Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:19 Post subject: Netgear WNDR3400v1 Repeater Bridge
I'm hoping to get thoughts from the forum on a couple topics.
1) My primary goal is to increase the wifi signal throughout my house.
I was hoping to repurpose an old Netgear WNDR3400v1 to accomplish this. In reading through all the dd-wrt documentation (including for my router), it appears Repeater Bridge mode is exactly what I'm looking for. I flashed dd-wrt.v24-36247_NEWD-2_K2.6_mini-WNDR3400.chk. Overall, it appears the flash went fine and everything is in working order. However, I wasn't successful in getting Repeater Bridge mode set up. I wonder if it's related to the comment on the wiki under the Broadcom heading: "Repeater Bridge with WPA2-AES is broken for k2.6 builds after 25974, though some models might work through 26125". Is this comment still valid? My primary router uses WPA2 Personal. I've also read in various threads that Repeater Bridge mode can be kind of flaky anyway? Which leads me to my next question.
2) Is a better solution to use powerline adapters and run the WNDR3400 as an access point? Running cables around my house isn't ideal, which is why I was trying the Repeater Bridge solution. Thank you in advance.
Broadcom K3X builds can also be flashed to this router just make sure each build has the routers name in it like step 1 and is less than 7995392 bytes (7808 bytes) in size or you will brick the router. NOTE: this may NOT be the correct size. Firmware revision 46949 Mega bricks this router and it is 7967744 in size
After you have read; try setting the repeater bridge up again.
My personal experience of power line adapters is that they work and do the job however I have always had better results with Broadcom routers as RB's. I lose more of my download speed going through adapters than I do going from my main router to an RB in a 1500sqft house.
Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. Not sure if something went wrong with the flash, but the dd-wrt.v24-48141_NEWD-2_K3.x_mega-nv64k.bin build bricks the WNDR3400. I've seen a decent number of threads and articles on how to recover it. Any favorites or preferred methods? I'd rather recover it properly (and learn something in the process), but considering it's not worth much, I also don't mind trying something like a pin short either.
