Anybody familiar with old D-Link DWL900AP and configuration for Client mode?

Hi

I acquired an old DWL900AP. I've been trying to get it to work in Client
mode, but no success. I have several other devices (newer) that can connect
to my Linksys WRT54G, but I can't seem to get this old D-Link boat anchor to
associate with my router. I've tried all the usual things like, turn on
SSID broadcast, turn off security, turn off MAC filtering, turn off the
firewall, etc. No matter how easy/vanilla I make it, the darn thing won't
pass traffic. In survey mode, the D-link sees the WRT54G, and shows a link
, but when I try to pass traffic, I get zip. A look at the statistics page
shows that nothing is passing over the link from the D-Link to the Linksys.

I would like to hear from anyone who either has, or thinks they have, the
knowledge of how to configure this old equipment, to make it work.

Thanks in advance.

GZ

The Dlink DWL-900AP is not able to be used as a repeater or adapter(Clint
Mode). It can only be used as an access point, wired into your router to
extend your wireless networks area of coverage. Unless their is a firmware
upgrade allowing it to become a repeater that I am unaware of, then you are
attempting to use it in the wrong manner.

Robert...
"gz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:H9xId.17402$Nu.735@fed1read04...
> Hi
>
> I acquired an old DWL900AP. I've been trying to get it to work in Client
> mode, but no success. I have several other devices (newer) that can
> connect to my Linksys WRT54G, but I can't seem to get this old D-Link boat
> anchor to associate with my router. I've tried all the usual things like,
> turn on SSID broadcast, turn off security, turn off MAC filtering, turn
> off the firewall, etc. No matter how easy/vanilla I make it, the darn
> thing won't pass traffic. In survey mode, the D-link sees the WRT54G, and
> shows a link , but when I try to pass traffic, I get zip. A look at the
> statistics page shows that nothing is passing over the link from the
> D-Link to the Linksys.
>
> I would like to hear from anyone who either has, or thinks they have, the
> knowledge of how to configure this old equipment, to make it work.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> GZ
>
>

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 11:43:56 -0700, "gz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I acquired an old DWL900AP.

There are multiple types of DWL900AP boxes. The one's without the +
at the end have insipid radios and buggy firmware. The DWL-900AP+
comes in the rev A1, B1, E1, and probably some others. The A1 and B1
are ok, but the E1 and up are nice because they can be upgraded to
802.11g. The packaging is also different between the non-+ and the +
versions.

Be sure to thank D-Link marketing for their heroic efforts to minimize
product differentiation and maximum customer confusion.

>I've been trying to get it to work in Client
>mode, but no success. I have several other devices (newer) that can connect
>to my Linksys WRT54G, but I can't seem to get this old D-Link boat anchor to
>associate with my router.

Well, I have a DWL-900AP+ rev B1 connected in client mode from the
neighbors house to my BEFW11S4 at this very moment.

>I've tried all the usual things like, turn on
>SSID broadcast, turn off security, turn off MAC filtering, turn off the
>firewall, etc. No matter how easy/vanilla I make it, the darn thing won't
>pass traffic. In survey mode, the D-link sees the WRT54G, and shows a link
>, but when I try to pass traffic, I get zip. A look at the statistics page
>shows that nothing is passing over the link from the D-Link to the Linksys.

Firmware version? Update? As I vaguely recall (not sure), the
original DWL-900AP (no plus) didn't work at all in the client or
repeater modes.

This is for the DWL-900AP+ and does NOT apply to the DWL-900 (no
plus).
http://www.vallstedt-networks.de/?vendors/GST_Vendors
These are all essentiall identical hardware, with radically different
firmware mutations.

>I would like to hear from anyone who either has, or thinks they have, the
>knowledge of how to configure this old equipment, to make it work.

Incidentally, I have about 4 or 5 point to point 22mbit/sec links that
use DWL-900AP+ radios (mostly rev A1 and B1) and that have been up for
years with few problems.



--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

The + as it were, are designed to be able to be used as clients and
repeaters, but as he stated he had a non + version in his post and you have
a + this is really useless info, unless he just did not bother to say he had
a + version.

"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 11:43:56 -0700, "gz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>I acquired an old DWL900AP.
>
> There are multiple types of DWL900AP boxes. The one's without the +
> at the end have insipid radios and buggy firmware. The DWL-900AP+
> comes in the rev A1, B1, E1, and probably some others. The A1 and B1
> are ok, but the E1 and up are nice because they can be upgraded to
> 802.11g. The packaging is also different between the non-+ and the +
> versions.
>
> Be sure to thank D-Link marketing for their heroic efforts to minimize
> product differentiation and maximum customer confusion.
>
>>I've been trying to get it to work in Client
>>mode, but no success. I have several other devices (newer) that can
>>connect
>>to my Linksys WRT54G, but I can't seem to get this old D-Link boat anchor
>>to
>>associate with my router.
>
> Well, I have a DWL-900AP+ rev B1 connected in client mode from the
> neighbors house to my BEFW11S4 at this very moment.
>
>>I've tried all the usual things like, turn on
>>SSID broadcast, turn off security, turn off MAC filtering, turn off the
>>firewall, etc. No matter how easy/vanilla I make it, the darn thing won't
>>pass traffic. In survey mode, the D-link sees the WRT54G, and shows a
>>link
>>, but when I try to pass traffic, I get zip. A look at the statistics
>>page
>>shows that nothing is passing over the link from the D-Link to the
>>Linksys.
>
> Firmware version? Update? As I vaguely recall (not sure), the
> original DWL-900AP (no plus) didn't work at all in the client or
> repeater modes.
>
> This is for the DWL-900AP+ and does NOT apply to the DWL-900 (no
> plus).
> http://www.vallstedt-networks.de/?vendors/GST_Vendors
> These are all essentiall identical hardware, with radically different
> firmware mutations.
>
>>I would like to hear from anyone who either has, or thinks they have, the
>>knowledge of how to configure this old equipment, to make it work.
>
> Incidentally, I have about 4 or 5 point to point 22mbit/sec links that
> use DWL-900AP+ radios (mostly rev A1 and B1) and that have been up for
> years with few problems.
>
>
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:59:45 GMT, "Robert Jacobs"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The + as it were, are designed to be able to be used as clients and
>repeaters, but as he stated he had a non + version in his post and you have
>a + this is really useless info, unless he just did not bother to say he had
>a + version.

Wrong. Dlink uses the plus designates that the device uses the Texas
Instrumint ACX-100 chipset. The plus has nothing to do with features
present. Both the plus and non-plus versions do client and repeater
mode, with the latest firmware.

Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1. Sorry.

DWL-900AP non-plus:
http://support.dlink.com/products/vi...id=DWL%2D900AP
DWL-900AP+

http://support.dlink.com/products/re...DWL%2D900AP%2B

Anxiously awaiting whether it's a plus or a non-plus.
Drum roll please...


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

I think I finally figured out how to reply to the posting thread. Sorry
this was missent to Jeff Liebermans email instead of posting to the web
site. Forgive me, I'm new to this....

------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Yes, it is a 900AP not a 900AP+.

If it's true that it doesn't work in client mode, that would explain some of
the problems I am experiencing.

The firmware version is 1.4j3, which is the last firmware rev that D-link
put out before they discontinued the product.

I was thinking that perhaps I had not configured something properly, and
that is why I couldn't get it to work in client mode.

I also tried to use it in bridge mode (point to point). I had limited
success there, but still had big problems with it. I read an article that
basically states that bridge mode only works with single vendor solutions,
as each vendor may do a proprietary implementation.

I had hoped to do other things with this piece of equipment. For the
moment, I would be happy if I could just get it to function as a client, so
I could use it to allow one of my computers to have internet access via my
router. I can't seem to get even that far. One of the gentlemen who
replied to my post, indicated that the firmware was buggy, and it may never
work in client mode. If so, please let me know and I'll stop trying to
pound the square peg into the round hole.

Thanks for what info you have already provided, and if you have any more
info to offer (after reading the above), please post it. Thanks

GZ

"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:59:45 GMT, "Robert Jacobs"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>The + as it were, are designed to be able to be used as clients and
>>repeaters, but as he stated he had a non + version in his post and you
>>have
>>a + this is really useless info, unless he just did not bother to say he
>>had
>>a + version.
>
> Wrong. Dlink uses the plus designates that the device uses the Texas
> Instrumint ACX-100 chipset. The plus has nothing to do with features
> present. Both the plus and non-plus versions do client and repeater
> mode, with the latest firmware.
>
> Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1. Sorry.
>
> DWL-900AP non-plus:
> http://support.dlink.com/products/vi...id=DWL%2D900AP
> DWL-900AP+
>
> http://support.dlink.com/products/re...DWL%2D900AP%2B
>
> Anxiously awaiting whether it's a plus or a non-plus.
> Drum roll please...
>
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

Yes, I have a 900AP and it is not a plus model.

Since I last attempted to reply to the posting thread, I have tried
something new. I tried using DHCP instead of static addresses. That didn't
make any improvement for client mode, but I can now get the 900AP to
function as a bridge. It allows me to connect my computer to the internet
(which was my first goal). Not sure why client mode is still not working.
Perhaps it will never work in client mode as suggested.

BTW, the firmware is 1.4j3 which was the latest rev from D-Link.

It shows the signal strength as 100% (mostly because it's close to the
router, for testing purposes), but the link quality shows as 20-25% or so.
Any ideas why?

GZ


"gz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:%cEId.17545$Nu.16948@fed1read04...
>I think I finally figured out how to reply to the posting thread. Sorry
>this was missent to Jeff Liebermans email instead of posting to the web
>site. Forgive me, I'm new to this....
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
>
> Yes, it is a 900AP not a 900AP+.
>
> If it's true that it doesn't work in client mode, that would explain some
> of
> the problems I am experiencing.
>
> The firmware version is 1.4j3, which is the last firmware rev that D-link
> put out before they discontinued the product.
>
> I was thinking that perhaps I had not configured something properly, and
> that is why I couldn't get it to work in client mode.
>
> I also tried to use it in bridge mode (point to point). I had limited
> success there, but still had big problems with it. I read an article that
> basically states that bridge mode only works with single vendor solutions,
> as each vendor may do a proprietary implementation.
>
> I had hoped to do other things with this piece of equipment. For the
> moment, I would be happy if I could just get it to function as a client,
> so
> I could use it to allow one of my computers to have internet access via my
> router. I can't seem to get even that far. One of the gentlemen who
> replied to my post, indicated that the firmware was buggy, and it may
> never
> work in client mode. If so, please let me know and I'll stop trying to
> pound the square peg into the round hole.
>
> Thanks for what info you have already provided, and if you have any more
> info to offer (after reading the above), please post it. Thanks
>
> GZ
>
> "Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:59:45 GMT, "Robert Jacobs"
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>>The + as it were, are designed to be able to be used as clients and
>>>repeaters, but as he stated he had a non + version in his post and you
>>>have
>>>a + this is really useless info, unless he just did not bother to say he
>>>had
>>>a + version.
>>
>> Wrong. Dlink uses the plus designates that the device uses the Texas
>> Instrumint ACX-100 chipset. The plus has nothing to do with features
>> present. Both the plus and non-plus versions do client and repeater
>> mode, with the latest firmware.
>>
>> Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1. Sorry.
>>
>> DWL-900AP non-plus:
>> http://support.dlink.com/products/vi...id=DWL%2D900AP
>> DWL-900AP+
>>
>> http://support.dlink.com/products/re...DWL%2D900AP%2B
>>
>> Anxiously awaiting whether it's a plus or a non-plus.
>> Drum roll please...
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
>> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
>> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558
>
>

As viewed from alt.internet.wireless, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

>>>The A1 and B1 are ok, but the E1 and up are nice because they
>>>can be upgraded to 802.11g.

>Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1.
>Sorry.

I have a C2 and just upgraded to the latest firmware (v3.07b).
How do you upgrade to "g"?

--
Jafo

It cant, that requires a new radio, not firmware. Firmware will make it able
to access a G router.... But still at 11Mbs


"Jafo" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> As viewed from alt.internet.wireless, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
>>>>The A1 and B1 are ok, but the E1 and up are nice because they
>>>>can be upgraded to 802.11g.
>
>>Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1.
>>Sorry.
>
> I have a C2 and just upgraded to the latest firmware (v3.07b).
> How do you upgrade to "g"?
>
> --
> Jafo

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:05:48 -0800, Jafo <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>As viewed from alt.internet.wireless, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
>>>>The A1 and B1 are ok, but the E1 and up are nice because they
>>>>can be upgraded to 802.11g.
>
>>Also, I screwed up. There is no Rev E1. It should be Rev C1.
>>Sorry.

>I have a C2 and just upgraded to the latest firmware (v3.07b).
>How do you upgrade to "g"?

I didn't know that there was a C2 revision.

The DWL-900AP+ will do 22Mbits/sec (ERP-PBCC modulation), which is
part of the 802.11g specification as an alternative to OFDM. While
not as fast as OFDM, it's quite reliable and offers about 10mbits/sec
thruput. The original DWL-900AP and DWL-900AP+ always supported the
22mbit/sec pre-802.11g standard. One of the updates from about a year
ago cleaned up the timing to make it compliant with 802.11g. The bad
news is that it will only talk to another PBCC modulated access point.
Strictly speaking, the DWL-900AP+ is *NOT* 802.11g complaint because
it doesn't impliment the entire feature set. Sorry, I shouldn't have
called it 802.11g.

Version 3.06 and 3.07 firmware added WPA encryption. I should
probably install it and get away from WEP128. No WPA for the non-plus
version.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558