Problems setting up Linksys Router as bridge using a Power Line Utility

[wwratekin]

Hi guys,

Having some more problems today although the problem has changed. I have two Linksys E4200 routers, one set up as a main router, and one set up as a bridge to extend my wifi to the other parts of my house. I am using the stock linksys firmware and have not put the DD-WRT firmware on it....yet. I would like to refrain from doing so because I just bought this second one and do not want to risk bricking it after spending the amount I did.

My set up right now is that I have a the main router connected to a desktop, printer, and a Belkin powerline utility kit. My thinking was that I could use the powerline utility to extend my wireless connection to my basement and other parts of my house because the signal of our main router gets drowned out due to its very poor placement, but it has to be there. I have followed Linksys' instructions on how to set it up as a bridge and I am stuck at the part of plugging the ethernet cable from the main router into the bridge's WAN port.

What my thinking was is that I could use the powerline and connect the bridge to that so that I wouldn't have to feed a long ethernet cable through the house to where I want the extender bridge router to be. The bridge works perfectly when it is connected straight to the primary router, but as soon as I move it and connect it using the powerline adapter, it will not obtain an IP address and I cannot get internet. It is not the fact that the powerline adapters aren't working because I have connected my laptop straight to it and it will pick up our network and work fine, the problem is I am now attached via a wire which I don't like.

Any help would be much appreciated. Spent all day trying to figure out the problem and can't seem to get it despite many many MANY internet searches. If there is another option that will extend the range of my wireless network without losing the bandwidth please feel free to mention it because at this point I am open to anything. I just want to extend our WiFi because it isn't the best range wise at this point. Thanks guys and sorry for the lengthy post!!

Willie

 

[bill001g]

First thing to try is to plug a PC directly into the powerline device just to make sure your connection to the main router is good.

I would then next just pretend you linksys did not have the ability to run as a AP. Disable the DHCP and hook the lan port to the powerline and a pc to another lan port on the linksys. The PC should still work in this configuration. If it does then it is just a matter of figuring out why the setting in the linksys did not let you use the WAN port.

 

[RealBeast]

Attach the powerline to the "bridge's" LAN port not WAN port -- you are using it as an AP so configure it that way. Using the WAN port will create a subnet that will require you to enter the main router as the WAN and DNS addresses. And that subnet will need a different IP range than the main router.

 

[wwratekin]

Attach the powerline to the "bridge's" LAN port not WAN port -- you are using it as an AP so configure it that way. Using the WAN port will create a subnet that will require you to enter the main router as the WAN and DNS addresses. And that subnet will need a different IP range than the main router.

What setting on the secondary linksys router should I put it on? Should I keep it in the bridge mode they have?

 

[RealBeast]

Attach the powerline to the "bridge's" LAN port not WAN port -- you are using it as an AP so configure it that way. Using the WAN port will create a subnet that will require you to enter the main router as the WAN and DNS addresses. And that subnet will need a different IP range than the main router.

What setting on the secondary linksys router should I put it on? Should I keep it in the bridge mode they have?

I would set it up as a standard AP. Just set it to router, turn off DHCP, give it a static address in the network range but outside the DHCP range, and connect them LAN to LAN.