WNR834B Manual: Expanding Your Wireless Network

The WNR834B router can be used with wireless access points (APs) to build large bridged wireless networks using the Wireless Repeating function in the Advanced section of the main menu, as shown below.

In Wireless Repeater mode, the WNR834B router sends all traffic from its local wireless or wired computers to a remote AP. To configure this mode, you must know the MAC address of the remote "parent" AP.

In Wireless Base Station mode, the WNR834B router acts as the "parent" AP, bridging traffic to and from the "child" repeater APs, as well as handling wireless and wired local computers. To configure this mode, you must know the MAC addresses of the "child" repeater APs.

In either of these modes, you can configure whether the router (or AP) will communicate with local wireless computers by enabling or disabling the Wireless Client Association function:

Enabled. In addition to performing wireless repeating with remote APs, the router will act as an AP to connect local wireless computers.

Disabled. The router will only communicate wirelessly with other APs whose MAC addresses are listed in this menu. The router will not accept local wireless connections. (Communication with wire-connected LAN devices is not disabled.)

The figure below shows a wireless repeating scenario with the WNR834B router in Wireless Base Station mode, and with all APs supporting local wireless clients:

In the scenario shown, the following conditions must be met for all access points including the WNR834B router:

All AP devices must use the same SSID, wireless channel, authentication mode (if any), and encryption mode.

All APs must be on the same LAN IP subnet. That is, all the AP LAN IP addresses are in the same network.

All LAN devices (wired and wireless PCs in the above diagram) must be configured to operate in the same LAN network address range as the APs.

If using DHCP, all AP devices should be set to "Obtain an IP address automatically (DHCP Client)" in the IP Address Source portion of the Basic IP Settings menu.

Configure the operating mode of AP1 (the WNR834B router in the above diagram) as a Wireless Base Station with the MAC addresses of AP2 and AP3 in the first two Repeater MAC Address fields.

Configure the operating mode of AP2 and AP3 as Wireless Repeater with the MAC address of AP1, the WNR834B router, in the Base Station MAC Address field.

Verify connectivity across the LANs.

A computer on any wireless or wired LAN segment of the WNR834B should be able to connect to the Internet or share files and printers with any other wireless or wired PC or server connected to any of the other APs.

In the scenario shown, a WNR834B router can also be used as one of the "child" APs. Configure the WNR834B router's Wireless Repeating function settings as described for AP2 or AP3.


	Note: If a WNR834B router (or another router) is used as a wireless repeater AP as shown in the Figure 4-7, you may need to change other configuration settings on the router. In particular, you should disable the DHCP server function on the wireless repeater APs.