NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
WNDR3700: how to create accespoint and general information
Hi,
Hereby I would like to ask for your support regarding to my home network.
Situation: For a couple of years I own the WNDR3700 router, which I use as a router. It's connected with a cable to a wifi-modem (Technicolor TC7210) which I got from my internet provider. Because of the position and lower quality of this wifi-modem, I didn't choose for the option to just use the modem as a 'router'. Instead I put it in bridge mode, so I could still use my netgear router as a router. I also placed this router on the second floor, so I could get a good signal through the whole house (first, second and third floor).
Problem: regarding the above construction, the signal is not quite as good on the first floor as I hoped. It's actually very weak. So I got a new plan to optimalize my wireless connection. Would it be a good idea to use my wifi-modem (first floor) as a router, while I use my netgear router as an acces point to get a good connection trough my whole house? For me it would be a nice solution, since it doesn't require me to buy new hardware.
I got some other questions too:
-how can I configure my router to change it to an acces point? Do I need to configure something in my modem too (of course I need to set it from bridge mode to router mode)?
-right now I do have Mac control and a WPA password enabled on my Netgear router, will these still be enabled when I use it as an acces point?
-I also use the LAN ports of my netgear router (which is placed in my room) for my PC and game console, since it gives me a better and more stable connection than a wireless connection. If the router is set as an acces point, would I still be able to use it's LAN ports or will it only send the wireless signal?
-Will the speed of my internet get lower because of the acces point?
Thanks in advance for your support.
The WNDR3700 can be used as an Access Point, but only when it is physically wired to the main router. If your house is wired for Ethernet or you are able to install Ethernet (Powerline can used as an alternative), then you can enable AP Mode in the WNDR3700's setup via ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless AP.
Personally, I prefer and recommend an alternative form of setting a router up as an Access Point. It's an old school method that was used before Netgear added the AP Mode setting. My instructions for setting this up can be found in another thread (link). Note, in particular the difference in using a LAN port instead of the WAN port!
21 Replies
Changing it from router to AP in the same location may not give a significant boost.
The network environment is a big factor that you may need to consider when you setup the wireless connectivity around the house.
In your case, you may need to purchase an additional unit to meet your needs such an extender or an access point.
To answer your questions:
Using the latest firmware, you may follow this link from netgear's site.
Some features will be disabled when the router is configured in AP mode. See if MAC control will be disabled but for sure WPA will always be available.
For the LAN ports, I haven't tried but it may not be available since true AP mode should only give you wireless.
Internet speed should always remains the same.
Thanks for your reply.
My goal is to use the wifi modem (1st floor) as a router so I will be able to get a good wifi signal on the first floor, while I use my router (second floor) as an acces point. So my goal isn't to boost the range of my current router, but to add an acces point to the construction which will give me two wireless connections and thus an increased range of my wireless network.
Thanks for your link. I already found it before I considered posting to the forum, but I doubted if it would apply to my model. I will try it though.
Can someone confirm if I can keep using the LAN ports? It seems that the link says that it's not possible: 'Its (the AP) sole purpose is to provide a wireless connection.'
The WNDR3700 can be used as an Access Point, but only when it is physically wired to the main router. If your house is wired for Ethernet or you are able to install Ethernet (Powerline can used as an alternative), then you can enable AP Mode in the WNDR3700's setup via ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless AP.
Personally, I prefer and recommend an alternative form of setting a router up as an Access Point. It's an old school method that was used before Netgear added the AP Mode setting. My instructions for setting this up can be found in another thread (link). Note, in particular the difference in using a LAN port instead of the WAN port!
- Use the IP address you assigned to the WNDR3700, 192.168.0.230, to log into it. That's what it's for.
I tried but 192.168.0.230 wasn't accepted by the WNDR3700's settings. I got the error message: IP address conflicts with the WAN IP subnet. So I tried some others: 192.168.0.240 etc. Still same error.
So I tried to change the 0 in 192.168.0.XXX in 1. I filled in something random in the XXX part (afterwards that wasn't very smart). And the IP got accepted. After that, I couldn't get acces anymore. And I do not know that the exact IP is.
Ok, the original problem is that the WAN port was still using an address in subnet 192.168.0.X. That's why you were prevented from configuring the LAN port with an address in the same subnet. I should have instructed you to clear the address on the WAN port.
If you can recall the new address that you set on the LAN port, then disconnect the router from the network, connect just one computer to the LAN port and manually configure the computer to an address in 192.168.1.x. Just make sure to set it to the different address than used by the router. For example, if you set the router to 192.168.1.240, then set the computer to 192.168.1.200. Then you should be able to log into the router, fix the configuration, then reconnect the router back to the network.
If you can't remember the new address you configured on the LAN port, then you will have to perform a factory reset and start over.
