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Forum Discussion
Solved
Problems with AP mode
I am having major problems trying to set up my router in AP mode. Using an R8000 in conjunction with a Juniper SRX240 router
I was previously using the R8000 for home use, but my network traffi...
> The documentation is really lousy [...]
Complaints about "The documentation" might benefit from some
description of which "The documentation" is being discussed, too.
> [...] Documentation should be very specific [...]
Agreed. Just like complaints about "The documentation".
> [...] I am only connected with a laptiop to the router - no other
> connections to the R8000. [...]
Ok. That's a reasonable way to configure an R8000 as a wireless
access point. (Up to a point.)
> [...] I should have the option of getting an IP dynamically or setting
one myself - this makes sense. Unfortunately in my firmware, V
1.0.4.18_10.1.49 I don't have that option. the only option I have is
ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless AP then to turn on AP mode.
I haven't touched an R8000, so I know nothing, but, on other models
(like, for example, my D7000 (V1.0.1.64_1.0.1), and an R7000
(V1.0.7.12)), checking the box at "Enable Access Point Mode" reveals the
"Choose IP Address settings on this access point" choices, as described.
Scrolling down doesn't help on yours?
> [...] When I check that box, it says that it will take about 2 minutes
> for the router to reboot, but at that point I lose all access to the
> router.
Around here, the default choice is "Get dynamically from existing
router", and that works only if the router-as-WAP can talk to a DHCP
server on your network, which it can't do if it's not connected to your
network.
> [...] I cannot connect to the router by cable plugged into one of the
> regular ports or the internet port using a browser and going to
> routerlogin.com, routerlogin.net, [...]
Those names work only if the R8000 is acting as a router (and DNS
server), and should fail if the R8000 is acting as a WAP.
> [...] 192.168.1.1, or 10.0.0.1. [...]
Similarly, if the R8000-as-WAP is getting its LAN IP address
"dynamically from existing router", it would need to be connected to
"existing router", and neither of those addresses is very likely to be
the address it would get if it were. (And, if it's not, then it will
have no LAN IP address, only frustration.)
> [...] I have no idea where the router is.
It won't "Get [its LAN IP address] dynamically from existing router",
until it's connected to "existing router" (DHCP server).
> [...] Assuming that it is working in AP mode, I try to connect it to
> the SRX240 using an ethernet cable from the internet port as the
> documentation says, but it does not work.
What, exactly, "does not work". If you're trying to get your web
browser to talk to the R8000-as-WAP, then you'd need to know its
address, and, so far, only the main router (DHCP server) knows what that
is. If the main router offers some kind of Attached Devices or DHCP
Clients report, then that should show the R8000-as-WAP, and the address
shown there should lead to the R8000 managment web site.
> [...] I have also tried to set up the router in router mode to a fixed
> IP at 192.168.1.252, then switching it to AP mode, [...]
"in router mode", the R8000 has two IP addresses, WAN/Internet and
LAN. As usual, showing actual actions with their actual results (error
messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
descriptions or interpretations.
Given the existence (supposed for you, actual for me) of that "Choose
IP Address settings on this access point" choice, I'd guess that a
manually set router-mode LAN IP address would not survive the change to
WAP mode. I'd guess that you'd get either the default ("Get dynamically
from existing router"), or else whatever you specified for "Use fixed IP
Address (not recommended)" when it provided places for user-specified
values for:
IP Address
IP Subnet Mask
Gateway IP Address
Primary DNS
Secondary DNS
So, if your R8000 really doesn't ask you to "Choose IP Address
settings on this access point", then I'd assume that it's defaulted to
"Get dynamically from existing router", and I'd ask the "existing
router" (DHCP server) where the R8000-as-WAP might be.
> I would think that I should still be able to access some setup page
> where I could change the IP or the SSID, but I have had no luck so
> far.
You should, but finding the R8000-as-WAP may be a little less
straightforward than you might expect. But, aside from the missing
"Choose" choice, it should all make sense if you look at things from the
point of view of the R8000.
> When i put the the R8000 into AP mode, it is assigned an appropriate
> IP address by the SRX240 router. After that, attempts to access that IP
> address gets me nowhere. The address is 192.168.1.10. [...]
That's plausible. How did you determine that address?
> [...] I have connected to the device with a laptop and an ethernet
> cable both to the WAN port, and also to one of the other 4 ports on the
> device.
You lost me. If the R8000-as-WAP is connected to the SRX240 (so that
it gets a LAN IP address from the SRX240 DHCP server), then how does
your "a laptop" get anywhere near its WAN port? What, exactly, is
connected to what, exactly? Each cable has two ends, and each router
has multiple ports, so a useful description would specify exactly which
port gets each end of each cable.
> [...] There is no response from the device at 192.168.1.10. I have
> tried connecting to the device using a browser, and I have tried to ping
> the device. [...]
If the R8000 firmware is ok, and if the R8000-as-WAP LAN IP address
really is "192.168.1.10", then another computer on the "192.168.1.*"
subnet should get a response to "ping" and to a web browser directed at
that address. As I said, this stuff worked for me with my R7000. One
explanation of your failure would be that "192.168.1.10" is not the LAN
IP address of your R8000-as-WAP.
> [...] I can "connect", meaning the handshake and password check
> establish a connection, and the device is sitting out there at
> 192.168.1.37. Attempts to ping that address or connect to that address
> using a browser time out.
Again, I'm lost. What, exactly, is at "192.168.1.10"? What,
exactly, is at "192.168.1.37"? Determined how, exactly? I don't see
how the R8000-as-WAP can be at both "192.168.1.10" and "192.168.1.37".
> Hopefully the above has cleared up this point...
Not even slightly.
> [...] It is now sitting at 192.168.1.10. Strange behaviour, would you
> not agree? [...]
What is "sitting at 192.168.1.10"? It would be strange, if it were
true, but, between "192.168.1.10" and "192.168.1.37", I really have no
firm idea what the LAN IP address of the R8000-as-WAP actually is (or
how you determined it).
> [...] This is why I believe that Netgear says that this option is (not
> recommended) because they know it does not work.
It works as expected on my R7000. Before, I tried it with "Get
dynamically from existing router", and it got a pool address
("10.0.0.225"). Just now, I reset my R7000, connected a MacBook (with
Safari) to it, and configured it as a WAP with a static address
("10.0.0.222", outside the pool), and, after the usual reboot, and
connecting its WAN port to (an Ethernet switch on) my LAN, I could talk
to its web site from the MacBook connected to one of the R7000 LAN
ports, or from another system on the main LAN segment (on the WAN side
of the R7000) at that address ("10.0.0.222"). As expected. On the
R7000, ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home: LAN Port says:
MAC Address C4:04:15:1A:19:F7
DHCP On (A mystery.)
IP Address 10.0.0.222
IP Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Gateway IP Address 10.0.0.1 (My D7000 -- main router.)
Domain Name Server 10.0.0.140 (My own DNS server.)
10.0.0.1
On the D7000 (main router), BASIC > Attached Devices : Wired Devices
includes:
Allowed R7000 10.0.0.222 C4:04:15:1A:19:F7 Wired
(And, before, it was at "10.0.0.225", a pool address.)
So, at least on an R7000 (V1.0.7.12_1.2.5), I see no problems with
the R7000-as-WAP getting an unexpected IP address whether configured
with "Get dynamically from existing router" or with "Use fixed IP
Address (not recommended)".
As before, you're throwing IP addresses around ("192.168.1.10",
"192.168.1.37") without providing any clues as to how/where you got
them, so I have no idea if either of them belongs to your R8000-as-WAP.
> As usual, showing actual actions with their actual results (error
> messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
> descriptions or interpretations.
Still true.
When you did this:
> I put in 192.168.1.252 as the IP, 255.255.255.0 as teh subnet mask,
> 192.168.1.1 as the gateway, 208.67.222.222 as primary dns, and 8.8.8.8
> as secondary DNS. When I hit "apply" [...]
did you actually point a browser at (or "ping") "192.168.1.252"?
> [...] When I hit "apply" the device did not go to 192.168.1.252, but
> requested an IP from the existing router. [...]
How did you determine this? As before, an accurate, detailed
description of actual actions and actual observations can be much more
interesting than what you think they all mean.
> That's plausible. How did you determine that address?
From the SRX240 router management page
> You lost me. If the R8000-as-WAP is connected to the SRX240 (so that
>it gets a LAN IP address from the SRX240 DHCP server), then how does
>your "a laptop" get anywhere near its WAN port? What, exactly, is
>connected to what, exactly? Each cable has two ends, and each router
>has multiple ports, so a useful description would specify exactly which
>port gets each end of each cable.
Yes, the R8000 is connected to the SRX240 via an ethernet cable plugged into the WAN port. It should have no other physical connections in AP mode. The only time I connected the laptop to the R8000 WAN port was after trying to connect to the R8000 other ways and failed, I disconnected the R8000 from the SRX240 and connected it to the laptop. via the WAN port, but attempts to access the device: using a browser with
routerlogin.com
routerlogin.net
192.168.1.10
yielded no response.
> If the R8000 firmware is ok, and if the R8000-as-WAP LAN IP address
>really is "192.168.1.10", then another computer on the "192.168.1.*"
>subnet should get a response to "ping" and to a web browser directed at
>that address. As I said, this stuff worked for me with my R7000. One
>explanation of your failure would be that "192.168.1.10" is not the LAN
>IP address of your R8000-as-WAP.
I have the MAC address of the R8000. The SRX240 reports connection from that MAC address to 192.168.1.10 via DHCP.
> Again, I'm lost. What, exactly, is at "192.168.1.10"? What,
>exactly, is at "192.168.1.37"? Determined how, exactly? I don't see
>how the R8000-as-WAP can be at both "192.168.1.10" and "192.168.1.37".
I am sorry that I have not been able to explain this better. I have about eight computers around me, so things can get confusing. The SRX240 reports that a device with the MAC address of the R8000 has connected via DHCP to 192.168.1.10.
I connected to the router using an iMac through WiFi SSID NETGEAR18 (or NETGEAR-5G-1, or NETGEAR18-5G-2) The iMac reports that the device it has connected to is at 192.168.1.37.
I get it that your R7000 works in AP mode. I believe you. I really do. You don't have to convince me. I am saying that my R8000 does NOT work in AP mode, and the behavior of the device is very odd. I think it is probably quite buggy. I am trying to figure out if there is a workaround.
> From the SRX240 router management page
Which said what, exactly? Copy+paste is your friend.
> > As usual, showing actual actions with their actual results (error
> > messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
> > descriptions or interpretations.
>
> Still true.
Still true. With my limited imagination, there's a limit to how many
ways I can say it.
> I have the MAC address of the R8000. [...]
I don't. Also, the R8000 has more than one MAC address. About which
one are you talking? Compare, for example, "On the R7000, ADVANCED >
ADVANCED Home: LAN Port says: [...]" above, with "I have the MAC
address". See the difference?
> [...] The SRX240 reports connection from that MAC address to
> 192.168.1.10 via DHCP.
Again, copy+paste is your friend. Perhaps you really are
interpreting those data correctly, but seeing the source data would tell
me more than your interpretation of those data ever will.
> I connected to the router [...]
This "the router" is the R8000 (which is not configured as a
router?), not the other "the router"?
> [...] The iMac reports that the device it has connected to is at
> 192.168.1.37.
AGAIN, WHAT, EXACTLY, tells you WHAT, EXACTLY? What on a Mac tells
you the IP address of "the device it has connected to"?
> I get it that your R7000 works in AP mode. I believe you. I really do.
> You don't have to convince me. [...]
I was trying to show you how a working WAP behaves, so that at least
one of us could compare it with what yours does. With only your vague
interpetations of what happens in your environment, I can't do it
myself.
> [...] I am saying that my R8000 does NOT work in AP mode, and the
> behavior of the device is very odd. I think it is probably quite
> buggy. [...]
Perhaps it doesn't, and bugs in Netgear firmware are all too
numerous, but I'm still trying to determine if the problem is with the
R8000 behavior or the way you're trying to configure and communicate
with it. And without training in dental surgery, it's not easy.> Which said what, exactly? Copy+paste is your friend.
It lists a binding on the DHCP page listing the MAC address of the router and the binding 192.186.1.10
It seems, my friend, that you are rather thick headed. You do not understand very simple statements. I do not see how a cut-and-paste from the SRX240 management page, of which you are likely not familiar will help.
> > As usual, showing actual actions with their actual results (error
> > messages, LED indicators, ...) can be more helpful than vague
> > descriptions or interpretations.
>
> Still true.
> Still true. With my limited imagination, there's a limit to how many
>ways I can say it.Yes, you do have a limited imagination, and apparently a limited brain.
> I don't. Also, the R8000 has more than one MAC address.How would knowing the MAC address of my router help you? Only if you do not believe me that it is bound to 192.168.1.10
> And without training in dental surgery, it's not easy.
You, obviously, have no training in ANY type of surgery, which I do. That is one of my many degrees.
I have found a much better solution than taking further abuse on this forum. I bought enterprise level APs which work great, and I am selling this piece of Sunni (I mean Shiite) on e-bay. If you want it, please bid on it.
> It seems, my friend, that you are rather thick headed. You do not
> understand very simple statements. [...]
No, given the demonstrated quality of your problem description, I
don't trust your analysis of things which I can't see.
> You, obviously, have no training in ANY type of surgery, which I do.
> That is one of my many degrees.
And yet, with all that education and training, your problem
description includes such (apparently inexplicable) gems as:
> [...] The iMac reports that the device it has connected to is at
> 192.168.1.37.
> [...] I bought enterprise level APs which work great, [...]
Glad to hear that you got something to work. Perhaps that detailed
description of the superior equipment will help some future reader who
stumbles onto this thread.
> [...] If you want it, please bid on it.
If you want me to look into the problem directly (without the
handicap of having to deal with your problem description/analysis), I
can provide an address where you can ship the thing. Having wasted this
much time already, I'm unwilling also to pay for the privilege of tryingto help you with it.