Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 16:51 Post subject: Repeater bridge on D-Link DIR-615 D1 router (and others)
After failing to set up a Client Bridge, I now tried a Repeater Bridge Setup.
While the Client (not Client Bridge) Setup works, the DIR-615d Router doesn't connect to the primary AP (WRT54GL) in a Repeater Bridge Setup.
The Received/Transmitted Packet count under Status>Wireless>Wireless Packet Info still counts all packages as OK, nevertheless a Site Survey on the DIR-615d doesn't show any AP in the neighborhood.
A Site Survey on the WRT54GL shows the DIR-615d as an AP with two SSIDs.
Any suggestions? _________________ Linksys WRT54GL v.1.1
Netgear WG602 (v3/v4)
@MadWire
I don't know why you can't succeed in setting it up as a Repeater Bridge. I've just tried on my DIR-615 D2 with FW 25179, I followed exactly the steps specified in the Section with the "D-Link DIR-615 D4" title in this wiki:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge
and it works for me.
I've also managed to set up a regular Repeater (not Bridge), for which I had to additionally activate DHCP (192.168.0.1, because the Primary AP is 192.168.1.1) and it works fine.
I'm out of ideas. I've also tried almost the same setup on a WNDR3800 router, it works fine as Repeater and Repeater Bridge and also as simple Wireless Client.
I used 23919 on it to test. Unfortunately 23919 bricks the DIR-615 D version, if I remember correctly... I'm not really sure.
Hallo MadWire,
back to the beginning.
Did you succeed to install a runnung dd-wrt-FW and do you get access to the "repeater-bridge" via LAN port?
If yes, try the following settings:
- Router
IP: 192.168.0.1, subnet: 255.255.255.0, DHCP on, it makes sense to reserve IP 192.168.0.2 for the repeater bridge, WLAN on, SSID: "your choice", password: "your choice", wifi channel: 1 (f.ex.), fix!!! not auto!!!
- Repeater Bridge
IP: 192.168.0.2, subnet: 255.255.255.0, DHCP off, Gateway 192.168.0.1, local DNS 192.168.0.2, firewall off, WLAN on, SSID: "your choice" (same as above), password: "your choice" (same as above), wifi channel: 1 (same as above, it is very important to set a fix channel and the same you set in the router; and you have to do so before you save or before you hit the apply button; once you hit the apply button the "set channel" field disappears!!!!!)
Restart the router, restart the repeater.
With these settings (I hope I didn't forget anything) I run 2 DIR-615 as router (DLink-FW)/ repeater (dd-wrt-FW) since years.
@MadWire and @ervau:
Yes, probably this is the culprit: I, too, have set fixed Channel (11 in my case) on both the AP's broadcasted WiFi signal and on the Repeater/Client's incoming connection.
I don't like to put Auto Channel on the AP's Wireless broadcast because it sometimes sets Channel 13 after a reboot and one of my laptop Clients can't connect to Channel 13. So I manually set fixed Channel 11, this proves to be the least congested(the majority of routers in my neighborhood are broadcasting on Channels 1,2,3,6,9 on 2.4 GHz - so I avoid those). You can always check the existing Wireless APs in your particular neighborhood with InSSIDer or with Android app WiFi Analyzer.
channel 1 only was a proposal as well as the IPs.
Take the channel that's the best in your area.
But both router and repeater must have the same fix channel, otherwise they don't know how to talk to eachother.
Another topic is "why the channel selection disappears in repeater mode".
When you like to change the wifi channel to avoid crosstalk 'cause the neighborhood uses the same one, you have to go back to router mode, set DHCP to on otherwise your pc doesn't connect, and then change the wifi channel. The easier way would be to have the channel selection on the screen also in repeater mode.
I already went, with no success, through all of those steps.
Due to a 'softbrick' issue with firmwares above 25179 I also tried various fw's with the same result.
During some of those attempts I could see the DIR-615 as an AP in the Site Survey of the WRT54GL, even so the DIR-615 was set to 'Repeater Bridge' mode.
I then remembered that initially I tried to setup the DIR-615 as a Client Bride whereby this option was not provided in the wireless mode dropdown menu. Therefore I then tried the client mode which worked.
To verify that the DIR-615 was still operational I flashed r25179 on the router and again set it up in Client mode which worked right away. Thereafter I switched to the Repeater Bridge mode which, to my surprise, now worked.
Status>Wireless>Wireless nodes still doesn't show any connected AP and the Site Survey still doesn't show any APs nearby, but the WRT54GL now shows the DIR-615 as a client and the traffic flows over the wireless bridge.
I don't have a clue to why the router is now working nor to what went wrong all the other times I tried.
I'll do some research on how to read and save the nvram and then I play around with it again to see if there is anything to be seen there.
Thanks again for your input!! _________________ Linksys WRT54GL v.1.1
Netgear WG602 (v3/v4)
...
Another topic is "why the channel selection disappears in repeater mode".
When you like to change the wifi channel to avoid crosstalk 'cause the neighborhood uses the same one, you have to go back to router mode, set DHCP to on otherwise your pc doesn't connect, and then change the wifi channel. The easier way would be to have the channel selection on the screen also in repeater mode.
ervau
The disappearance of the channel selection is not really a topic.
The 'client' part of the Repeater Bridge needs to 'auto'-select the channel, based on the channel used by the AP.
Just like any wifi client does.
The 'repeater' part (virtual interface) then, unfortunately, has to use the same channel as the 'client' part.
It should be a topic if the 'auto'-selection doesn't happen!!
edit:
Just verified that on a WRT54GL (AP, r24160) and WD602 (Repeater Bridge, r23919) setup.
The channel of the Repeater Bridge was set on 'Auto' (before it disappeared) and if the channel of the AP is now altered the Repeater Bridge reconnects to the new channel. _________________ Linksys WRT54GL v.1.1
Netgear WG602 (v3/v4)
@MadWire
Yes, the Channel number on the Repeater's Client-side connection disappears after Save. That's probably normal. It should be able to automatically connect to the Host AP on whatever Channel is set on the Host AP. Additionally, it seems that if the Host AP is set to broadcast on Auto Channel, then the Client won't connect to it ? Is this true ?
So now it's becoming clear... The "take home" message is that we should set a fixed channel for the broadcasted WiFi on the Host AP. The Repeater router will then automatically connect as Client on that particular channel and its Virtual AP will also broadcast on the same channel.
Please correct me if my deduction is not quite right.
Hallo,
I can't aggree to what you describe.
When I set a fixed channel on the router and channel selection auto on the repeater bridge I don't get conected between router and repeater also after rebooting the devices.
OK, I'll go ahead and set up my DIR-615 D2 (FW 25179) again as Repeater/Repeater Bridge and check thoroughly these settings/behavior. I'll report back ASAP.
