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Author Topic: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?  (Read 27300 times)

tomb18

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Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« on: January 22, 2010, 03:06:52 PM »

I am hoping the guru's here can help.  I have a dlink drir 655 configured as a usb device server for a telescope.  The dir 655 connects to a silex usb server board and this connects to several usb devices.  I access these devices via special software which makes the usb devices appear local on my pc.
This works great.  I connect via my laptop to the wireless router in ad-hoc mode.  The problem is that this setup was made to work as a portable solution and there is no internet connection on the router.

Now what I would like to do, is to be able to connect to this device AND my home network which has a internet connection on some occasions and at other times connect only to this setup without having to reconfigure everything.

I understand that the dir 655 is capable of bridging if you disable style sheets in the browser to see the option, but if I do this will I have to connect to my home network first?  What happens when I am in the field?  Will I need to reconfigure the router for ad-hoc mode?

Is there a way to connect adhoc to the 655 and then have the 655 bridge tyo my home network if availalbe?

I guess that this is a question not for the mods since the bridging mode is not officially supported.

Thanks for any help!
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lizzi555

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2010, 03:36:18 PM »

The DIR-655 has no wireless bridge mode - the setting you mean bridges the WAN port with the LAN ports so that you can use the DIR as a simple access point with a switch.

AdHoc is a client to client connection and as the DIR only works in AP mode, you can only connect in infrastructure mode to this device.

If you can use LAN cabel to connect the DIR to your homenetwork, it would probably only need some changing of IP addresses but you can't connect the DIR wireless to another router.
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tentimes

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2010, 03:48:03 PM »

I've read pretty carefully but am still a bit confused about what you mean. It sounds like you want to be able to connect ad-hoc AND have it bridged to your network? If so, I wonder why you are usng a router to connect to the device?

Could you explain what the layout is at the moment (what is connected to what) please?
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tomb18

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2010, 04:42:57 PM »

Ok, so the "hidden" bridge mode will not allow wireless bridging then.

Ok, what wireless n router do i need then?

Here are the configurations.  I want to do both.

1) from my laptop, I need to connect wirelessly to a wireless router (or other device) that has a usb server device connected to one of it's lan ports. This is what I currently have.  This is what will exist in the remote location (dark skys away from any internet connections).

2) At home, I want to still be able to connect wirelessly to the above router (or device) but also be able to connect to my home network which has an internet connection.

So in summary the router (or whatever) I connect to must be able to bridge to my home network when it is available, but if the network is not there, it should still allow an adhoc connection.

Need wireless n and 5ghz if possible
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EddieZ

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2010, 04:45:25 PM »

It's always easy if you can produce a visual layout of your current- and wish state....
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DIR-655 H/W: A2 FW: 1.33

tomb18

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2010, 05:57:41 PM »

Sorry can't figure out how to insert an image.

But vit should be pretty clear.  Forget that I am using the usb device server, it could be any standard client connected to the roiuter.

Thanks
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lotacus

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2010, 06:25:39 PM »

The bridging as discussed in many threads, like you said is not supported and officially doesn't exist (even though it does)

The bridging is for the WAN port so you can use that WAN port as a standard LAN port so you can plug in five devices instead of four making the dir-655 an AP and switch only.

What you are looking for is wireless bridging, where the dir655 acts as a wireless client so that it connects to another wireless network. The capabilities implimented in the dir-655 does not support this, meaning the module hasn't been loaded and the xml style sheet hasn't been written to include the option to enable it.

However, if you HAVE NOT upgraded passed f/w 2.02 (i believe) you could plug in your phone or another wireless cell device, like a rocketstick and have the dir use IT to provide internet.

For the others I think I know what he is talking about.

He basically has an amateur observatory set up. He leaves his dir-655 and his telescope on top of a mountain connected to a ni-cad battery which is connected to solar cells (just kidding haha). So he can access his telescope from any where in the world and control it remotely and view the magical stars.

His USB server is part of this setup which controls the telescope and probably provides some interface for the telecope. This has nothing to do with shareport.

so his setup is probably like this:

telescope --- usbserver --- lan port 1 on dir 655

what he wants is this:

                        location 1                           50,000 mil away                location 2
telescope -- usbbserver -- lan 1 -- wifi link -- AP -> internet <-- modem -- Computer --'Tomb18 in his glory


So the only way you are going to get internet at your observatory would be with a cellular or satellite solution since you stated that the remote location does not have any Wifi available.

Plus since you stated that there is no wifi available at the remote location, your original intent is moot since the dir655 if it COULD be configured as a wireless client, would still need a wireless AP to connect to.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2010, 06:33:40 PM by lotacus »
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tomb18

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2010, 07:07:09 PM »

Very close but when i am in the remote location, I do not need to connect to the internet, just need to connect wirelessly via the laptop to the router and then the usb server.

Will bridging work?


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lotacus

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2010, 09:55:56 PM »

you said earlier you wanted the dir-655 to connect to your home as well.


well what is the make/model of the "usb server" ?

What IP address does the USB Server have?

If you connect wireless to the dir655 your laptop will get an ip address. If you connect the usb server to the dlink, it too will get an IP address.

You should be able to connect to the usb servers interface by it's ip address that is assigned by the DIR-655. So your utility you use to remotely connect to the telescope, probably has settings or configuration to tell the software to connect to the telecope terminal by IP address. No need to bridge.
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EddieZ

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2010, 12:58:41 AM »

Sorry can't figure out how to insert an image.

But vit should be pretty clear.  Forget that I am using the usb device server, it could be any standard client connected to the roiuter.

Thanks

For you it maybe clear, and I'd like to help you with your solution. But also figuring out what the problem actually is ... taking a bit too much of my time. Sorry.

Try some of the buttons while creating a message. Upload a pic to a storage site or FTP and insert the link into the message. How hard can that be...
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lotacus

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2010, 08:37:05 AM »

oh my. First cup of coffee?
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tentimes

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2010, 01:16:46 PM »

We really need a diagram for this.
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pender

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2010, 03:39:21 PM »

He is trying to say that he has a 655 that is not connected to the WAN but used for its USB sharing capabilities and uses an Ad-hoc WiFi connection instead of infrastructure station mode for his laptop to control the telescope.

I do not believe the DIR 655 still has bridging mode even if you could enable it with the CSS trick/hack.  They likely removed this feature from the firmware and kept the same web UI.  If you want to burn some time, try figuring that out because I know it will make a lot of old 655 users happy.  AFAIK it was a proprietary MIMO bridge technology and not a regular Wireless ethernet client Bridge found in other cheaper products.

You can always buy a cheap external bridge or DD-WRT bridge solution and permanently leave it where the 655 will be in your home base and then plug the bridge into the WAN or LAN port of the 655.

This used to cost only $45 and was great if you had a 5Ghz network already
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122218&cm_re=netgear_bridge-_-33-122-218-_-Product

An 802.11n DD-WRT alternative
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122266&cm_re=wnr834b-_-33-122-266-_-Product
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge
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tomb18

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2010, 04:50:09 PM »

Sorry, I'm not current with the right terms, so perhaps I'll try again.
Pender hit it right on the button.  The link he gave, http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge has a picture which is exactly what I need except they are talking about using a wrt-54g linksys router?
It has to be "n"

But now I am confused.  What is a DD-WRT solution? Is this a product?  It seems that this is Linux open source software?

But, it seems that the link that pender gave http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122218&cm_re=netgear_bridge-_-33-122-218-_-Product

is what I need.  However, there is some questions that it will work with other venders routers?  Or is this a non-issue?

Doesn't d-link have the same?
I have a dir 825 on my home net.

edit: looking at the specs on the netgear site, it seems that you must use wired devices if you want to bridge.

This can't be this complicated!  I just want to connect two seperate wireless networks together wirelessly!


Thanks!
« Last Edit: January 23, 2010, 04:54:59 PM by tomb18 »
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pender

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Re: Connecting two wireless networks together? Bridging? How?
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2010, 05:31:29 PM »

DD-WRT, Tomato, OpenWRT are 3rd party custom firmwares that are able to be installed on certain routers.  These firmwares replace the manufacturer's firmware and provide very useful features like Wireless briding and Repeating.  OpenWRT is very powerful but most advanced options like bridging are configure from the command line so it is not recommended.  Tomato has the nicest UI and best QoS.  It supports Bridging from the Web UI but only in WEP/WPA1 mode and not bridging in WPA2 mode.  Also there are no 802.11n routers that support Tomato.

DD-WRT is in the middle. Advanced features that can be configured from the UI and it has the best hardware support including some 802.11n devices.  WAN uplink QoS on DD-WRT is poor without the QoS generator, but since you will be using it for bridging, this is not a concern.

The Newegg link I provided is for an 802.11n (2.4Ghz band only) Netgear router that supports DD-WRT - a WNR3500L will also work as will others but they are more expensive and/or can no longer be purchased in a store (craigslist).  If you want 5Ghz 802.11n, consider a refurbished Netgear WNDR3300.  They can be found online for $30-$40 - the refurb WNR834B can be found for $25.

The DD-WRT Wireless Setup Guide also applies to 802.11n networks, and a 802.11n DD-WRT capable router can be bridged to any 802.11n network running on any brand router/WAP - the setup guide I posted is just old and generic as the WRT54G was the "godfather" router for all 3rd party firmwares.  Using the latest DD-WRT firmware, setup the bridge using the "Client Bridge" or "Repeater Bridge" option in the wireless settings and get the LAN IPs of the routers on the same subnets for easiere management.

5Ghz range on the WNDR3300 is not as great as other more expensive devices but will work great for the price at shorter range (and fewer walls) in crowded 2.4Ghz environments like apartements/condos.

Also ignore the specs on the netgear site about wired bridging because DD-WRT firmware will replace the features of the stock Netgear firmware.  DD-WRT supports wireless bridging - just plug an ethernet cable from the DD-WRT to the WAN port of the 655 once the bridge is setup (you will have double Firewall/NAT issues - PM me if this is confusing).  Plug ethernet from DD-WRT LAN to 655 LAN port but then Shareport may or may not work so use the 655's WAN port and keep it as a gateway.

This is the cheapest solution I can think of unless you can directly run a cable from your current primary router/gateway to the 655 without needing a wireless bridge.  A long Cat5e cable can be bought cheap at monoprice.  100ft is $9 before shipping.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10208
« Last Edit: January 23, 2010, 05:45:00 PM by pender »
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