[Registereddd-wrtoffender]

I want to run D-Link Dir-890l and D-link Dir-825 with two unmanaged switches. Id like to repeater the WiFi if possible. The switches are netgear GS 116’s. Any suggestions? I have read the guides and have had some issues getting it to work correctly. So now I am just using the Dir-825 working until I can figure out how to get the proper configuration.

[egc]

And how do you connect the routers, is that wired via ethernet/switches?

I think the 890 (which is Broadcom/Northstar/Arm) is the more powerful router so I would make that the main router and if you connect wired then setup the 825 as a Wireless Access Point (WAP).

A Wireless Access Point (WAP) is secondary router connected wired LAN<>LAN on the same subnet as the primary router:
• On Basic Setup page:
o WAN disabled
o DHCP server Disabled (=off and NOT set as Forwarder!)
o Local IP address in subnet of primary router but outside DHCP scope, make sure the used IP address is unique on your network you cannot have duplicates.
o Gateway and Local DNS pointing to primary router

• Keep DNSMasq enabled (both on Basic Setup page and Services page)

• On Setup > Advanced Routing, keep Operating mode in the default Gateway (the wiki says Router mode but do not do that, either it does not matter (this case) or break things)

• On Security > Firewall keep the SPI Firewall enabled, although you do not want a firewall it will be automatically disabled as there is no WAN so no need to change this setting form default.

• Connect LAN <> LAN (do not use the WAN port unless you really need that extra port, for most routers traffic still must use the CPU so performance is lacklustre and there are some routers where the WAN port is not added to br0 so the WAN port could be non-functional on some routers).

[ian5142]

I would do the same.

The only thing I wanted to add was links to the wiki:
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linking_Routers
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeating_Mode_Comparisons#Router_Mode_Comparison_Table

I use WDS extensively, but I have an Atheros only network. WDS between chip vendors (Broadcom and Atheros) basically is broken at best.

[Alozaros]

Best (wired) working for me is WAP egc way...

if all Atheros, best for Wireless is WDS ...

client and repeater mode's are nasty hacks and rob the speed/traffic...