WDS, Bridging, etc.

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zaqhack
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 19:03    Post subject: WDS, Bridging, etc. Reply with quote
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???
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zaqhack
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 19:06    Post subject: ARP? Reply with quote
Additional troubleshooting shows that ARP does not cross the bridge, either.
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 21:25    Post subject: Reply with quote
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?

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linking_Routers

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zaqhack
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 22:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm sure I followed that and 7 others.

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?
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 22:52    Post subject: Reply with quote
Maybe re-read this from my previous post:

WDS does not work on Broadcom ARM devices (only MIPS<->MIPS)


BCM4709 is ARM.

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zaqhack
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 17:52    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
BCM4709 is ARM.


OOOOhhhhhhhhhhh ... this is indeed the oversight I was making. Thank you!

I knew I had been too far in the trees to see the forest ...
eibgrad
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 1:13    Post subject: Reply with quote
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).

Just surprised dd-wrt can't likewise handle WDS over ARM (unless perhaps it's because of this performance issue).

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zaqhack
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:39    Post subject: Reply with quote
FWIW, I was able to run the ASUS Merlin software and it has reasonable WDS prompts.

I have 3 routers total: 2x AC68U and 1x 1900P.

You can only run WEP for security on that chipset, as well, so it is a pretty major hassle to get this going.

That said, I DO now have it going. In the process, I discovered a fairly new laptop that maxes out at 2.4 GHz 802.11g ... so that was fun.
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