HOWTO: Client Bridged Mode

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miscreant
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 15:53    Post subject: Reply with quote
EvilDude wrote:
I am currently using 9333, and have found that DHCP doesn't work in client bridged (or repeater bridge) mode. I assume it is because it is not a transparent bridge, and so the Netgear router sees dhcp requests from a client it thinks is already connected and so ignores it.

Would be great to see it fixed, as I think it would solve a lot of those DHCP issues.


I have a pc and a nas connected to a WRT310N (running 24sp1) via ethernet, which are receiving dhcp addresses from my billion AP on the otherside of the client bridge.

The dhcp lease table on the billion looks like this:

Leased Table
IP Address MAC Address Client Host Name Expiry
192.168.1.5 00:1a:92:4b:96:04 HPMediaVault 11 hours
192.168.1.4 00:1d:7d:01:67:e2 insanity 9 hours

Neither of those MAC's are the WRT310N's. The arp table on my laptop which is connected to the billion ap directly shows the WRT310N's MAC for both those addresses however.

So for me DHCP across the client bridge is working fine. The speed and reliability of the client bridge is pretty poor though.
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lamapper
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 21:50    Post subject: Better free tools (or near free) Reply with quote
switch wrote:
Clearly Microsoft Visio. Big cash cow of a program too. Don't know of any alternatives.


I would suggest Gimp(Free), Paintshop Pro($) or Adobe PhotoShop ($$$) as you would have NO Limitations in what you could create, reuse to save time, etc... You can combine anything with anything with those three tools. For Linux there are many, many more FREE tools available!


Obviously if you are a Linux user you can get Gimp (and their are many other graphic tools) Linux is (has been for years) a great share point, you can pretty much copy/paste anything into and out of anything else...sadly this ability is not advertised as it should be. Nothing like running a video from within a document or slide show at a mouse click...took some years before M$ caught up with this, but if you pay enough money you can do it with M$ now also...just costs you more and more and more....forever... off that roller-coaster crater to my bank account.


For Windows PC Users, PaintShop Pro (while not free is less expensive then Adobe PhotoShop. (when installing, install to a USB device so that you can use it on any version of Microsoft without the need to upgrade to the latest greatest version of the operating system....avoids many hassles and program runs fine from USB when installed onto USB, to install you either have to have an upgraded copy of the M$ OS or use someone elses as it checks for this and attempts to prevent if not current. I installed version 10 using an XP desktop at work and ran on an old outdated (update wise) version of M$ 2000 at home without problems.)

Adobe PhotoShop is considered one of the best graphic packages. However it is expensive, you might save money with Visio over this one, however with this one you would never run into any limitations as you can with a tool like Visio.


The point I am trying to get at, is all of the above of full graphic packages that will allow you work with either loss less images (tiff) or images such as .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, etc... and layers. I was working with layers back in 2000, and I believe Visio allows layering as well now, probably for a few years now. With any graphic tool, you must have layers! Here is a quick synopsis:

Open already existing image / graphic
Add a layer, copy a stock already created image
Add another layer, copy another stock image.
Save in loss less format which saves all the layers and all graphic details, colors, etc...

To use:
Compress many layered image to one layer ONLY image
Reduce number of colors to reduce file size. (most can get as small as 6K or 20K - 30K, images smaller then 120K still load very fast and still look great)
Save as format you need (depends on your need, probably .gif, .jpg or .png)

When Client asks for a change, you only need to change that specific layer, save it and to use compress, reduce and save again.

If you have never worked with layers, that synopsis should help you know what to look for in the packages you are reviewing, today most packages allow for this type of quick templating and redesign.


If you need to do allot of diagrams, once you have the basic images / graphics created, you can simply reuse those images and create different layouts for different projects/clients. All of the above packages allow the use of layers and have for many, many years.

I would suggest that any trade-off in learning curve (though I know there is not much of a difference between those above and Visio) is more then offset by:

1) not bumping up against limitations of the tool (Visio like product vs being able to do anything with anything)
2) the Expense (some of these really expensive tools are simply overpriced and do not add extra value for the price. At version 5.0 of PaintShop Pro I could do anything and everything that Adobe Photo Shop could do at about 10% of the cost. Important when you are footing the bill and paying for your software.
pwt
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 17 Oct 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 14:30    Post subject: will it work with AP Reply with quote
Can anybody tell us if there's anything we can do to extend the range of access point which is not a router? tried repeater bridge but to no avail, client bridge seems to be not a solution as well... are we doing something wrong?
lagosta
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Oct 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 22:13    Post subject: Reply with quote
I tried to put my dd-wrt woking as a client bridge with the v24, and found out that it doesn't work with DHCP, I have to manually assign the IP configuration on my clients (which is ridiculous).

I've read somewere that it is a broadcom driver problem, but how is it a driver problem if the v23 works perfectly? Is the driver diferent? Why don't you use the old one?
Isn't the v24 suposed to be better than the v23?
splinters
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 31 Oct 2008
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 18:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have my second router setup as a client bridge and have my ps3 using DHCP to log in to the network, so I'm not sure why it won't work.

I would imagine that the wireless bridge wasn't setup correctly if there are issues.

Are you using 11g (54Mbps) or maybe something at a higher rate?

Are you also using the same router for the client bridge, or different routers? If your using different routers, are they the same chipset maker or different ones? It shouldn't make a difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some strange interactions if you had a Broadcom chip trying to bridge to an Atheros one at 11n speeds.

-Splints
eriche
DD-WRT User


Joined: 02 Feb 2008
Posts: 69

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 20:17    Post subject: No Hosts can connect Reply with quote
Hello,

I have running my ASUS WL500W with dd-wrt as "CLient Bridge" to connect to my Easybox which is connected to the internet.

with the Easybox everything worx fine - LAN + WLAN Clients can conntect.
Also the ASUS can connect like a "client" as it should be,...

BUT

On the ASUS I only can attach devices with LAN - then they are "forwarded" to the internet,...

WLAN devices don`t find the ASUS Rolling Eyes

Is there a way to change some settings that I can connect my PDA or my Wii via WLAN to the ASUS running as "client bridge" Question

Greet`s Erich
Kingdomcome
DD-WRT User


Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 134

PostPosted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:11    Post subject: Reply with quote
Client Bridge does not allow other devices to connect to it. You are looking for Repeater Bridge. Do some research on the forum to learn about the caveats. Basically the setup is very similar to Client Bridge, and then you add a virtual wireless interface for other devices to connect to. You may also want to check out WDS as another option. Good Times
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eriche
DD-WRT User


Joined: 02 Feb 2008
Posts: 69

PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 16:52    Post subject: ASUS WL500w Reply with quote
thank you for your hint Exclamation

after struggling around finally I managed to change from client-Bridge to repeater-Bridge.

BUT

with my Mobilephone the WLAN connection is damn slow @ my Asus running dd-wrt in repeater-Bridge Mode Rolling Eyes
The wired LAN connection worx with maximum speed via WLAN to my HOST Router!

I added a virtual Interface and I can see 2 Interfaces on my ASUS WL500w Question

Quote:
Virtual Interfaces wl0.1 SSID [WLAN2]
Virtual Interfaces wl0.2 SSID [WLAN3]


See my Screenshot



at my mobilePhone I see WLAN2 and WLAN3 - whats wrong with this?

What can I do to get a better Performance on WLAN?

My phone works via WLAN connection to the HOST WLAN Spot very fast,...

I use Firmware: DD-WRT v24 RC-5 (11/22/07) std

GreeT`s Erich
feerlessleadr
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:50    Post subject: WPA2 - PSK AES Reply with quote
I cannot seem to get my client bridge router (running v23 sp2 micro) to connect to my network using WPA2. I was using WPA and it worked fine, but i recently changed my network to WPA2 PSK but when i tried to update the client bridge router, it won't connect.

I remember when I installed v24 that there was a problem with something (which I can't remember) and client bridge mode, so i put on v23 sp1 micro and everything worked ok.

i noticed in the WIKI that it says:

Quote:
Security Mode: Match your primary router, I used WEP (I have not tried anything but 128bit WEP!)
note: WPA-PSK works as well -guyonphone;
note: WPA-PSK even works if original router is WPA2 mixed -mcoope3;
note: v2.3_sp2 in client bridge mode currently doesn't support WPA2-PSK, but only WPA2-PSK mixed mode, so the AP has to be set to mixed and not WPA2-only mode (it can be either AES or TKIP).-zevnik
note: To put it simple, WPA2 doesn't work in Bridge Mode currently (dd-wrt v23 sp2)-
darthn note: WPA2 Personal does work in v24SP1.


I also noticed that it says that WPA2 DOES work in v24sp1. Is whatever problem with client bridge and v24 solved? or is there anyway that I can get WPA2 to work with v23sp2 micro? or will i have to upgrade to v24?

thanks
paradigm
DD-WRT User


Joined: 09 Dec 2008
Posts: 116

PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 15:53    Post subject: Re: WPA2 - PSK AES Reply with quote
feerlessleadr wrote:
I cannot seem to get my client bridge router (running v23 sp2 micro) to connect to my network using WPA2. I was using WPA and it worked fine, but i recently changed my network to WPA2 PSK but when i tried to update the client bridge router, it won't connect.

I remember when I installed v24 that there was a problem with something (which I can't remember) and client bridge mode, so i put on v23 sp1 micro and everything worked ok.

i noticed in the WIKI that it says:

Quote:
Security Mode: Match your primary router, I used WEP (I have not tried anything but 128bit WEP!)
note: WPA-PSK works as well -guyonphone;
note: WPA-PSK even works if original router is WPA2 mixed -mcoope3;
note: v2.3_sp2 in client bridge mode currently doesn't support WPA2-PSK, but only WPA2-PSK mixed mode, so the AP has to be set to mixed and not WPA2-only mode (it can be either AES or TKIP).-zevnik
note: To put it simple, WPA2 doesn't work in Bridge Mode currently (dd-wrt v23 sp2)-
darthn note: WPA2 Personal does work in v24SP1.


I also noticed that it says that WPA2 DOES work in v24sp1. Is whatever problem with client bridge and v24 solved? or is there anyway that I can get WPA2 to work with v23sp2 micro? or will i have to upgrade to v24?

thanks


I'm running a client bridge right now on two routers using 10991 eko. DHCP is working perfectly. The primary router is configured to use WPA2-Personal Mixed - TKIP+AES. But I had to set the client bridge to use WPA2 Personal + AES. Apparently you cannot set the client bridge to use a mixed mode, although you can still have your primry router use mixed. It mentions this in the wiki but at the very bottom where you don;t see it unless you read the whole thing before starting configuration. It got me too...

I also had to change the wireless MAC on my client bridge so that it would not conflict with my other dd-wrt primary.

I followed the bottom set of instructions here:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge
TrinitronX
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 08 Jan 2007
Posts: 23

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:14    Post subject: Reply with quote
So after reading through all 16 pages of this thread, it seems that Client Bridged mode still suffers from not being a true transparent bridge. This thread keeps coming back to the fact that MAC addresses are not passed through the network bridge. This thread was started 2 years ago, but people keep having the same problems with the client bridge not being transparent.

Here's my current setup:
--- is an ethernet cable
=== is wifi

WAN---WHR-HP-G54===WRT310N---(3 computers behind bridge)
(1 wifi)==/ \---(2 computers hardwired)

The main point is that I have machines on both sides of the bridge that need to be able to resolve one another's hostnames to IP addresses. So far this is possible for all non-bridged clients.

Interesting things:
  • Under Status->LAN page for the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54, "DHCP Clients" list shows the current MAC address of all bridged clients correctly!
  • Looking under the Active Clients list shows all active clients behind the bridge with same MAC address (This is of course MAC of the WRT310N
  • DHCP works as far as giving out IPs to all clients, except for static leases are unable to give out the correct IP address for clients behind the bridge
  • As such, bridged clients have dynamic IP leases from the pool, yet still are able to somehow show their REAL MAC addresses?


Judging from how the DHCP leases list shows the correct MAC addresses for bridged clients, why can't this information be captured (however that may be getting done), passed through and handled by dd-wrt through some magic hackery?

Perhaps I do not know enough about the internals of TCP/IP to figure out why exactly this is.

As it stands, I see that it could be theoretically possible to at least get static leases working, as well as DNS resolution of hostnames this way. One could coorelate the IPs with whatever the correct MAC address data that's getting sent is, hopefully allowing static IPs to work. Even if it's a dirty hack, at least we'd have some form of a transparent enough bridge?

The second approach to getting a transparent bridge seems to be using WDS. To do this, I've seen it posted multiple times to setup WDS as normal, and then run a couple commands to disable the repeater/ap part of the secondary router to act as a bridge.

swinn wrote:
To make it stop being a repeater, after you set up WDS and it is working, telnet into your router and issue the following commands:

Code:
nvram set wl0_mode=wds
nvram commit
reboot


That will set the router to only be a WDS bridge and not accept any wireless clients.


Does this solution work well for those who have tried it? Are there any problems that arise due to this setup?
Can we finally get some real answers here?

Will I stop asking questions?
Will Rocky and Bullwinkle escape this predicament? Or will they fall into Boris' dastardly plan? Laughing Wink
rpjunkmail76
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:30    Post subject: DHCP server setting is not visible in SETUP->BASIC SETTIN Reply with quote
Hi,

Does anyone know how to get the dhcp setting to show up under setup->basic settings.

I currently Wireless Bridge working. I have a buffallo router as the secondary with dd-wrt v24. I disabled the dhcp server, but would like to enable it again. how do i get the dhcp server settings to show up?

thanks...
paradigm
DD-WRT User


Joined: 09 Dec 2008
Posts: 116

PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 15:26    Post subject: Re: DHCP server setting is not visible in SETUP->BASIC SE Reply with quote
rpjunkmail76 wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone know how to get the dhcp setting to show up under setup->basic settings.

I currently Wireless Bridge working. I have a buffallo router as the secondary with dd-wrt v24. I disabled the dhcp server, but would like to enable it again. how do i get the dhcp server settings to show up?

thanks...


I believe that as long as it is in client bridge mode it will be disabled because the primary router would usually handle DHCP. You would need to change it out of client bridge. I could very well be wrong though.
seaweedsteve
DD-WRT User


Joined: 24 Jan 2007
Posts: 53
Location: Mexico

PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 16:05    Post subject: Re: DHCP server setting is not visible in SETUP->BASIC SE Reply with quote
rpjunkmail76 wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone know how to get the dhcp setting to show up under setup->basic settings.

I currently Wireless Bridge working. I have a buffallo router as the secondary with dd-wrt v24. I disabled the dhcp server, but would like to enable it again. how do i get the dhcp server settings to show up?

thanks...


Change Wireless Mode from Client Bridge to Client under wireless. I think that this is the difference between the two. Client bridge should always DHCP forward and client will not.

Then go to setup and do settings for DHCP

- I think that's how it works...

Steve

_________________
Router/AP: WHR-HP-G54 V23.2
AP: WHR-HP-G54 Stock FW
AP: Apple Airport Exp
Client Br: WRT54Gv4 V23.2
AP off Br: WRT54Gv4 stock
jtiern02
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 11 Jan 2009
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:11    Post subject: Client Bridge Issue Reply with quote
I have just upgrated an older Belkin router I had laying around to DD-WRT to use as a bridge for my Tivo/Xbox 360. The issue I am running into is by default the radio within DD-WRT is defaulting to off, I cannot figure how to get it to turn on to connect to my wireless network. I appreciate your advice and thank you in advance for putting in the time to help.
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