ASUS RT-N56U as secondary router in wireless bridge - Possible?

[upgrade]

I am looking at using a spare ASUS RT-N56U as a secondary router in a wireless bridge as shown in the image appended. The primary router is the ISP provided router.

The connect is like this:

ONT > Primary router > ... wireless ... > RT-N56U > LAN cables > PCs

The ASUS firmware only allow setup as a router or a wired AP. There is no wireless bridge feature. Is there some trick to do this or is there 3rd-party firmware that can do this?

 

[elpibe10]

Yup, it works.

I'm using my RT-N56U (latest Padavan firmware) as a wireless bridge, running 24/7.

Connected via 5GHz wireless to my RT-AC68U router which is 1 floor above.

Linked at 450Mbps. Getting full 200Mbps doing Speedtest.

 

[upgrade]

Hi elpibe10,

Thanks very much.

I will go try our Padawan firmware. I believe this is the download link? Nothing to identify it as Padawan although Internet search point to it.

rt-n56u - ASUS RT-N56U/RT-N65U custom firmware - Google Project Hosting

 

[elpibe10]

BTW, you need to set the RT-N56U as an Access Point and configure it as a bridge in the Wireless section (there's a tab in there to set it up as a Bridge).

Choose 'AP-Client only' within that 'Bridge' tab.

Or 'AP and AP-Client' if you want the RT-N56U to function as a Wireless Bridge as well as a Wireless Repeater.

 

[elpibe10]

Hi elpibe10,

Thanks very much.

I will go try our Padawan firmware. I believe this is the download link? Nothing to identify it as Padawan although Internet search point to it.

rt-n56u - ASUS RT-N56U/RT-N65U custom firmware - Google Project Hosting

Yup that's Padavan's official site. Be careful not to download the ones for RT-N65U as they are all grouped together.

 

[upgrade]

BTW, you need to set the RT-N56U as an Access Point and configure it as a bridge in the Wireless section (there's a tab in there to set it up as a Bridge).

Choose 'AP-Client only' within that 'Bridge' tab.

Or 'AP and AP-Client' if you want the RT-N56U to function as a Wireless Bridge as well as a Wireless Repeater.

OK. I understand this instruction is for the Padawan firmware?

May I clarify:

1) For 'AP and AP-Client' - I will suffer a 50-60% drop in WiFi speed due to repeating mode.

2) For 'AP-Client only' - I will not suffer a 50-60% drop since no repeating of WiFi signal? And, therefore wireless devices can connect only to the primary router?

3) If (2) is true, will having another secondary router as another wireless bridge for another room affects the speed? Not due to devices sharing the bandwidth but due to the setup.

 

[elpibe10]

OK. I understand this instruction is for the Padawan firmware?

May I clarify:

1) For 'AP and AP-Client' - I will suffer a 50-60% drop in WiFi speed due to repeating mode.

2) For 'AP-Client only' - I will not suffer a 50-60% drop since no repeating of WiFi signal? And, therefore wireless devices can connect only to the primary router?

3) If (2) is true, will having another secondary router as another wireless bridge for another room affects the speed? Not due to devices sharing the bandwidth but due to the setup.

For (1), the wired devices connected to the bridge will still be getting the full speed that the N56U connected to (the router).

If setting the RT-N56U as a router (instead of AP) as well as a wireless bridge, you have to assign it another private subnet to avoid double NATing.

Eg. main router's LAN IP is 192.168.1.x, RT-N56U's LAN need to be 192.168.y.x where y cannot be 1.

Problem with having another private subnet is that port forwarding for devices connected to the N56U will have problem and devices connected to your main router will not be able to access those connected to the N56U.

 

[azrin619]

Even with standard firmware... sacrifice the 5GHZ to be the repeat so that on the second site.. the 2.4Ghz is fully used up...

 

[upgrade]

Hi elpibe10,

Managed to find time over the weekend to try this out. Set it up to work as "AP and AP-Client" using Padawan. Works okay except for one problem that I don't know whether it is normal.

The problem is I cannot connect to the both 5Ghz SSIDs on both primary router and RT-N56U. Am able to detect but cannot connect. No problem with the 2.4Ghz SSIDs.

Meantime, I have reverted it back to original firmware and use as wired AP connected to homeplug.

 

[elpibe10]

Hi elpibe10,

Managed to find time over the weekend to try this out. Set it up to work as "AP and AP-Client" using Padawan. Works okay except for one problem that I don't know whether it is normal.

The problem is I cannot connect to the both 5Ghz SSIDs on both primary router and RT-N56U. Am able to detect but cannot connect. No problem with the 2.4Ghz SSIDs.

Meantime, I have reverted it back to original firmware and use as wired AP connected to homeplug.

A couple of possibilities I can think of :
- distance too far between router and RT-N56U
or too many objects between router and RT-N56U.

If the signal reaching the Asus is weak (>85 dBm), then the 2 devices may not be able to associate properly.

Try re-locating the Asus and changing to another channel (if router currently on low frequency range (30-40+) can switch to high frequency range (150-160+) or vice-versa

- compatibility issue ? Sometimes different brands / models don't play well with each other

 

[upgrade]

I think it is compatibility issue. When setting up, they were only about 2 to 2.5 metres apart.

I tried the lower freq 36 and 48, and the higher 149 and 157. Same problem.

 

[eventidephoenix]

hi guys you seem quite experienced and I'm intending to do something similar, so I thought to ask a question:

Do you guys run it as repeater mode? also what's the difference between this firmware and dd-wrt? is there one better than the other?

 

[shawnhalu]

hi guys sorry for bring up this thread again. i just recent got a new router, i am thinking of setting a wireless repeating mode like what it have been said, but i dont know which padawan firmware to download. as my ASUS RT-N56U Firmware Version is 3.0.0.4.374.5656

 

[Ah-Pin-Kor]

hi guys sorry for bring up this thread again. i just recent got a new router, i am thinking of setting a wireless repeating mode like what it have been said, but i dont know which padawan firmware to download. as my ASUS RT-N56U Firmware Version is 3.0.0.4.374.5656

Just download the base version RT-N56U_3.0.3.8-081_base.trx
from here:
https://drive.google.com/folderview...sharing&tid=0B0clSzFg6jb9ejVLX0cyR0ZpMWs#list

 

[Mclairs83]

hi guys sorry for bring up this thread again. i just recent got a new router, i am thinking of setting a wireless repeating mode like what it have been said, but i dont know which padawan firmware to download. as my ASUS RT-N56U Firmware Version is 3.0.0.4.374.5656

Download the base will do.

 

[meepokman]

Even with standard firmware... sacrifice the 5GHZ to be the repeat so that on the second site.. the 2.4Ghz is fully used up...

Sorry, to bring this back to TS previous question.

Wifi speed suffers in Repeater mode.

Hence, the work around you are suggesting is:
(1) Use 5Ghz as wireless SSID,
(2) Use 2.4Ghz to bridge?

Is this possible with N56U?

*I stay in a 3 storey house and homeplug has been unstable.

 

[shawnhalu]

Just download the base version RT-N56U_3.0.3.8-081_base.trx
from here:
https://drive.google.com/folderview...sharing&tid=0B0clSzFg6jb9ejVLX0cyR0ZpMWs#list

Thanks @Mclairs83 & @Ah-Pin-Kor

so i just flash it in the asus configuration there?

 

[Mclairs83]

Thanks @Mclairs83 & @Ah-Pin-Kor

so i just flash it in the asus configuration there?

go to the firmware upgrade tab to upgrade.

remember to do a factory reset after u upgrade to a custom firmware.

 

[SG_Jimmy]

Hi

Can RT-N56U original default firmware be set as AP to repeat another RT-N56U wireless signal ?

 

[shawnhalu]

Yup, it works.

I'm using my RT-N56U (latest Padavan firmware) as a wireless bridge, running 24/7.

Connected via 5GHz wireless to my RT-AC68U router which is 1 floor above.

Linked at 450Mbps. Getting full 200Mbps doing Speedtest.

hi i just got my vq up and running. but i flash the padavan on 56u i cant seem to connect it to 5ghz.. how come huh?