connect two linksys WRT54G wireless routers

Jornak,

I might have forgotten to mention that I cannot physically get to the other router, so I would not be able to reach it near by.  I use my upstairs signal to connect to the internet, but it's done wirelessly.  I need to connect to network/router via wireless to my router to my router downstairs.   The connections are as follows.

My modem connects, physically, to my linksys wireless router and need this router to send packets over to my other linksys wireless router downstairs so I can phycally connect my laptop.  I do not want to be running a ethernet connection from downstairs to upstairs to do this.

Hi OCwaste2,

You can do this if you use DD-WRT firmware installed on your device.
http://www.dd-wrt.com

The mode you're looking for is wireless client bridge.  Your router would then connect to the other wireless router (which is providing an internet connection) as if it were any other computer.  You can then plug your devices into your device with ethernet.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Mode_Wireless

You may be able to re-broadcast wireless, but you'll have to change the antenna modes.  If you do a search for WRT54-G and cantenna, you should be able to find different ways of configuring your antenna.

Hope this helps,
Greg

Does the DD-WRT firmware need to be installed for both routers or can I just have the 2nd router have the DD-WRT firmware upgraded?

DD-WRT only needs to be installed in the client router.  It does not need to be installed on the router that is acting as the wireless access point.  You can confirm that here:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Mode_Wireless

The WRT54G's default firmware can act as a client AP, which should work perfectly for what he's describing.

Jornak,

Would you screenshot the settings for this?  I've never seen a non-hacked WRT54-G that can act as a wireless client and I think you're wrong about being able to use the Linksys firmware.

I also searched and found a couple additional tutorials on connecting two WRT54-G routers and they all use some sort of hacked firmware (DD-WRT, SVEASOFT, OpenWRT, etc...).

http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/24/how-to-connect-your-linksys-wrt54g-network-to-the-internet/
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/php-bsd-me/linksys-wrt54gl-as-a-client-to-a-gateway-15058
http://www.digifuzz.net/archives/2008/07/how-i-turned-my-linksys-wrt54g-router-into-a-client/

At what point I'm I upgrading the firmware of my 2nd router which will act as a bridge?  Here is the link to the instructions I'm talking about:  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Mode_Wireless

Also, before upgrading the router under step 1 (Client side), I don't see an option to select CLIENT from basic settings tab.  Is this upgrading of firmware supposed to provide this option?  

Sorry I'm new to dd-wrt.  layman's terms would be very helpful.

OCwaste2,

The tutorial assumes that you've already installed DD-WRT.

Yes, you'll see the option to run in 'Client' mode after installing DD-WRT.  I'm attaching a screenshot for you.

Thanks very much!

I thank you for pointing me in the correct direction.

You're welcome.  No trouble at all.

Which one do I install for a Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router:

Check out this table:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices#Linksys_.28all_the_rest_that_is_not_re-engineered_til_today.29

You want to look at the sticker on the bottom of your router and determine the version number.  Be careful to note that there are multiple routers with the WRT54G prefix (such as the WRT54G, WRT54GL and the WRT54GS).  Once you are sure you have the right model and the right version, look at the fifth column of the table I linked for the appropriate version of DD-WRT to install.

Another side note, ALWAYS flash your router using an ethernet cable.  DO NOT FLASH USING WIRELESS.  During the flash, the wireless will be disabled and can interrupt the flash, thereby bricking your router.  If you're doing this from a laptop, disable the wireless card to ensure that you are communicating with the router via ethernet cable.

There is a chance you could brick your router, so proceed at your own risk.

I've done two of these and I've been just fine.  Just take your time and double check your versions.  DD-WRT is pretty cool and the wireless bridge functionality is great.  I first used it when I lived in a part of the house that wasn't wired for internet.  When I moved, I took that router and hooked it up to my printer so I could put my printer wherever I wanted without having to run a cable.  It's also great for gamers who don't want to buy the proprietary Xbox 360 wireless attachment.

I went through the instructions, but I still can't ping my CLIENT router.  Do I also need to set the SSID to my routers SSID?  Also, is there something I should double check?

I'd start by checking the IP address that your DD-WRT router is getting from the DHCP server on the host router.

Assuming the host router is using the default subnet, your DD-WRT router will be getting an address that looks something like 192.168.1.xxx.  You need to make sure that you have the DHCP server on your DD-WRT router enabled and set to assign addresses within a subnet that is different from the host subnet.  I'd use 192.168.2.255 with the DD-WRT router having a local IP address of 192.168.2.1.

I'm going to attach a picture, but I drew it in paint so no making fun of me.  It's all I have available right now.

Couple more questions:

1.  Since my first router (Not the client router) is configured with the LINKSYS SSID, does the CLIENT router need to also be configured with the same SSID?

2.  Also when I do ipconfig on my new ethernet connection from my client router to my laptop, (IPCONFIG SETTINGS) are:

dns:  192.168.2.2
gateway:  192.168.2.2
subnet:  255.255.255.0
DHCP:  192.168.2.2

Is this correct?

As per the setup documentation from DD-WRT that was posted earlier, the SSID on the DD-WRT router should match the SSID on the HOST router.

Those settings look correct.  If your laptop were getting an address from the HOST router, it would have a 192.168.1.*** address.  The fact that it has a 192.168.2.*** address means it is getting its address from the DHCP server on the DD-WRT router.

Lastly, I should be using one of the four ports to physically (ethernet) connect to the laptop/pc and not the WAN connection, right?

Are there any special settings, such as port forward or firewall settings that I should worry about?  Any last tips?

firewall settings

No one ever replied to my question at the end.