Having a spare router at home can be very useful, especially if there is a corner in your home that suffers from continuous failures because the signal is weak. Learn how to configure a DD-WRT router and use it as a wireless repeater for your Wi-Fi network.
Wireless WiFi repeater
A wireless repeater is a device that allows you to extend the signal of your WiFi network so that it has a greater range. By configuring a router as a repeater it functions as two segments that are on the same subnet.
The two routers connected to the same network can receive requests to the connected equipment. When a new computer connects from either point, it is assigned an IP address, but one of the two segments is the one that functions as a DHCP server.
The repeater is a good alternative to avoid making a wired network that can be expensive in infrastructure costs. While wired connections are fairly stable, wireless connections are gaining ground every day.
The devices connected to the repeater will share the same bandwidth as the main router. Initially the DD-WRT wireless bridges limited the wired connection only to the secondary router.
New versions like DD-WRT v24 already have Repeater Bridge mode. This means that you can make wired connections to the secondary router and extend the range of the connection.
What is DD-WRT?
It is an open source firmware that can be installed to a route r to add extra functions that the more specialized routers have. One of the functions it offers is the possibility of using the router as a wireless repeater. You just need to download the firmware from the official website and spend some time setting up.
Requirements to configure a router as a repeater
- Ethernet cable (for wired connection)
- Router (with DD-WRT firmware previously installed)
- Access data to the router configuration (Address, username and password)
Configure a DD-WRT router as a WiFi wireless repeater
- Connect the PC to the router through the Ethernet cable with the previous installation of the DD-WRT and the main modem router. The connection for setup should only be wired.
- Enter your browser in preference to the router configuration. Put the IP address 192.168.1.1 in the address bar. It is the IP address that you usually have initially when you install the firmware.
- Enter your access data and in the router configuration set the computer to connect by cable with active DHCP.
- Click on the Wireless menu and then Basic Settings.
Once you are in the basic settings modify the value of Wireless Mode in Repeater, Wireless Network Mode: Mixed and Wireless Network Name (SSID). The last value must have the same name of the WiFi network to which the repeater will connect.
Now you have to create a virtual interface in the Virtual Interfaces section of Basic Settings.
- Press the Add button
- Enter a Wireless Network Name (SSID) different from the one already created. The API Isolation option in Disable mode and Network Configuration puts Bridge.
- Press the Save button
Modify the security options of the physical instance of the router and the virtual instance from Wireless – Wireless Security
- Modify the value of Security Mode, WPA Algorithms, and WPA Shared Key. It has to be equal to the value of the main router.
- Click the Save button to save the changes.
Enter the Setup – Basic Setup menu to change the access data to the router.
- Put an IP address (different from the main router in the Local IP field.
- Leave the default value of Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Enable Filter Multicast in the Security – Firewall menu and save the changes. To finish save the configuration from the Administration – Management menu, press the Save button and Apply Settings.
The router restarts automatically, you can now disconnect the cable from the router and when searching the WiFi connections you can already find the repeater connection.