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Using wifi router as an access point
OK, this is an oldie but a goldie! I have an old Netgear FWAG114 a/b/g wireless router that I'm using as an access point. I've disabled DHCP (my Netgear WNR2000 is assigning IP addreses) and connec...
Hi sktn77a,
As far as I know, the proper way is to connect the WiFi router configured as Access Point to the LAN port of the main router. It is because the main router (in your setup, its the WNR2000) is the one that will provide local IP addresses to the wireless clients connected to the SSID of the WiFi router configured as Access Point that is why it should be connected via the LAN port.
Regards,
DaneA
NETGEAR Community Team
Thanks DaneA. Just wondering why it worked for so long in the old system wired to the WAN port? I know netgear changed their default IP address from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.1 but not sure if they did anything else that might explain this?
Hi sktn77a,
As far as I know, the proper way is to connect the WiFi router configured as Access Point to the LAN port of the main router. It is because the main router (in your setup, its the WNR2000) is the one that will provide local IP addresses to the wireless clients connected to the SSID of the WiFi router configured as Access Point that is why it should be connected via the LAN port.
Regards,
DaneA
NETGEAR Community Team
Thanks again DaneA: Yes, I understand what you are saying and it appears to be working in this mode. In my case, however, I have disabled DHCP so the clients wouldn't be getting their IP addresses from this router, anyway. I looked at the AP setting recommendations in my WNR2000 (when used as an access point onloy) and it clearly shows connection to the WAN port when this router is used as an access point only. So I'm befuddled why this setup doesn't work, particularly as it did for about 5 years when my FWAG114 was connected via my FVS338 as a (non-DHCP) access point.
???????
Here is a picture of my other system using an R7000 as a wireless router and a WNR2000 as a remote access point. The instructions with the WNR2000 say to connect the AP via its WAN port and this setup is working fine. Both routers' default IP addresses are 192.168.1.x.
On my other system, the default IP address of the WRN2000 is 192.168.1.1 but the default IP address of the FWAG114 is 192.168.0.1. Unlike the above system, I can't access the FWAG114 via the WNR2000 as it doesn't show up under the WNR2000's attached wire devices (even though it is working fine as an access point).
Curiouser and curiouser.
Anyone else got any ideas???
Netgear's newer routers that have an AP mode setting repurpose the WAN port to behave like a LAN port.
Older routers that don't have an AP mode setting do not repurpose the WAN port, so the router must be connected through a LAN port.
If you want to use the FWAG114 as an AP, then you will need to change its IP address to belong to the subnet of the main router. For example, if the main router is using 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0, then you can the FWAG114 to use 192.168.1.254 or 192.168.1.2. Whatever address you use, make sure that cannot be assigned as a DHCP address by the main router. Otherwise, you risk the possibility of an IP address conflict.
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