WIFI Switch - same subnet HELP (Bridge)

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

Hi. I need to provide an ethernet plug to something not near the router, by WIFI. That object needs to be controlled by a GUI, and therefore needs to be on the same subnet. I basically need a switch that is powered by WIFI. Or a Bridge on the same subnet. (Forgive my verbiage, hopefully I am conveying)
The device is currently IP of 192.168.8.1
My main internet is 192.168.1.1
Travel router is the device we are working with, and I am trying to remove the router part.
(I know a TON of stuff, but it's amazing of the gaps in my knowledge)
In my mind WAN is in, and LAN is out.

I have a WIFI from the router, that I use to access the settings. It indicates its on LAN. (confused because out is in) again the 192.168.8.0/24 is doing DHCP to any clients

and I cant access the router from 192.168.1.0/24
and I don't want WIFI sending out disrupting my home network

I cant find a guide for this, every one i use is "close" but doesn't work ang I keep soft bricking this thing.

I feel like this is "So easy" and I just cant get it.

2

If your upstream router or wifi AP is running OpenWrt, you can use mesh (802.11s) or WDS. WDS is more straight forward to configure in this scenario.

If your upstream device is not using OpenWrt, you'll need to setup OpenWrt with relayd.

1 Like
3

Upstream is OPNsense firewall with Unifi Access Points.
Thank you for your response!
I did stumble upon that article for relayd, but I perhaps got confused or didn't think it applied. I will try it again!

4

Since you have Unifi APs, there are two potential approaches here:

  1. Use OpenWrt on the Unifi APs.

or

  1. Get another Unifi AP (with the standard Unifi firmware) to use as the downlink. You can set them up using the Unifi meshing and it will enable wireless uplink and ethernet downlink.
5
  1. Well, no, as I have a bit of the Unifi ecosytem and dont want to disrupt.
    I struggle with networking. It "seems" like I understand it, but actually making things work is a problem for me. Unifi is the easy button! I actually did a lot of DD-WRT once upon a time. I failed at that for years. :slight_smile:
    2!!!! Is there a reasonably priced one or two of these? It does not need to be of high quality. Just any used Unifi access point??? $20-$30 on eBay?
6

That's a subjective factor you must define... New, they start around $100USD, I think. Used, yeah, maybe you can get one cheap. Just make sure you get one that is still properly supported (UAP-AC-LR/Lite/Pro/Mesh are fine, don't get the earlier UAP (non AC) or the first generation square AC devices)

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darn it. i really would like this to work "now" This is not my project. The item in need of internet is my project. I am a bit frustrated that it doesn't "just work" perhaps my expectations are skewed, but I am trying to move on with the project I need it for and cant. ... darn it

8

yeah. I have two nice newer ones for the house. I only need "the one thing" to have internet... $100 is more than i want. alright, back to this.

9

If you have a device currently in hand that can run OpenWrt, use relayd and it should work just fine.

If you need to buy a device, consider your options and price points. Either way is good.

1 Like
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Also worth mentioning... there are wifi > wired bridge devices that are sold with this in mind. They likely use relayd or some similar approach to achieve the goal, but you could just buy a premade device for this need, too.

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I really appreciate your help. That guide was very detailed, I really liked it. Unfortunately, "it didn't work" I have been working on this the whole time, and I can not get it. I have gone through that guide step by step 3 times in the past 3 hours and "it doesn't work"
I tried to buy a premade device. As I mentioned, I just wanted this to work, and to remove the hassle. As I mentioned, for whatever reason, I have the hardest time with networking. "It just doesn't work" for me. For whatever reason, it wont even connect to my wifi anymore.. its tired of me rebooting and reinstalling, I guess, and trying too many things.

I bought a " GL.iNet GL-SFT1200 (Opal) Secure Travel WiFi Router, AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Ethernet Wireless Network, IPv6 USB 2.0 MU-MIMO DDR3, 128MB Ram Repeater Bridge Access Point Mode, Router for Public Use"

This "https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09N72FMH5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1" And it doesn't work. I cant get the "easy" setting to work, nor the ones you gave. Well, i take it back, I did get the easy setting to work, but the problem is that its on the other subnet, I need it to be on the same subnet, and that is the issue, because I need to use the IP for the GUI of the device I want to manage. And it would be great if I could manage this router/AP/Bridge thing from the same subnet as well.

If you want to point out a device that does what I am asking, I will gladly return this darn thing that is so cute, but sucks so bad and buy it!!!! (please do)

I cant tell you how frustrated I am. (not at you, just the situation) I bought the darn "easy button and I spent probably near 12 hours now messing with this thing!!!!!! Perhaps I was "one click away" and that is what kept me pressing on. I didn't want to mess with it! I have old routers lying around, actually loaded with DD-WRT already! But I didn't want to mess with it! "HA HA!" the good lord said! :frowning: I am furious, now, I am going to take the dog for a run. Thank you for trying. I wasted all this time, on something I did not want to work on, something I thought I paid NOT to work on.

12

you think this thing will be easy, and just work?

https://www.amazon.com/Vonets-VAP11G-300-Wireless-Multi-Functional-Amplifier/dp/B014SK2H6W/ref=sr_1_6?crid

13

I get here, and it doesn't work. ping "bad address"

image

14

As that device is not supported by OpenWrt, you will have to talk to GL.Inet.

It appears you are using firmware that is not from the official OpenWrt project.

When using forks/offshoots/vendor-specific builds that are "based on OpenWrt", there may be many differences compared to the official versions (hosted by OpenWrt.org). Some of these customizations may fundamentally change the way that OpenWrt works. You might need help from people with specific/specialized knowledge about the firmware you are using, so it is possible that advice you get here may not be useful.

15

I thought about that. Thought about flashing this router with actual software, but then I was unsure of the model and the download needed and quit that path.

Is there a cheap low powered small router that can be flashed? I don't need performance

Or what software this would use, which version

16

Quite a few, but availability varies massively regionally and changes, so does the pricing. There are also the various local used markets to consider.

17

right, i wondered if there was a small older less performant router that might be found on ebay for $10 + shipping, that was common. My concern would be finding out if there was OpenWRT available for the cheap model if i just started looking for affordable routers.

18

There are tons of routers supported by OpenWrt... for what you're trying to do, almost any device will work, although it is recommended to avoid any devices that have 8MB flash / 64MB RAM (or less) so that you can run the latest official OpenWrt versions and have room for relayd.

New from Amazon in the US, you're probably looking at around $30 for a low end device. You may be able to find those same devices in the $10-$20 range on the used market.

To know if a given model is supported, you'd look at the Table of Hardware and/or the Firmware Selector.

There is another approach you can take, too...

does it really need to be on the same subnet?

Specifically, if you were to put it behind another router (normal routing, even with the GL-Inet device you have) where the upstream network is your regular lan (WiFi) and the downstream is Ethernet on a different subnets, you can setup port forwarding to allow access to the Ethernet device hanging off the router. Or, if you want to get even more clever, you can use a static route on the main router and then disable masquerading on the GL-Inet router and allow forwarding from wan > lan (the details of configuring the GL-Inet you'll either have to figure out or ask in their forums, but I would imagine this is possible in their firmware).

19 
does it really need to be on the same subnet?

Specifically, if you were to put it behind another router (normal routing, even with the GL-Inet device you have) where the upstream network is your regular lan (WiFi) and the downstream is Ethernet on a different subnets, you can setup port forwarding to allow access to the Ethernet device hanging off the router. Or, if you want to get even more clever, you can use a static route on the main router and then disable masquerading on the GL-Inet router and allow forwarding from wan > lan (the details of configuring the GL-Inet you'll either have to figure out or ask in their forums, but I would imagine this is possible in their firmware).

there is port forwarding on the GL thing.... hmmm

as I said, I can conceptually understand networking, but i fail to implement it. I just repeatedly fail when it comes to networking. :frowning:

i almost wonder if it is because no one ever taught me, i just have to try and follow some guide that doesn't really match and I try clicking different things, and if it does eventually work, I am not sure about what roll all the various thing s played in making it work... i tried so many things so many times, i never got to learn what the solution was . anyway. I ordered those other things. there are people out there far dumber than me, I need to find that device for this instance and just make it work.... gosh, I feel like this should have been an easy thing and i got hung up on it... for hours!.. and still didnt resolve!

20

Cut yourself some slack here.

The WiFi standards did not actually account for the idea of setting up a wireless > wired downlink, nor did it have wireless-to-wireless extender capabilities. Thus, additional methods (relayd, WDS, mesh) are actually workarounds/extensions to the technology. And they don't inter-op well between different firmware/vendors due to nuances in the way the standards are implemented (often because the vendors will make modifications on top of those standards to make it more user friendly and/or more performant and/or as part of a brand-lock-in strategy.

Yeah, so the idea would be that you would setup port forwarding...

The upstream address on the GL-Inet device would be on the 192.168.1.0/24 using wifi as its uplink/wan (for example, maybe it would have address 192.168.1.63). The GL-inet lan would be a different subnet (such as 192.168.8.0/24 as you seem to have had it previously).

Then, if the ethernet connected device uses port 443 for a web interface, you'd forward inbound TCP port 443 to the ethernet device (let's say it was at address 192.168.8.24). Therefore, it would be a port forward for TCP port 443 > TCP port 443 @ 192.168.8.24

Finally, you'd reach the ethernet device by going to 192.168.1.63.