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Setting Up Your WRT54GL (reflashed with DD-WRT) Repeater In Universal Repeater Mode (as supplied)
This mode is used primarily for sharing internet only. This is very straightforward so it can be useful to try this out first, even if you change to Repeater Bridge Mode later (see page 3 and onwards) for Windows file sharing and connecting printers etc.

1) Connect up the Power supply to your WRT54GL. Check that the LEDs on the front panel are lit. 2) Search for Wireless Networks using your wireless enabled PC. No need to connect any Ethernet cables.

3) You should see the name Repeater. Connect your wireless to it. 4) Open Your Internet Browser, Internet Explorer, Firefox etc and type 192.168.5.1 into the address bar.

User Name = rfshop Password = repeater Note the version in the main panel: Firmware: DD-WRT v24-sp1 (07/27/08) std 5) Status > Wireless > Site Survey

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Connect (join) to the one you choose. Thats it! You should be now connected to the wireless network. What if Im not? 1) Ask your wireless network administrator to temporarily remove any security or downgrade temporarily to the simplest WEP code. Eg 64 bit. It may be necessary to add the macaddress of the WRT54GL to the networks wireless router. See Status > Wireless to obtain this. 2) There may be a clash of subnet addresses. If your wireless network already uses 192.168.5.x you will need to change the repeater to an IP on a different subnet such as 192.168.9.1 on the Setup > Basic Setup page. Other questions. Q. Can I connect to the repeater, as a client, via Ethernet cable instead of by wireless? A. Yes. You may need to manually, at least initially, set up your Ethernet /Network card to operate on the subnet 192.168.5.X See http://www.rfshop.com.au/Blogs/tabid/648/EntryID/31/Default.aspx Q. What about security? A . Youll probably need a WEP/WPA key of the wireless network you are trying to connect to. You can also add additional security for the repeater connection if you wish. See under Wireless > Wireless Security

You may find that setting the security causes some problems. These are discussed in http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge The comments seem to be equally valid for all repeater modes. Make the security on each interface identical. Same pass key. Same security method. Weve tested WEP and WPA Personal with TKIP key. Seems to work OK. But there are a few bugs. Like:

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1) Dont use the passphrase generator. You cant overtype the key codes later. (Or rather you can and they do work but the old ones are the ones that remain visible) 2) Instead type in the key codes directly. Or better still copy and paste from a text file as they are not visible once you have typed them in. So keep a separate record. We would welcome any feedback on this problem. Email: peter@rfshop.com.au or pm@rfshop.co.uk If you run into trouble setting up the security you may find that you are locked out from connecting by wireless. You should still be able to connect via Ethernet cable though. Q. Are there any other features associated with the repeater? A. Yes. See www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Universal_Wireless_Repeater Q: What do I do if I have locked myself out of the unit and cant get back in? Or, what if I want to use one of the many other DD-WRT features. Client, Client Bridge, AP etc ? A: Press the reset button near the left hand antenna for 10 secs. Note that the IP address will default back to 192.168.1.1 SSID = DD-WRT User name = root Password = admin The unit often needs a minute or so to reboot itself into the new state. You can reload the same repeater config file: http://www.rfshop.com.au/Portals/22/supp/rfshop_repeater(192.168.5.1).bin or any other config file as described below. Q: Where do I find more information on DD-WRT features? A www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php There is a lot more on the web too. Just Google DD-WRT There are also many video clips on: http://au.youtube.com/results?search_query=DD-wrt&search_type=&aq=f Q. Is DD-WRT free? A. Yes, but please donate to www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/dd-wrt/donate.html if you find the upgrade useful to you.

Saving and loading configuation files.

It is advisable to save your files in some meaningful format. I use: Username_password(IPaddress) Default Universal repeater config file (as supplied) http://www.rfshop.com.au/Portals/22/supp/rfshop_repeater(192.168.5.1).bin

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Repeater Bridge http://www.rfshop.com.au/Portals/22/supp/rfshop_repbridge(192.168.1.2).bin These files can be downloaded and used with ver24 of the standard generic DDWRT. Setting up the Repeater in Repeater Bridge mode. Sometimes it is desirable to not allow access to your network apart from allowing internet sharing. The Universal Wireless Repeater is good for this, but it does present problems if you wish to allow access to your network using Windows file sharing or want to share printers etc. Youll need to set up a repeater, which uses the same subnet.You can do it yourself as on: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge If you download the repeater bridge bin file above, it should be pretty close to working if you happen to use the 192.168.1.N subnet. You may just need to choose another IP address if 192.168.1.2 is already taken and add the required security. If not youll need to configure the repeater to be on the same subnet as your existing wireless network. There is no DHCP until the repeater is connected to the main wireless in this mode, so you will need, initially, to set up your Ethernet or Wireless card with a manual IP address, in the same subnet range. See the first part of this link for how to do this: http://www.rfshop.com.au/Blogs/tabid/648/EntryID/31/Default.aspx Get into the repeater via the browser. Connect it to the desired wireless channel. Then, reset the wireless, or ethernet card to accept an IP address automatically and reconnect. Q. How do I know which subnet to use? A. Read: http://www.rfshop.com.au/Blogs/tabid/648/EntryID/31/Default.aspx Especially the end section which shows how to get information using ipconfig/all in the command prompt. Set up the security and connect to your network as described for Universal Mode. UK BT Home Hubs are usually set to have an IP address of 192.168.1.254 If 192.168.1.253 is free, use that for the fixed IP of a repeater bridge. Gateway setting in Repeater Brudge will be 192.168.1.254 (same as HH) DNS 192.168.1.254 If this doesnt work look up the DNS that the HH is using using ipconfig/all in Command prompt. DNS (Dynamic name server) is used to translate names into numbers. For example Google is 216.239.59.104 . If this works in your browser, but www.google.co.uk doesnt, then you have a DNS setting problem. Often there are transparency issues when setting up any home network. Some PCs not seeing some printers etc. Try to resolve those first, if you can, with everything connected directly to the HH. Then, everything should still work the same, when the repeater bridge is included in the network. You can connect either wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable to the repeater bridge. So you could connect a printer or X box to the repeater bridge by Ethernet cable.