I am trying to configure a wireless dumb AP (aka wirelessly connected, not physically). I was able to successfully follow this tutorial to get a wired dumb AP working - https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/dumbap
However, I seem to be unable to get it to work if the connection to the main router is wireless. aka : [Internet] ==== [Primary] ~~~~~(Wireless) ~~~ [AP]
My current state:
[Primary] is a Linksys WRT3200ACM with 23.05.0 installed
[Wired AP] is a D-Link DIR825B1 with 22.03.5 installed
[Wireless AP] is a Linksys E4200 v2 with 22.03.5 installed
[Primary] and [Wired AP] are both broadcasting 2.4 and 5ghz networks with fast transition enabled. Working perfectly. Clients can connect to either router, get IPs, and have internet.
[Wireless AP] setup to be a DumbAP (Like the Wired one, but with a wireless tether instead of Wired)
[Wireless AP] Has Joined the 5ghz network from the [Primary] router
[Wireless AP] has a static IP, and has internet access (SSH into device, ping google, success)
While connected to [Primary]'s AP, I can open the [Wireless AP] Luci interface.
[Wireless AP] is broadcasting a wireless AP on the 2.4ghz band (unique for now, will setup for roaming later)
Devices attempt to connect to [Wireless AP] but do not get IP (Can see handshake in logs, but no IP assignment.
both wireless APs from [Wireless AP] are attached to the wwan interface (which is setup to be a dumb ap):
I will try my best! I know "roaming" and "Mesh" are thrown around on the forums kind of interchangeably so I was avoiding those words as much as I can! I will try to re-phrase it and remove some info that is not important to what I am trying to do specifically here.
I do have multiple routers that are being repeaters, but only one wireless repeater.
Internet comes into the Primary Router
Primary Router has two Wireless Access Points, Lets call the Primary5g and Primary2g
Second Router will have one Wireless Access Point, call that one Secondary2g
Second Router will use its 5g Antenna to connect to Primary5g (and not broadcast a secondary 5g ap)
I want to connect to Secondary2g and get internet.
Okay, that, technically, could be a dumb AP, if the bond on both APs are using a virtual wire that nothing else can connect to. But Primary is taking clients from anyone, including Secondary.
Before I get into this I have a suggestion/option; dismiss it if you want, you don't even have to explain why:
If you do not need 2.4 for legacy devices, I would create that virtual wire on 2.4Ghz because it penetrates better but, it does hate bluetooth and microwave ovens.
In what interface(s) are the radios in on Secondary?
This won't take long but we are going to reset Secondary. Is it Openwrt?
If so, reset, and upgrade. If it is a really old version flash with latest. If it is not, this might take longer as we will need more back and forth.
You can glaze over the ethernet (it won't hurt to know for the future) parts but it is, practically the same thing: what to disable and such. Watch it at least once before you try to follow it so you get the over view.
Please touch base with just the basics answer I asked and before you start changing things.
The reason is that an ordinary AP-STA link does not support bridging. However since you have OpenWrt on both ends, it should be possible to use WDS. I say should be possible because the wireless support for the Marvell chips has some problems.
Enable WDS on both sides of the AP-STA link that is feeding the "wireless AP." On the 4200 place both the output AP (for users) and the STA (linked back to the 3200) into the lan network, since it is already a bridge. This is the same network configuration as a wired dumb AP except that the link to the upstream LAN is now wireless (WDS)
Travel routers don't bridge, they route. The hotel AP sees one MAC address and one IP, the same as if a single endpoint phone or laptop were connected to it, which allows an ordinary non-WDS link to work.
This also has the advantage for travelers that they are firewalled from other users or malice that may exist on the hotel network.
Thank you - I did follow those instructions. Double checked by SSHing into the 4200 and checking the config files - they all look as described, but no luck
The secondary router looks like it is connected, but the host is showing ?
if I SSH in to the primary or secondary, I cannot ping one another (Primary has secondary listed as a static IP in their lease, secondary has same static IP set)
Before we get drastic, even if you have done it before, turn secondary off. reboot primary and let it cool down (i.e. look at LuCI status page and wait until CPU utilization plateaus My 5th grade teacher would kill me for making that as a verb)) . Then boot the secondary.
Please connect to your OpenWrt device using ssh and copy the output of the following commands and post it here using the "Preformatted text </> " button:
Remember to redact passwords, MAC addresses and any public IP addresses you may have:
