bean]

I want to the opposite. I want to connect my non wireless "DSL" router to my WRT54G Cable router so that the internet would be accessible wirelessly.

 

[DidlySquat]

ogonzo, I think you sdhould be able to do that if WRT54GC can run the same firmware which supports client mode. So first try to download and install the firmware, and if it works you can continue with the rest of the setup.

hatim, that should be no problem, in fact that's a trivial setup that has nothing to do with setting up a wireless bridge.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: user1234
Actually, if you have two wrt54g's you could even set up WDS mode, in which all PCs are on the same local network (so there is no need to add special routing entries to get them to "see" each other), and each router is also an access point, so you could roam between them with wireless clients. This mode offers more flexibility than my client mode setup, but it does require two flashed wrt54g routers, or at least two routers which support WDS and are compatible with each other (and it's not easy to find out which ones are compatible), so it's defintely not applicable to everyone.

I just recently did this, actually, with a Motorola WR850Gv2 flashed with the beta 6.14 firmware, and a Linksys with official 3.03.06 firmware. (No warranty-voiding Sveasoft firmware needed!)

The good part is, it's all true layer-2 wireless bridging, or WDS mode - I can connect to either AP via a wireless NIC and access all of the wired machines connected to either AP, so perhaps it is using WDS mode. So apparently there is support for WDS mode/bridge inside the official Linksys WRT54G firmware, only it isn't exposed via the UI.

Originally posted by: user1234
btw, I also used a USB wifi adapter before getting the wrt54g. For linux, using the wrt54g works much muchs better, as I don't need to set up driver configurations for the usb-wifi adapter in Linux....

Originally posted by: bazookajoe
My pc is definitely less sluggish than before. I am not sure if the usb 2.0 bus is supposed to burden the cpu or not. But, for my pc, the effect was very noticaeable.

I noticed that too, after I had this all set up and disconnected my Linksys WUSB54Gv1 NIC. Suddenly, my PC seemed quick again, and in viewing Task Manager, my CPU times rarely hit 100%, with the kernel-mode CPU time returning to a negligible amount, instead of 25-40%. I was also planning on moving to Linux as my primary OS eventually, and this will make it much easier, as I can use the Internet over a wired connection to set things up.

I've also tested it with my laptop plugged in to a wired port at the same time, and both machines can access the internet just fine, so this setup has none of the single-machine AP client mode limitations that the Sveasoft firmware has.

I apologize for some of my past comments in this thread too. In hindsight, I may well have been wrong, and your setup may have been using a unidirectional NAT, combined with routing in the other direction. However, given what I was able to accomplish with stock Linksys firmware, it appears that I was also partially right in my belief that there is hidden support for WDS mode in their firmware, as my current setup seems to prove that.

Getting all of the settings right on the Moto was a PITA, but once I got it working - "it just works". No manual route-table entries, no NAT, just layer-2 all the way through.

I do have to say, though, thanks for all of the blood, sweat, and tears, doing the experimentation trying to get this sort of thing to work in the first place. Sorry if I antagonized you a bit. With my recent additional discovery, it would seem an inexpensive solution to find a Moto router ($20 on clearance in many places), download the 6.14 beta firmware, and just set things up that way. (I also discovered that D-Link antennas fit onto the Moto router.)

Oh, and one more important point - this setup is actually using WPA-PSK/AES in WDS mode! (At least, that's how both of the routers are configured, and it appears to be true from testing using a wireless NIC.) So no compromise is needed on security in order to run in WDS/bridging mode.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: tishoo
I'll echo the comments regarding the Belkin routers and their WDS mode.
The Belkin F5D7230-4 is at $10 (AR - 30+30) again at (I think: Circuit Sh!tty). Up to 4 of these can be set up to bridge (Wireless Distribution Service mode).

Interesting. See this link. Scroll down to near the bottom, the Q & A section. There are a couple of interesting things there.

Follow-Up: These routers will act as routers, bridges and AP's. For bridging, enter the peer MAC address in the configuration for BOTH routers. With the 4.05.03 firmware, bridging does not work with WPA if you have additional wireless clients. It does seem to work if the only wireless traffic is between the two routers. I have successfully bridged three of the 4.05.03 version 2000 routers. Make sure to only enter the master MAC address on the remote AP's and all AP MAC's on the router/gatweway. Entering every MAC's on both AP's and the router seems to confuse them. BTW, I get better bandwidth running ethernet through the bridged AP's than using a Belkin F5D7000? 802.11g PCI card, go figure.

You should be able to bridge between all Broadcom firmware that allows bridging. I have a link WDS link between a Linksys wrt54g and a f5d7230 which I flashed the f5d7231 firmware.

Interesting, no? Search for "wl0_lazywds" too. Perhaps all that needs to be set on WRT54s is that NVRAM variable, assuming that the proper support is already in the Broadcom firmware code already somewhere. The settings I used on the Moto were essentially the same ones shown in this Belkin WDS setup guide.

 

[mdcrab]

Thanks user1234. Your steps worked great in setting up my WRT54G as a client.

I have a LinkSys RT31P2 that I am using for a Vonage connection, but no way to get a wired connection from my main router NetGear WPN824 in basement to a cordless phone base station in kitchen. I set the WRT54G up per your instructions and connected to RT31P2. Worked first time. Thanks for providing such detailed instuctions. Plan to place units on top of kitchen cabinets, high up and out of site. Soon Verizon will be out of here.

mdcrab

 

[gsr415]

Hello user1234 i followed your instructions to allow WRT54G to run in bridge mode and everything works perfectly except.....my videoconferencing hardware!

Hoping you can help, i'm positive its a problem somewhere with the double NAT scenario however i'm not 100% sure.

Basically i have the VC H/W device connected via ethernet to WRT54G with WAG54G as main DSL modem/router. I have opened the TCP/UDP port ranges on both routers and port forwarded these ranges to the VC system's IP address.

In its current configuration the VC device establishes a connection outbound on TCP 1720 however i receive no video or audio from the remote end videoconferencing system.
The VC system shows that its connected (so i believe i'm able to send audio and video out the network) just not receive inbound.

If i connect the VC device directly into the WAG54G and do the same procedure with opening ports/port forwarding, videoconferencing works fine!

I've tried putting the VC unit in the DMZ of both routers at different points, tried statically assigning the VC system with an IP, tried turning off all firewalls, tried turning NAT on the VC device off, however i'm not having much luck.

Ideally i would like to make and receive H.323 and SIP based video calls from the VC hardware directly connected to the WRT54G (not direct connect to WAG54G)

Hoping you can shed some light i'm not sure if you're familiar with H.323 video but would appreciate any assistance in getting this going.

Thanking you

 

[DidlySquat]

gsr415, if you're trying to allow connection from some external internet address, you only need to set up port forwarding on the main router AND NOT ON THE CLIENT ROUTER. Just set up the forwarding on the main router to the IP of your device connected to the client router (e.g. 192.168.0.150), and the proxy_arp (step 10) will take care of the rest.

 

[CiaBpi]

Hi,

I just acquired a WRT54G v.5. I have tried to upgrade the firmware, with several versions, but none of them are loaded, I only get upgrade failed. Any sugestions, since I need to use this one in combination with the DI-624+ as base, and the WRT54G as bridge. I have read thru the entire tread, and googled for a few hours, but I can't find any solution.