Router as an Access Point?

Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?

I have 100 mbit broadband (no modem or such) one point (soccet) with 5
dynamic public IP addresses from my ISP.

I want both my computers (one connected wireless to my router, the
other one connected by wire) to use public IP's.

As it is now I can only get it to work when using the router to supply
DHCP and thereby recieving private IP's for both computers.

I have a Dlink 524, (4lan ports 1wan and 6wirelss)


I've tried to connect the "internet" to one of the lan ports, and that
proved sucessfull when using the non wireless ports...but the wireless
network in the browser do not seem able to pass on DHCP information
from the ISP.

any suggestions?
do i need to buy an extra AP?

On 31 Jan 2006 11:13:36 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?

Yes. A wireless router is simply an AP and a wired router in one box,
with the AP connected internally to one of the router's LAN ports.

>I want both my computers (one connected wireless to my router, the
>other one connected by wire) to use public IP's.

Your router should support a "DMZ" or something similar. This is
where you enter the public/private IP mappings so that to the outside
world, your PCs seem to have the specific public IPs you own.

>I've tried to connect the "internet" to one of the lan ports, and that
>proved sucessfull when using the non wireless ports...

although you are now not protected by any firewall in the router.

Mark McIntyre
--

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[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:35:01
+0000, Mark McIntyre <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On 31 Jan 2006 11:13:36 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
>>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?
>
>Yes. A wireless router is simply an AP and a wired router in one box,
>with the AP connected internally to one of the router's LAN ports.

Actually the WAN port.

>>I want both my computers (one connected wireless to my router, the
>>other one connected by wire) to use public IP's.
>
>Your router should support a "DMZ" or something similar. This is
>where you enter the public/private IP mappings so that to the outside
>world, your PCs seem to have the specific public IPs you own.

The "DMZ" in most low-end routers is simply a catchall mapping of one (and
only one) computer on the LAN to the WAN. To use multiple public IPs you need
to configure it as a bridge rather than a router (which varies by product).

>>I've tried to connect the "internet" to one of the lan ports, and that
>>proved sucessfull when using the non wireless ports...

Which turned it into a bridge.

>although you are now not protected by any firewall in the router.

True. To use the firewall, you need a "router" that can be configured as a
bridge.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:

>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?

Yes.

>I have 100 mbit broadband (no modem or such) one point (soccet) with 5
>dynamic public IP addresses from my ISP.

Access points work on MAC address layer and know nothing about IP
addresses. The only thing the IP address in an access point does is
help with the web based setup and management. If you plug a typical
access point into your 5 IP address connection, you'll have all 5 IP
addresses available at the client computers.

>I want both my computers (one connected wireless to my router, the
>other one connected by wire) to use public IP's.
>As it is now I can only get it to work when using the router to supply
>DHCP and thereby recieving private IP's for both computers.

In theory, your ISP's DHCP server is smart enough to know if an IP
address has been issued to you and to not re-use it until the lease
has expired or until it's released. Therefore, you should be able to
plug in both computahs, set them for DHCP clients, and your ISP should
issue each one a different IP address.

>I have a Dlink 524, (4lan ports 1wan and 6wirelss)

Well, we have a problem here. Because your IP's are dynamic and not
static, and because the DI-524 does NOT have a DHCP client on the LAN
side, you will not be able to have the LAN IP address of the DI-524
automagically configured. You'll need to configure your DI-524
offline, with just a single PC plugged in, and then lose control when
connected to the 100Mbits/sec connection. Basically, you setup:
1. Nothing goes to the WAN port. Do NOT plug DI-524 into enything
other than the PC being used to configure it until last step.
2. Leave the IP address at the default (192.168.0.1).
3. After you have all the wireless stuff setup and working, disable
the DHCP server. If you need to do furthur configuration, you'll need
to setup your windows client for a temporary static IP address of:
IP = 192.168.0.5
NM = 255.255.255.0
GW = None
DNS= None
This will get you back to the configuration screens.
4. Finally, connect a cable beween one of the LAN ports on the DI-524
and what I guess you have a 100baseT switch. You may need a reverse
ethernet cable. Check the lights on the front of the switch and
DI-524. If they light up, you win. If not, build a crossover cable.
If you plug this cable in while configurating the router, and you have
the client computer set to DCHP, you will lose your connection to the
rotuer configuration.

>I've tried to connect the "internet" to one of the lan ports, and that
>proved sucessfull when using the non wireless ports...but the wireless
>network in the browser do not seem able to pass on DHCP information
>from the ISP.
>
>any suggestions?
>do i need to buy an extra AP?

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 16:14:08
-0800, Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:
>
>>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?
>
>Yes.

Some are much easier than others; e.g., SonicWALL has a specific configuration
option for the use of multiple public IPs on multiple internal clients while
preserving firewall, filtering, and management functions.

>>I have 100 mbit broadband (no modem or such) one point (soccet) with 5
>>dynamic public IP addresses from my ISP.

It may be a 100 Mb connection, but the available bandwidth is almost certainly
much less than that.

>Access points work on MAC address layer and know nothing about IP
>addresses. The only thing the IP address in an access point does is
>help with the web based setup and management. If you plug a typical
>access point into your 5 IP address connection, you'll have all 5 IP
>addresses available at the client computers.

That's because they work as a bridge.

>>I want both my computers (one connected wireless to my router, the
>>other one connected by wire) to use public IP's.
>>As it is now I can only get it to work when using the router to supply
>>DHCP and thereby recieving private IP's for both computers.
>
>In theory, your ISP's DHCP server is smart enough to know if an IP
>address has been issued to you and to not re-use it until the lease
>has expired or until it's released. Therefore, you should be able to
>plug in both computahs, set them for DHCP clients, and your ISP should
>issue each one a different IP address.

That depends. ISP DHCP implementations based on MAC addresses only work well
if the router doesn't interfere. There are different potential problems if
DHCP Client ID is based on something like hostname.

>>I have a Dlink 524, (4lan ports 1wan and 6wirelss)
>
>[big SNIP]

Easier to simply get a true Access Point (bridge).

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>>>I have a Dlink 524, (4lan ports 1wan and 6wirelss)
>>
>>[big SNIP]
>
>Easier to simply get a true Access Point (bridge).

It will have the same problem if it doesn't have a DHCP client running
in the access point. Fortunately most access points do have a DHCP
client. For example, the DWL-2100AP offers either a settable IP
address or one settable by DHCP.
http://support.dlink.com/emulators/d...fgIpSetup.html
If set to DHCP, it will use one of the 5 dynamic IP addresses from the
ISP. It may require a bit of trial an error to find which one is
used, but there are only 5 possibilities. Just check the IP address
of one of the computers. The access point should be nearby.

Since the access point is now exposed to the internet, with no
firewall in sight, the password should be changed to something
obscure.

If it's necessary to use the existing DI-524, and if the ISP issues
the 5 IP's as a block (highly probable) it might be possible to
predict the 5 IP's in advance. If these are known, the DI-524 could
simply be setup for a static IP using one of the 5 IP addresses.
There's no danger of a duplicate IP because the DHCP server is suppose
to attempt to ping an IP address before assigning it. (Use
255.255.255.248 for the netmask). However, if the IP addresses are
random, forget it.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

I can make my router to work as an AP, but only when using the LAN
ports to connect my computers, not the wireless ports. A computer
connected to the LAN ports will recieve a Public IP from the ISP, a
computer connected via the wireless ports will not receive a public IP.
(renewing IP fails, when choosing repair connection or something)

This above when I connect the "internet cable" to the LAN port instead
of the WAN

The only way for me to get the wireless up and working on the internet
is to use the dhcp server in the router.

why doesn't the wireless ports transmitt DHCP information from the
ISP.... IT works if i connect all my computers by wire, but this option
will make a mess of my appartment (wires everywhere)





Is it possible to use the following configuration to help solve the
problem?

internet -> computer(1) with 2 network-cards -> router (DMZ)
->~wireless~ computer(2).

using computer(1) as a switch more or less...

Will a computer with brdiged networkcards transmitt recieve DHCP and
MAC information?

(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:

>I can make my router to work as an AP, but only when using the LAN
>ports to connect my computers, not the wireless ports. A computer
>connected to the LAN ports will recieve a Public IP from the ISP, a
>computer connected via the wireless ports will not receive a public IP.
>(renewing IP fails, when choosing repair connection or something)

It should work as previously described. However, there are some
things that can go wrong. See if any apply:
1. Encryption: Try it with encryption turned off.
2. ISP registers MAC addresses. This is unlikely as the test
computer works when directly connected.
3. DI-524 is blocking broadcasts, which include DHCP.
4. Any chance you have one of your computers acting as a server which
might include a DHCP server?

>This above when I connect the "internet cable" to the LAN port instead
>of the WAN

Correct. Some things to check:
1. Do the lights on both ends of the cable turn on when the cable is
inserted? If not, you might need a crossover cable.
2. Did you follow my previous instructions (i.e. DHCP server turned
off)?
3. When *NOT* connected to the switch (internet cable, or whatever),
and a static IP address temporarily assigned to the test computer (as
previously described), can you see the web based configuration in the
DI-524 via wireless? If this doesn't work, your problem is the
wireless connection, not the DHCP.

>The only way for me to get the wireless up and working on the internet
>is to use the dhcp server in the router.

It should work as an access point but apparently does not.
Incidentally, I consider this to be somewhat of a waste of effort. The
DI-524 is 802.11b only which will have a thruput of about 4Mbits/sec
maximum. That's far too slow for what you would expect from your
100Mbit/sec connection. Also, you really should have the protection
of a router between the internet and your local LAN. Unless you have
some really disgusting application that insists on a routeable IP
address (i.e. H.323), or are running servers, then you have no reason
to directly connect to the internet. If there is only one machine
that needs to be directly connected, with 5 IP's, you could easily
create a mixture or use the DMZ feature in the router. With such a
high speed system, running everything through a DI-524 is not a great
idea as it is not intended to handle high traffic levels.

>why doesn't the wireless ports transmitt DHCP information from the
>ISP.... IT works if i connect all my computers by wire, but this option
>will make a mess of my appartment (wires everywhere)

I don't know. It should work and works whenever I try it. You might
want to experiment with a DHCP test utility:
| http://www.weirdsolutions.com/weirdS...ytool_free.exe
This will identify any DHCP servers and does not require that the
client have an IP address assigned to operate.

>Is it possible to use the following configuration to help solve the
>problem?
>
>internet -> computer(1) with 2 network-cards -> router (DMZ)
>->~wireless~ computer(2).
>
>using computer(1) as a switch more or less...

No. That's not going to do anything useful. Computer 1 would just be
a pass through and would be the same as a direct ethernet connection.

>Will a computer with brdiged networkcards transmitt recieve DHCP and
>MAC information?

Yes, it should. However, it is possible that the DI-524 is blocking
broadcasts, which will screw things up. I can't tell from here. If
you are sure that you have a working wireless connection to the
DI-524, and that everything is wired correctly, then your options are
to either replace the DI-524 with a real access point, or use it as a
router with its own DHCP server for your LAN.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:10:30 GMT, in alt.internet.wireless , John
Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
>In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:35:01
>+0000, Mark McIntyre <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>On 31 Jan 2006 11:13:36 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
>>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>
>>>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?
>>
>>Yes. A wireless router is simply an AP and a wired router in one box,
>>with the AP connected internally to one of the router's LAN ports.
>
>Actually the WAN port.

Actually, no. The WAN port is where you plug in the internet, its on
the 'outside' of the router. For your wireless to be any use, it has
to be inside the router, ie on the LAN side.


(I'm guessing you meant WLAN port. If so, bear in mind thats just a
LAN port on the switch).
Mark McIntyre
--

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----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Wed, 01 Feb 2006 23:57:18
+0000, Mark McIntyre <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:10:30 GMT, in alt.internet.wireless , John
>Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>In <(E-Mail Removed)> on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 23:35:01
>>+0000, Mark McIntyre <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>>On 31 Jan 2006 11:13:36 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
>>>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>>
>>>>Is it possible to use a router as an Access Point?
>>>
>>>Yes. A wireless router is simply an AP and a wired router in one box,
>>>with the AP connected internally to one of the router's LAN ports.
>>
>>Actually the WAN port.
>
>Actually, no. The WAN port is where you plug in the internet, its on
>the 'outside' of the router. For your wireless to be any use, it has
>to be inside the router, ie on the LAN side.
>
>(I'm guessing you meant WLAN port. If so, bear in mind thats just a
>LAN port on the switch).

No, it was just brain fade on my part. [blush] I was thinking of something
else entirely (partitioned wireless router that I recently worked on). You
were correct. Thanks.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>