Hello and thanks for looking! The short of my request is I am trying to use a ZyXEL mwr102 travel wi-fi router to pass my home WiFi network to an Xbox 360 elite, pre built-in wifi. (Wireless LAN client?)
I highly appreciate any help. After trying myself for an embarrassing number of hours and essentially feeling overwhelmed by too much data to sift through, I thought it was time to ask the good folks of the Internet.
I will include the solution (or a link to this forum) in my Amazon review of the product, so we can share the love and knowledge.
Extra details and efforts/updates so far will be tucked under a spoiler box to prevent clutter
Solution update:
To enable Client mode (to bridge my existing wifi network to Ethernet), follow these steps:
*flip the switch on the ZyXEL's side to AP mode.
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*log in to the ZyXEL's setup page @ 192.168.100.1 (the directions recommend giving your computer a static IP address first, 192.168.100.10)
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Basic Settings
*look for the "wireless mode" setting halfway down; click where it says "AP" and pick "Client" from the dropdown menu (I missed this at first)
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Site Survey
*Click the Site Survey button on this page to refresh the list of wifi networks in range.
*Click the bubble to the right of your network, and then the Next button to get the password screen
*Match your encryption method (mine was WEP), key length, and type of password. My password was ten digits long, so 64-bit and the HEX setting were right for me.
*Click finish, and if you typed in your password and settings riiiight... You're done!
Something I didn't know before but the configuration document pointed out, in client mode BOTH Ethernet jacks pass through the Internet connection. SO, end result, I do (and you will/would) have a travel router that serves up a 150mbps WiFi N signal, an access point, AND a wireless client bridge that allows two devices to connect to a wifi network. All in a package powered thro either Ethernet or AC, smaller than an Altoids tin!
I highly appreciate any help. After trying myself for an embarrassing number of hours and essentially feeling overwhelmed by too much data to sift through, I thought it was time to ask the good folks of the Internet.
I will include the solution (or a link to this forum) in my Amazon review of the product, so we can share the love and knowledge.
Extra details and efforts/updates so far will be tucked under a spoiler box to prevent clutter
ok, so I have access to my ZyXEL mwr102 router's browser-based setup page. Yes, I noticed that the product is advertised more to create wi-fi on a wired network, instead of the inverse, but I think it's possible because the spec sheets and a few settings in the HTML setup page refer to a client bridge mode. The 2nd half of the buy.com spotlight video made it sound so easy to set as a wireless LAN client I intend to use this to give my Xbox 360 wi-fi capability in the short run, but eventually I would like to do the same for a computer (hac Mac) that I am building. You can't use a USB dongle for both, which is why I went this route.
A quick google search for "client bridge" brought up a nice dd-wrt document about how to use their firmware on everybody's favorite Linksys router, but after reading through I didn't know how to apply that in this case.
There doesn't seem to be online FAQ or support documents online yet from the manufacturer (new product from October 2011), just a PDF users manual @ http://us.zyxel.com/products/details.aspx?PC1indexflag=PDCA200920&CategoryGroupNo=PDCA201138
Update 1/31/12: wifi-->MacBook Pro-->Internet Sharing activated through System Settings-->ZyXEL WAN port--> ZyXEL LAN port--> Xbox 360
Works in router mode without changing factory settings. Streamed YouTube vid smoothly (no info on XBOX about resolution (looked 480p) without stopping to buffer. FYI we have FiOS Internet, but even so WiFi connection speeds are way faster than any typical home Internet service (ISP is the bottleneck).
A quick google search for "client bridge" brought up a nice dd-wrt document about how to use their firmware on everybody's favorite Linksys router, but after reading through I didn't know how to apply that in this case.
There doesn't seem to be online FAQ or support documents online yet from the manufacturer (new product from October 2011), just a PDF users manual @ http://us.zyxel.com/products/details.aspx?PC1indexflag=PDCA200920&CategoryGroupNo=PDCA201138
Update 1/31/12: wifi-->MacBook Pro-->Internet Sharing activated through System Settings-->ZyXEL WAN port--> ZyXEL LAN port--> Xbox 360
Works in router mode without changing factory settings. Streamed YouTube vid smoothly (no info on XBOX about resolution (looked 480p) without stopping to buffer. FYI we have FiOS Internet, but even so WiFi connection speeds are way faster than any typical home Internet service (ISP is the bottleneck).
Solution update:
To enable Client mode (to bridge my existing wifi network to Ethernet), follow these steps:
*flip the switch on the ZyXEL's side to AP mode.
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*log in to the ZyXEL's setup page @ 192.168.100.1 (the directions recommend giving your computer a static IP address first, 192.168.100.10)
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Basic Settings
*look for the "wireless mode" setting halfway down; click where it says "AP" and pick "Client" from the dropdown menu (I missed this at first)
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Site Survey
*Click the Site Survey button on this page to refresh the list of wifi networks in range.
*Click the bubble to the right of your network, and then the Next button to get the password screen
*Match your encryption method (mine was WEP), key length, and type of password. My password was ten digits long, so 64-bit and the HEX setting were right for me.
*Click finish, and if you typed in your password and settings riiiight... You're done!
Something I didn't know before but the configuration document pointed out, in client mode BOTH Ethernet jacks pass through the Internet connection. SO, end result, I do (and you will/would) have a travel router that serves up a 150mbps WiFi N signal, an access point, AND a wireless client bridge that allows two devices to connect to a wifi network. All in a package powered thro either Ethernet or AC, smaller than an Altoids tin!