RV Wireless Repeater:

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Page 3 - Configuring DD-WRT as a Universal Wireless Repeater

The following instructions are based on DD-WRT's Wiki help files on creating a Universal Wireless Repeater.

Prerequisites:

1. Make sure your device is supported
2. Install the latest DD-WRT v24 beta (v23 will not work)
3. Know how to use and access Web Interface
4. Reset the router to Factory Defaults

Network Architecture Summary:

Architecturally the repeater connects to another wireless router as a client, getting a single IP address via DHCP. Effectively the SSID network it connects to, becomes your ISP.

Therefore you (the client) will operate in your own IP address space, which is different from address space the repeater connects to.

The repeater will have a different SSID, which you will connect your computers to. The repeater will also be running a DHCP server, and when one of your computers connects to the repeater, it will receive an IP address assigned by the repeater.

Note that if your campground requires payment for WiFi access, after completing the setup below and you connect to your repeater from a notebook or desktop for the first time, you will see the Login prompts (and request for payment). However another benefit of using the repeater -- when you are finished making a payment, you should not have to pay for additional notebooks/desktops to surf via your repeater, because the payment company will be tracking the MAC address of the repeater instead of your notebooks. Due to this payment "benefit" you may want to implement security/WPA from your repeater (see step 6) to prevent your neighbors from using your paid account.

Step 1:

Go to tab "Setup", sub-tab "Basic Setup":

• Change "local IP address" to a unique subnet (different than device you wish to repeat), such as 192.168.69.1
• "APPLY" settings

Step 2:

Point your browser to the new IP address you chose in the previous step. Go to tab "Security", sub-tab "Firewall":

• Uncheck all check boxes and set firewall to "disable"
• Apply settings

Step 3:

Go to tab "Wireless", sub-tab "Basic Settings":

• Set Wireless Mode to "Repeater"
• Note that if the Network Mode of the host you are connecting to is set to "G-only" then your repeater must also be set the same way, otherwise you will not make the connection from the repeater side. Likewise, if the host only supports B, then set your Network Mode to B-Only.
• Under "Wireless Physical Interface", set "Wireless Network Name (SSID)" to the network you wish to repeat
• Set Network Configuration to "Bridged"
• Click on "Save Settings" ("Virtual Interfaces" section may not appear until you save the changes)
• Click on "Add" under "Virtual Interfaces", and enter an SSID (such as "my-repeater")
• AP Isolation is "disabled"
• Network Configuration is "Bridged"
• Optional: Set Wireless Channel to "Auto" (or your preferred channel). * Click "Apply"

Step 4:

Go to the Administration > Management tab, and change the Router Password from the default of "admin" to something else. Note that the Router Username remains "root".

Step 5 (optional):

To repeat any network dynamically (make this a universal wireless repeater), the following will make the repeater connect to the first available SSID:

• Go to tab "Administration", subtab "Command"
• Copy and paste the following into the edit box:

• Click the Save Startup button
• Note: this will not automatically repeat secure/encrypted networks. If your source network uses WEP or WPA, enter the SSID under the Physical Interface in step 3 instead, and proceed to the next step

Step 6 (optional):

You may use security (WEP, WPA, etc) in repeater mode. An example application of this would be to make the repeated network private (for your use only)

• Go to tab "Wireless", sub-tab "Wireless Security"
• Setup WEP (or other security) under virtual interface
• Configure your client/computer to use the same security

Notice in the screenshot below you may also configure security for the physical interface (source) network if you wish to repeat a secure network. In the example this is disabled. If you enable this, the dynamic repeating functionality may not work (since you're hard configuring the source network).

Optimizations:

If you wish to dynamically repeat the STRONGEST signal (a more sophisticated version of #5 above) please read the AutoAP Wiki Article.

AutoAP is a script that continuously scans for open wifi connections, tests them for validity, and connects to the strongest signal. If the connection is lost, the script scans again and finds the strongest valid signal again, and maintains a continuous connection to the internet in a mobile or portable environment. The script paremeters are highly configurable, including ability to configure secure connections.

For optional repeater performance enhancements:

• Go to tab "Wireless", subtab "Advanced Settings". Set "Preamble" to "Short". Set "Xmit Power" to higher than default (try 200). Click "Apply".

Troubleshooting:

• The first time you connect to the repeater (wirelessly), or after disconnect, you may need to perform a "repair wireless network connection". For example, in XP, right click on the wireless icon and select "Repair".
• If your router has two different antennas and you are having high packet loss, it can help to remove the second antenna.
• Visit the UWR forum for latest information on features and issues.

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