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Can't make R7900 into AP!
Got a XR500 to make my R7900 into an AP. After setting up the XR500, and following directly directions for setting up the R7900 as an AP, I can't log in to the 7900. Even after doing a reset to see if...
Jedi215 wrote:
I can't access the R7900 to make the selection to AP.Reset the R7900. Connect the R7900, and only the R7900, to a PC. Then you should be able to access the R7900 with the browser interface and put it into AP mode.
Then move stuff to where you want it. The R7900 will remember that it is supposed to be in AP mode.
When evereything is set up, you should be able to access the R7900 by finding its IP address on the network and using that to browse its controls.
For what it's worth [Netgear KB 24104] How do I change my Nighthawk router to AP mode after I’ve already run setup? (applicable to the R7900).
Key is what is mentioned in the notes:
===
Note: After you click Apply, the AP device will change to a new IP assigned by your existing router. The NETGEAR genie web interface may no longer be available. If needed, close the browser and log into the AP again via http://www.routerlogin.net, http://www.routerlogin.com, or by typing the IP address of the AP into the browser.
===
This is misleading - the routerlogin.net or routerlogin.com can only work if you are connected (ie. wireless) to the Access Point. Check your XR500 for the Attached Devices - thre you can find the TCP/IP address assigned to the now wireless AP LAN management address. A factory reset does cause a problem the extant that you might have teo devices on the network with the same default TCP/IP address, commonly 192.168.1.1. So following a factory reset, there is no way to disconnect the R7900 from the XR500 network, connect a computer to it's Wireless (default network name and passphrase is visible on the label), and then run the conversion process from router to an Access Point again.
- Thank you. I will give this a try later. I'm still extremely aggravated from hrs of torture. May even wait till tomorrow, Lol.
And remember this....
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR Support
> Got a XR500 to make my R7900 into an AP. [...]
Eh? Does that mean that you got an XR500 to use as a router, and you
have an old R7900 which you want to configure as a wireless access
point? (Because getting an XR500, by itself, would not "make [your]
R7900 into an AP".)
> [...] following directly directions for setting up the R7900 as an AP,
Which "directions [...]"? Which choices did you make?
> [...] I can't log in to the 7900.
When you do what, exactly? "can't" is not a useful useful problem
description. It does not say what you did. It does not say what
happened when you did it. As usual, showing actual actions with their
actual results (error messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful
than vague descriptions or interpretations.
> [...] Even after doing a reset to see if it helps, nothing. [...]
"doing a reset" on what? The XR500? The R7900? (Re: "nothing", see
"can't", above.)
> [...] What am I missing. [...]
What, exactly, are you doing?
> [...] log into the AP again via http://www.routerlogin.net,
> http://www.routerlogin.com,
I don't see how that could work.
> [...] or by typing the IP address of the AP into the browser.
_That_ could work. (_If_ you know that IP address.)
> This is misleading - the routerlogin.net or routerlogin.com can only
> work if you are connected (ie. wireless) to the Access Point. [...]
Not even then, I'd say. I'd expect those "routerlogin.{com|net}"
names to work only to access the router (acting as a DNS server), never
to access a WAP.
> [...] PC sees it in IE browser as me trying to login to the XR500.
That's what I'd expect from any "routerlogin.{com|net}" names. To
access the WAP, I'd expect to need to use its (new) LAN IP address.
Given that, I'd avoid that KB article, and stick to the instructions
in the router User Manual.
When an R7900 is put into WAP mode (ADVANCED > Advanced Setup >
Wireless AP), you decide whether to let the R7900-as-WAP get a LAN IP
address from your (router's) DHCP server ("Get dynamically from existing
router"), or to give it its LAN IP address yourself ("Enable fixed IP
settings on this device (not recommended)"). If you specify the
default, "Get dynamically [...]", then you'd need to extract its LAN IP
address from an "Attached Devices" (or "DHCP Clients", or similar)
report on the "existing router".
For future convenience, you might want to assign a reserved address
for the WAP in the (router's) DHCP server.
Alternatively, you could specify a (static) address "Enable fixed IP
settings [...]"). in which case, you'd know that address. If you do
that, then you'll want to shrink the DHCP pool (on the XR500) from its
usual default (".2" - ".254") to something smaller (like, say, ".2" -
".199"), and then use an address from the non-pool range (".200" -
".254") for the R7900-as-WAP.
> [...] I'm still extremely aggravated from hrs of torture. [...]
Faulty instructions can do that.
Havent tried this yet, but if I understand you correctly, I cant use the same PC to access the R7900 for AP mode? Im using the directions from here https://kb.netgear.com/24104/How-do-I-change-my-Nighthawk-router-to-AP-mode-after-I-ve-already-run-setup
and this does not work. Should I use a different PC and if I do, does it have to be online?
Jedi215 wrote:
Havent tried this yet, but if I understand you correctly, I cant use the same PC to access the R7900 for AP mode?
Not sure that this is correct.
If the R7900 is in AP mode, it will pick up its IP address from the router, the grossly overpriced and supremely ugly XR500, which is an R7800 with flashy firmware.
Look at the XR500's attached devices list for the R7800's IP address. Feed that address into your browser and you may find yourself magically connected to the browser interface for the R7900.
What do you want to do to the R7900? Remember, an AP mode there's a lot it can't do.