Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 19:03 Post subject: WDS, Bridging, etc.
This should be a fairly simple configuration - two AP's bridged together to form one WLAN/LAN. Each router (an ASUS 1900 with a Broadcom BCM4709) has an Internet connection. Each claims a healthy WDS connection with the other (this took several attempts, but is now stable with 30-50 SNR).
Each works as their own AP - no troubles, there. We can connect and use them each for the Internet. However, they do not connect on LAN.
The two routers cannot ping each other. From telnet on .1 to ping .2, no love. From other clients of each router, they can see those attached, but not across the bridge.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. How can all the indicators say they are attached at Layer 2 be working, but Layer 3 not work???
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14217 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 21:25 Post subject:
If you had read the latest build release thread:
Quote:
• WDS does not work on Broadcom ARM devices(only MIPS<->MIPS) & bridge modes on k4.4 devices may sometimes work in some configurations in certain builds but are not supported by the bcmdhd driver. Use client or repeater instead.
Also, are you *sure* you followed the applicable wikis correctly?
So, what things block arp across the WDS link? What can I do to test the link besides following another effing guide? I'm very linux and network savvy, but I don't know DD-WRT very well. So, who knows why the guide works?
FWIW, the OP's router would appear to fall into the same category as my ASUS RT-AC68U. And if it does, it should be supported w/ FreshTomato, which does support WDS over ARM. However, the performance is abysmal and I have no idea why. Using a repeater-bridge or client-bridge config, I get up to 225Mbps between my primary router and the bridge (both RT-AC68U routers). But if I switch it to WDS, it drops to a laughable 5-6Mbps! So while WDS solves the limitations of repeater-bridge and client-bridge, it does so at the cost of performance (in a massive way).