WOL through repeater: the RELAYD way

Installing and Using OpenWrt Network and Wireless Configuration
1

Hello.

I'm used to use custom firmwares (XWRT-Vortex for ASUS/Netgear) and DD-WRT, but I'm very new to OpenWRT (I just installed last weekend). OpenWRT seems amazing due to its flexibility and versatility, but a bit intimidating also, because everything seems (at least to me) a very bit difficult.

My story...

After buying a TP-LINK model Archer C60 v3 and succesfully configured it as a WDS to extend my internal LAN, I was able to send WoL packets from my main server to the backup server connected via ethernet to this WDS client, without any other configuration. By using the stock firmware, it just worked.

Then I saw that on February, 12, someone commited the first version of OpenWRT supporting this TP-LINK model (the v3 variant), and then I did install it. After bricking and unbricking the router several times, I was able to install LuCI and configure it as a repeater for my LAN, but using RELAYD this time, after reading a bunch of tutorials and YouTube videos...

Well, everything is running fine now, with the exception of WoL. It seems that the magick packet sent from my main server (FreeBSD: wake igb0 aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff) is not reaching my backup server. As everything was working before (via the WDS way), I would like to know what else do I need to do in order to get WoL working again in this scenario.

Or would be better to use the WDS Client way?

To be clear: I'm not trying to do WoL through internet nor between different subnets. It's all in the same subnet (192.168.0.0/24).

Thanks.
Regards.

2

WDS is necessary for layer 2 operations like WOL. Relayd does not form a full bridge like WDS.

2 Likes
3

Hi!

Yes. I read about WoL and layer 2 and 3, but was unable to get to the conclusion that relayd doesn't operate on relay 2.

Would you mind to point out some good tutorial/documentation that help me to reconfigure my router as a repeater by using WDS?

Thanks.
Regards.

4

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

It's easier than it looks.

5

Hi!

Thanks for the link.

The problem is: I followed this guide and this one too, but there's no way to make the WDS works.

At the repeater router, it shows that it is connected to the main router, but in the client list of the main router nothing shows that the secondary is connected (weird).

And computers connected wired to the secondary router doesn't get dynamic IP. I guess that this is only a side effect from the first problem above.

Any other hints?

Thanks.
Regards.

6

Sometimes it's necessary to reboot both routers to complete the connection.

7

What's your main router and what firmware is it running?

8

Hi!

My main router is the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900. I have it since 2013, and since 2014 I use the alternative firmware XWRT-Vortex. Currently I'm using the latest version (384.16).

What I realize was that, with the original/stock TP-LINK firmware, I were able to stablish a WDS connection by using the "Type 1" WDS or something like that. By using "Auto" or "Type 2", the connection was unsuccesful. With OpenWRT, it seems there's no way to choose the "type" of WDS connection.

Anyway, if I connect the OpenWRT router as "Client" (just Client, not Client (WDS)), the connection is stablished.

Thanks.
Regards.

9

Well, I decided to rollback to the previous configuration, client only. At least it is working.

Regarding the WoL, I can workaround it by turning on the backup server automatically through the BIOS RTM Alarm.

Thanks.
Regards.