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Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
I have two R6400v2 routers, one set up in bridge mode so non-wifi hardware can be used in another room. With the recent reports of malware aimed at routers, I follow the recommendation to update firmware. Went fine in the non-bridge router. The router in bridge mode, though, returns the following message
"To access routerlogin.com, your device must be connected to your Router's WIFI network."
And of course, in bridge mode that router's wifi network is disabled.
I have searched and found the "Can't access routerlogin.net/routerlogin.com or default IP" thread, which would have me factory reset the bridged router, then disconnect my existing network from the modem, connect the formerly bridged router to the modem long enough to update firmware, then reconnect everything and go through the bridge process all over again. That's a pretty big PITA.
So my questions:
Do I NEED to update firmware on the bridge router, since it is accessing the internet through another router that has already had its firmware updated?
If "yes" to that question, is it really the case that the only way out of bridge mode is a complete factory reset? Any other solution?
Re: Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
> [...] The router in bridge mode, though, returns the following message > [...]
When you do what, exactly? That message does not come from your R6400v2-as-bridge. You were (your web browser was) talking to a Netgear server which returns that misleading/useless error page:
> I have searched and found the "Can't access > routerlogin.net/routerlogin.com or default IP" thread, [...]
With my weak psychic powers, I don't know which "the [...] thread" that might be. An actual link would be more helpful.
> [...] which would have me factory reset the bridged router, then > disconnect my existing network from the modem, connect the formerly > bridged router to the modem long enough to update firmware, then > reconnect everything and go through the bridge process all over again. > [...]
It's not quite that bad. You don't need to connect the reset router to your modem to do the update. You could download the firmware kit to your computer, reset the bridged router, connect (only) your computer to the now-in-router-mode router, update its firmware manually (from the downloaded kit contents), and then do the bridge configuration again. The router-to-be-updated does not need to be connected to the Internet for that, only to your computer (with the downloaded firmware kit).
> Do I NEED to update firmware on the bridge router, [...]
Perhaps not. I don't know how susceptible it would be in that mode. It's not as if the firmware Release Notes would tell you anything useful about this. I'd probably do it.
> [...] is it really the case that the only way out of bridge mode is a > complete factory reset? Any other solution?
If the R6400v2-as-bridge is completely transparent, then it may not be possible to talk to it in that mode. If it appears as a device on your LAN (in an Attached Devices report on the main R6400v2-as-router, for example), then you should be able to point your web browser at its IP address (instead of trying to use any of those names like "[www.]routerlogin.net", which are guaranteed to fail). If it's truly invisible in bridge mode, then setting it back to non-bridge mode would seem to be a requirement.
Re: Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
> [...] The router in bridge mode, though, returns the following message > [...]
When you do what, exactly? That message does not come from your R6400v2-as-bridge. You were (your web browser was) talking to a Netgear server which returns that misleading/useless error page:
> I have searched and found the "Can't access > routerlogin.net/routerlogin.com or default IP" thread, [...]
With my weak psychic powers, I don't know which "the [...] thread" that might be. An actual link would be more helpful.
> [...] which would have me factory reset the bridged router, then > disconnect my existing network from the modem, connect the formerly > bridged router to the modem long enough to update firmware, then > reconnect everything and go through the bridge process all over again. > [...]
It's not quite that bad. You don't need to connect the reset router to your modem to do the update. You could download the firmware kit to your computer, reset the bridged router, connect (only) your computer to the now-in-router-mode router, update its firmware manually (from the downloaded kit contents), and then do the bridge configuration again. The router-to-be-updated does not need to be connected to the Internet for that, only to your computer (with the downloaded firmware kit).
> Do I NEED to update firmware on the bridge router, [...]
Perhaps not. I don't know how susceptible it would be in that mode. It's not as if the firmware Release Notes would tell you anything useful about this. I'd probably do it.
> [...] is it really the case that the only way out of bridge mode is a > complete factory reset? Any other solution?
If the R6400v2-as-bridge is completely transparent, then it may not be possible to talk to it in that mode. If it appears as a device on your LAN (in an Attached Devices report on the main R6400v2-as-router, for example), then you should be able to point your web browser at its IP address (instead of trying to use any of those names like "[www.]routerlogin.net", which are guaranteed to fail). If it's truly invisible in bridge mode, then setting it back to non-bridge mode would seem to be a requirement.
Re: Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
> If the R6400v2-as-bridge is completely transparent, then it may not > be possible to talk to it in that mode. [...]
For those in suspense, I've now had a chance to try this using an R7000 (V1.0.7.12_1.2.5 -- yes, it's old). The router-as-bridge does get its own LAN IP address, it does appear in the main router's BASIC > Attached Devices report, and its ADVANCED > Administration > Router Update page gives every indication of a willingness to perform an update while in Bridge Mode.
Re: Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
Thanks for posting this. I clicked on "solved" first and it seemed like I could not then post a reply.
Yes, the solution worked perfectly. I found the bridged R6400 router in the main R6400 router's Attached Devices list, logged into the IP address listed, and updated my firmware without any problem.
Easy once you know how but it sure wasn't intuitively obvious to me. Thanks for the clear and prompt advice.
Re: Accessing routerlogi.net/com when router is in bridge mode
> Easy once you know how but it sure wasn't intuitively obvious to me.
Netgear documentation seems to go silent quickly when it comes to alternative operational modes (access point, bridge, ...). The user interface lacks a few things, too, I thought. Like, when setting Bridge Mode, displaying a list of the gizmo's own SSIDs rather than any external ones to which you might wish to connect.
A few well-written KB articles might have some value for these cases. And, of course, the generally useless "[www.]routerlogin.{com|net}" error pages could mention that those names are hopeless when trying to contact a router whose DNS server is sure to be disabled or ignored. I won't be holding my breath.
> Thanks for the clear and prompt advice.
Glad to hear that you got it working. Marking as "Solved!" was a good start, but there were some unresolved mysteries. I got an R7000 (Ebay, cheap) today, which let me check the details rather than guess.
