Solve : Linksys WAP54G as Repeater for WRT54G2 - Always have to force

1.	Solve : Linksys WAP54G as Repeater for WRT54G2 - Always have to force them to talk?
Answer» Hello, I have been happily using my Linksys WRT54G2 wireless router for several years. It's connected to my PC via Ethernet, and sometimes I connect to it wirelessly with a laptop. I never have any issues with this connection, never need to reset anything. I also have a Linksys WAP54G SET to 'Repeater' mode and switch this on only if I'm taking the laptop out in the garden where the WRT54G2 will not reach. The problem is when I power on the WAP54G, both Linksys devices will not talk to each other unless I do one of the following two things with the WRT54G2: (1) Visit the config pages 'Wireless' tab and click 'Save Changes' (without needing to make a CHANGE), or (2) reset its power. Both devices are: Linksys hardware revision 1 installed with the latest firmware have the same SSID and passphrase using WPA2 security on the same subnet . In fact, most of the above points are irrelevant because the devices do talk after I reset the WRT54G2 in the fix described earlier. So the root cause is unlikely to be a configuration mismatch. After I power on the WAP54G, the following conditions are observed before performing the fix: the PC (which is connected via Ethernet to the WRT54G2) cannot ping the WAP54G when in range of the WRT54G2 router the laptop can ping it and therefore, can ping the Internet when out of range of the WRT54G2 but in range of the WAP54G the laptop can ping the WAP54G, but it cannot ping the WRT54G2 or the Internet This all points to the WRT54G2 and WAP54G working fine but not talking to each other until I "reintroduce" them. I have all MAC addresses added to each others' 'enabled' list, but it doesn't make any difference - the problem exists even if I have MAC filtering disabled on both devices. The big inconvenience is, the WRT54G2 has wired traffic that I can't really interrupt with a power reset each time. So if I'm downstairs with the laptop and want to take it outside, my only option is to go up to my server room, start booting the PC, load the browser, navigate to the config pages, login, visit the wireless tab, save changes, shut down PC (and the WRT54G2v1 config pages are extremely slow). Has anyone ever come across this problem before, and found a permanent solution?Questions. What OS are you using on your computers? Is this a new problem, or has it always been this way? What you describe is a wireless repeater. In general, the wireless repeater mode is not a good idea. If sucks bandwidth and does not give maximum coverage. And requires unusual settings. The alternative is to run a long Ethernet cable out to a sheltered place in your garden area. Then you place a router tied to the Ethernet. Works every time. No special setup other tan disabling DHCP of the slave router. Maybe you will have to shift the IP of the second router. Here is one of many articles that recommend the simple way. How to Connect a Wireless Router As a Second Router to a Network That's an interesting issue you have there. One thing I might suggest is to perhaps TRY an older firmware revision, if it's possible to downgrade, to see if this is a bug introduced with a firmware update. It may also be worth trying a different ENCRYPTION method - if you're using TKIP, change to AES, or vice versa, or try WPA instead of WPA2, just to test it.Hi Calum, That was a great suggestion, thank you. I changed all devices from WPA2-Personal to WPA-Personal, and the problem disappeared. When I have more time I'd like to try different variations of WPA2-Personal (AES / TKIP) to see if I can get them to agree to talk on a particular WPA2 based configuration. One strange thing is, when I had both devices using WPA2-Personal, my WiFi SCANNER ("inSSIDer") always identified both devices as being WPA2-Enterprise. That could be a bug in inSSIDer, but then it did identify other WPA2-Personal devices in my neighbourhood.Glad to hear it seems to be working OK now, it's definitely worth trying TKIP/AES to see what happens when you have time, too. That is a bit of an oddity, perhaps there's some kind of bug in the routers' encryption causing them not to talk properly and also causing inSSIDer to see them as Enterprise.

Solve : Linksys WAP54G as Repeater for WRT54G2 - Always have to force them to talk?

Answer»

Hello,

I have been happily using my Linksys WRT54G2 wireless router for several years. It's connected to my PC via Ethernet, and sometimes I connect to it wirelessly with a laptop. I never have any issues with this connection, never need to reset anything.

I also have a Linksys WAP54G SET to 'Repeater' mode and switch this on only if I'm taking the laptop out in the garden where the WRT54G2 will not reach.

The problem is when I power on the WAP54G, both Linksys devices will not talk to each other unless I do one of the following two things with the WRT54G2: (1) Visit the config pages 'Wireless' tab and click 'Save Changes' (without needing to make a CHANGE), or (2) reset its power.

Both devices are:

Linksys
hardware revision 1
installed with the latest firmware
have the same SSID and passphrase
using WPA2 security
on the same subnet

.

In fact, most of the above points are irrelevant because the devices do talk after I reset the WRT54G2 in the fix described earlier. So the root cause is unlikely to be a configuration mismatch.

After I power on the WAP54G, the following conditions are observed before performing the fix:

the PC (which is connected via Ethernet to the WRT54G2) cannot ping the WAP54G
when in range of the WRT54G2 router the laptop can ping it and therefore, can ping the Internet
when out of range of the WRT54G2 but in range of the WAP54G the laptop can ping the WAP54G, but it cannot ping the WRT54G2 or the Internet

This all points to the WRT54G2 and WAP54G working fine but not talking to each other until I "reintroduce" them.

I have all MAC addresses added to each others' 'enabled' list, but it doesn't make any difference - the problem exists even if I have MAC filtering disabled on both devices.

The big inconvenience is, the WRT54G2 has wired traffic that I can't really interrupt with a power reset each time. So if I'm downstairs with the laptop and want to take it outside, my only option is to go up to my server room, start booting the PC, load the browser, navigate to the config pages, login, visit the wireless tab, save changes, shut down PC (and the WRT54G2v1 config pages are extremely slow).

Has anyone ever come across this problem before, and found a permanent solution?Questions.
What OS are you using on your computers?
Is this a new problem, or has it always been this way?

What you describe is a wireless repeater. In general, the wireless repeater mode is not a good idea. If sucks bandwidth and does not give maximum coverage. And requires unusual settings.

The alternative is to run a long Ethernet cable out to a sheltered place in your garden area. Then you place a router tied to the Ethernet. Works every time. No special setup other tan disabling DHCP of the slave router. Maybe you will have to shift the IP of the second router.
Here is one of many articles that recommend the simple way.
How to Connect a Wireless Router As a Second Router to a Network

That's an interesting issue you have there. One thing I might suggest is to perhaps TRY an older firmware revision, if it's possible to downgrade, to see if this is a bug introduced with a firmware update. It may also be worth trying a different ENCRYPTION method - if you're using TKIP, change to AES, or vice versa, or try WPA instead of WPA2, just to test it.Hi Calum,

That was a great suggestion, thank you. I changed all devices from WPA2-Personal to WPA-Personal, and the problem disappeared. When I have more time I'd like to try different variations of WPA2-Personal (AES / TKIP) to see if I can get them to agree to talk on a particular WPA2 based configuration.

One strange thing is, when I had both devices using WPA2-Personal, my WiFi SCANNER ("inSSIDer") always identified both devices as being WPA2-Enterprise. That could be a bug in inSSIDer, but then it did identify other WPA2-Personal devices in my neighbourhood.Glad to hear it seems to be working OK now, it's definitely worth trying TKIP/AES to see what happens when you have time, too.
That is a bit of an oddity, perhaps there's some kind of bug in the routers' encryption causing them not to talk properly and also causing inSSIDer to see them as Enterprise.

Solve : Linksys WAP54G as Repeater for WRT54G2 - Always have to force them to talk?

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