Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 18:17 Post subject: Bug when router connects as a client
Hello,
I’m getting the internet from a wireless-only source.
I need to distribute it to several wired and wireless devices, all on the same subnet, behind the firewall in my own router. So all my devices are on my private LAN.
DD-WRT would be perfect for that, but has a serous for me issue and I hope to hear feedback in case if I missed something, or report it as a bug and hopefully get it fixed. I contacted DD-WRT but have not heard back.
I connect main wireless interface as a CLIENT to my wireless internet source. Works like a charm.
Then I create a virtual interface and set it up as AP.
It mostly works.
The problem:
Virtual AP works ONLY when the main wireless interface (the CLIENT) is connected to the source of WiFi signal.
If the main wireless internet feed is down, DDWRT stops broadcasting the virtual AP interface. Even if it still broadcasts SSID for the virtual interface AP, I can no longer connect to the AP (and therefore to my internal network) from any wireless devices.
My big problem with that is that if the source WiFi is down, I can no longer connect to the router locally on my private LAN, and of course not able to log in to the router’s (DDWRT) web UI wirelessly anymore. All my wireless devices are kicked out and they can no longer communicate wirelessly with each other, and with the wired devices on my LAN.
Whether the main interface (the CLIENT) can connect to the internet or not, should not affect anything on my LAN other than accessing the Internet.
It is a big problem for me because when I lose my main feed WiFi connection, entire wireless LAN goes down too.
I tried the most recent available builds on a few older routers and they all have the same issue.
I sure hope it is not by design (cannot imagine why would it be by design).
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2020 18:55 Post subject: Still a bug though?
Thank you very much for the clarification that it has always been that way. But it is still a bug, right?
I can't think of a reason why anybody could possibly do it by design, that when WAN link goes down entire LAN shuts down. Does not make any sense to me.
So of the "landlord" (uplink or the owner of the parent WiFi) changed SSID or wireless password (which is our "WAN WiFi" so to speak), it should not cut us off from accessing our own LAN. Not to mention lock us out from accessing our own router itself! Local access to the router is needed for the very purpose to adjust the WAN (Client WiFi) settings. Especially in my case where the router is not physically accessible.
