Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 11:53 Post subject: Help with multi router/multi floor network setup
Hello everybody.
I have a little bit of trouble finding the right network setup for my current apartment. While I have at least an basic understanding of networks in general I struggle to wrap my head around all the available options in ddwrt and find the right setup. My favorite solution (lay a cable) is not really an option because of the walls/locations of the rooms.
As I have a AC1200 and an AC1750 available I hope you guys can point me in the right direction of what I need to setup and what I need to keep in mind.
Here is my plan/idea of what I would like to archive:
Rooms:
- A cable modem (with integrated router, from my ISP) is on the first floor
- Office and a living room is on the second floor
- Moreover there is a third floor with roof access for sitting in the sun
Plan:
- Set the cable modem to modem mode only
- Put one router next to the cable modem to replace the integrated router (I would like to use a dyndns, which is not supported by the router of my ISP)
- Second router goes in the office room
- Connect both routers via Client bridge (on the 5GHz network)
- Hook up workstation and a micro server via eth to the router in the office
At the same time, I would like to use the 2.4GHz network as "apartment wide" WiFi. As I have trouble getting a strong signal in the entire apartment (especially on the roof )
- First floor router as AP
- Office room router as repeater
- If possible, configure an additional Guest WiFi (but this is just "nice to have")
I hope I was able to write down what my head has produced over the christmas holidays. I am not even sure if all this is possible with just the two routers.
So any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.
WDS is a true transparent bridge, unlike Client Bridge which is a software hack.
I would suggest buying several cheap Wireless-N Atheros based routers, D-Link DIR-615 E3 or C1 are cheap. The only downside is they are hard to upgrade. TP-Link 841N v8-12, or 841ND are cheap and easy to upgrade. Don't expect a lot from those routers though. What is your download speed, from your ISP? http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest
A WDS Station with no Virtual AP creates a setup similar to a Client Bridge, but it will never cause the weird MAC issues that Client Bridge will.
What are your exact router models? AC1200 and AC1750 are just AC speed names, not router models.
I use Powerline adapters to connect my access point(s) to my main router. This allows me to get around the interference caused by the neighbors and connect AV equipment, requiring higher speeds, with lower latency.
I then use the 5GHz band for Wifi as the 2.4 GHz bands are all but unusable where I currently live.
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