Help Setting Up OpenWRT with Relay on TP-Link TL-WR841N v11

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

Hi everyone,

I recently installed OpenWRT on my TP-Link TL-WR841N v11 using the openwrt-ath79-tiny-tplink_tl-wr841-v11-squashfs-factory.bin firmware from this website, which has relay installed. I'm trying to set up my network as shown in the diagram below:

[Replace with the actual link to your diagram if you upload it to Imgur or another image hosting service]

Network Setup Details:

  • Switch_1: Connected to the modem (ISP).
  • OpenWRT Router (TL-WR841N v11): Connected to Switch_1 via WAN port and LAN ports.
  • PC1: Connected to Switch_1 with IP 192.168.1.1.
  • Nodes/Mobile/Devices: Should get DHCP IP from Switch_1, not from the OpenWRT router.

Objective: I want the OpenWRT router to act as a relay, where wireless devices connected to it get their DHCP IP from Switch_1, not from the OpenWRT router itself.

Questions:

  1. How do I configure the OpenWRT router to act as a relay?
  2. What settings do I need to change in the OpenWRT LuCI interface to ensure that wireless devices get their IPs from Switch_1?
  3. Are there any specific configurations I need to be aware of for the relay to work correctly?

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Openwrt.drawio
Openwrt.drawio442×441 21.6 KB

2

A few things to note...

  • 19.07 is EOL and unsupported. It has many known security vulnerabilities and is not considered safe to use anymore. Since your device cannot be upgraded (not enough RAM and flash storage), you should very seriously consider newer hardware.
  • DHCP rarely comes from a switch. The server most frequently resides on a router... but I don't see a router (other than your WR841N) in your diagram. If your modem is a combo modem+router device, that will be fine. Otherwise, you need to reconsider the architecture.
  • If you're connecting to the upstream network via ethernet, you do not need relayd or any other methods. All you'll do is configure the device as a basic Bridged AP.

https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wifi/wifiextenders/bridgedap

3

Thanks for the detailed feedback.

Regarding the hardware, I understand that 19.07 is EOL and unsupported, and I'll definitely look into upgrading the hardware to ensure better security and performance.

As for the DHCP server, you're right. The ISP-provided device is an all-in-one (AIO) modem and router, so it should handle DHCP services without any issues.

Since I'm connecting to the upstream network via Ethernet, I'll configure the device as a basic Bridged AP. This should simplify the setup and avoid any unnecessary complications.

Thanks again for your guidance!