Router Setup

Your primary router can be any brand of router whatever you already have, for example. The DD-WRT firmware with wireless bridge mode need only be installed on the secondary router you're turning into a client adapter (we'll call it the "client router").

This tutorial assumes that your primary router is, like most routers, assigning IP addresses by DHCP. Without DHCP enabled, your bridged peripherals may not be able to get onto the network.

Take note of any wireless security currently enabled on your primary router. If you are using WEP, note your passphrase and key length (64-bit, 128-bit, etc.). If using WPA or WPA2, note your passphrase. Later, you’ll need to input these on the secondary router.

You will need to access the administration interface of the secondary router, your DD-WRT router. Obviously, you can’t launch a web browser from your printer. For temporary setup purposes, you need to connect a wired PC to the secondary router. The easiest way is to grab a laptop computer, temporarily disable any wireless network it has, and connect it via Ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. Do not connect it to the WAN, sometimes labeled “Internet” port, which can remain empty.

Step By Step
Assuming your DD-WRT is set to factory defaults, its IP address is 192.168.1.1. We are going to disable its DHCP server, so you should manually configure an IP address for your temporary PC. A good choice would be 192.168.1.2.

Step 1
To manually configure your IP address in Windows XP, click to Control Panel/Network Connections/Local Area Connection/Properties. Scroll down to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties. Now click Use the Following IP Address and enter 192.168.1.2 as the IP, 255.255.255.0 as the Subnet Mask, and 192.168.1.1 as the Default Gateway.


On Mac OS X, click on Apple Menu/System Preferences/Network. In the Network Preferences pane, be sure that “Show” is set to Built-In Ethernet. Click the “TCP/IP” tab and set “Configure IPv4” to Manually.

As for Windows, enter the IP address 192.168.1.1, Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, and Router 192.168.1.1. Click “Apply Now” to save the changes.

Step 2
Open a browser on your PC and connect to the DD-WRT router its default address is http://192.168.1.1. The default login is root and password is admin. Of course, you should change these. You probably won’t, but our lawyers require us to say that.

Step 3
Click Setup/Basic Setup. Scroll down to Network Address Server Settings (DHCP). Click to disable DHCP. This will prevent the bridged router from assigning addresses, which will be the job of your primary router.


Step 4
Click Wireless/Basic Settings. For Wireless Mode select "Client Bridge". Set Wireless Network Mode to match your primary router “mixed” is the safe default, unless your primary router is set exclusively to b or g mode.


Step 5
Click Wireless/Wireless Security. For Security Mode, select the appropriate choice that matches your primary router either none, WEP, WPA or WPA2. In this example, our primary router uses WPA security. The algorithm is set to "TKIP" on both routers, and we’ve entered our shared key.


Step 6
Click Status/Wireless. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you’ll see a button labeled “Site Survey.” You now need to associate this router to your primary router to create the bridge.


Click the Site Survey button, and a window pops up showing available wireless networks.


In our setup, one wireless network with SSID bordella is available. That is our primary router. Click the Join button to create the association.

DD-WRT will let you know that you’ve successfully joined the network.

Step 7
You’ve now completed the bridge.

To test it, you need to receive an IP address from your primary router. Revisit Step 1 and set your IP address back to automatic assignment. Unplug the network cable from your temporary PC, whistle a few times, and reconnect.

Your temporary PC should receive an IP address assigned by your primary router. You can test this by opening a browser and connecting to an Internet web site.

Success......................................?
Hopefully, your temporary PC has connected to the Internet. Your bridge is working! You can now disconnect the temporary PC and connect the DD-WRT router to your intended peripheral(s), such as your printer or Xbox.

Failure........................................!
If your temporary PC is not receiving an IP address from your primary router and can’t connect to the Internet, the bridge is not working.

Is wireless security enabled on your primary router? If so, try to disable it, even if temporarily. Revisit the configuration of the secondary router and disable wireless security there, too. Be sure to repeat Step 6 after making any changes to your secondary router.

If the bridge works without security, double-check your settings, particularly your passphrase. If you use WPA2 security on your primary router, try WPA instead. WPA2 may not work over the wireless bridge.

Also check whether your primary router is configured to use MAC address filtering as a secondary form of security. Sometimes people forget they’ve set this. You may need to disable MAC filtering to complete your wireless bridge.

That's it. Enjoy your new wireless

Wi-fi Heatmapper

Analyze Wi-Fi signal strengths and make necessary adjustments to enhance network coverage. This free tool will display the best location for your WLAN router.

Some of us who connect via a router often face problems such as slow data transmissions and connection disruptions. All these problems point towards a badly situated router. With the Ekahau HeatMapper you can find the best installation locations to cover all rooms with radio signals in the best possible manner. The software also shows the security settings of all access points within the range making it ideal to trace unsafe and new networks.

A laptop is compulsory when using the tool since the tool itself requires you to be mobile to be able to measure signal strengths in different parts of the room. Also, it is recommended to import the blueprints or layout of the building into the program in order to simplify the measurement. The HeatMapper alternatively shows the measurement results and router location on a grid. CHIP tells you how to optimize your WLAN using this software. But before we start you will need to download this free utility from www.ekahau.com. You will find this tool under the products section.

STEP 1

Install the software on your laptop or netbook. Start the tool and select “I have a map image”. Now select the layout of your building and load it in HeatMapper.

Now if you don’t have an image or map of your apartment simply select
“I don’t have a map image”. The software should now show a grid layout with the centre point being your router access point.

Step 2

Place your router possibly at a place from where you often access your WLAN such as the living room or bedroom. Now connect the router to the socket; an internet connection need not be established as of now. It is best to start testing along with the laptop in the corner of the house or apartment. Click on the map where you are currently standing in-order to start the measurement.

Now walk slowly into the next corner of the building. Keep clicking on your current location continuously while walking. Walk to all rooms so as to draw a continuous line on the layout. End the walk by right clicking on the point you are currently standing on. You can undo the last step using the ‘Undo Survey” tab in case you misclicked.

HeatMapper will now position the found routers with details like names, SSID, channel number or encryption on the map and show where the reception of devices is the strongest with the help of color gradations from green to red. The device currently having the best connection with the Laptop is marked green. Once you are done marking the signal strengths around your house save the overview map by clicking “Take Screenshot”.

Step 3

You can now optimize the location of your router with the help of the reception map. The map basically helps you analyze the signals and setup access points wherever you find the signals to be weak. The red areas on the map show where the reception is bad. You can improve on the reception by moving the router around till you get a green bar.