Moving between Router and AP stops internet working

[foggs]

I have 2 wireless routers set up at home, one configured as an AP, like so:


Internet

|
|​

|Router|____________cable_____________| AP |______| PC |


I'm having an issue where wireless devices either fail to obtain an IP address or the internet is unavailable when moving from the Router to the AP.

Details:

Router:
Netgear DGN-2200v4
Fixed IP (192.168.0.1)
Built in ADSL modem connected to internet through phone line
DHCP enabled
Channel: 1 (single - 20Mhz)

AP: (Router acting as AP - connected to main router by cable)
Dlink DSL-2750U
No AP mode
Fixed IP (192.168.0.2)
DHCP disabled
UPnP disabled
Channel: 6 (single - 20Mhz)


Both have the same wifi SSID and password
Both have the lastest firmware (same issue on older firmware too)


Testing:

I've tested this on 2 phones, one running Android 7, the other Android 5, and get the same results:

Same SSID:

Dynamic IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "failed to obtain an IP address" (wifi disconnects)​

Static IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)​

Different SSID for AP: (Not really a viable option: Android won't switch between the two unless it really has to i.e it favours continuity over signal strength)

Dymamic IP: "failed to obtain an IP address"

Static IP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)

​

I've also tried turning on DHCP on both (each with their own independent range) - the AP responds first and sets itself as the gateway, which means wifi connectivity works but no internet access.

My PC, which is connected to the AP by cable, works when its IP is set to both static or dynamic.

Are there any other options that I need to change on either router to get this working properly? Or is it most likely an incompatibility between the two routers?

 

[degrub]

"AP: (Router acting as AP - connected to main router by cable)
Dlink DSL-2750U
No AP mode
Fixed IP (192.168.0.2
"

isn't "No AP mode" a little odd for what you are trying to do ? It sounds like your device is working on the main wireless router only.

 

[netwrks]

I have 2 wireless routers set up at home, one configured as an AP, like so:


Internet

|
|​

|Router|____________cable_____________| AP |______| PC |


I'm having an issue where wireless devices either fail to obtain an IP address or the internet is unavailable.

Details:

Router:
Netgear DGN-2200v4
Fixed IP (192.168.0.1)
Built in ADSL modem connected to internet through phone line
DHCP enabled
Channel: 1 (single - 20Mhz)

AP: (Router acting as AP - connected to main router by cable)
Dlink DSL-2750U
No AP mode
Fixed IP (192.168.0.2)
DHCP disabled
UPnP disabled
Channel: 6 (single - 20Mhz)


Both have the same wifi SSID and password
Both have the lastest firmware (same issue on older firmware too)


Testing:

I've tested this on 2 phones, one running Android 7, the other Android 5, and get the same results:

Same SSID:

Dynamic IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "failed to obtain an IP address" (wifi disconnects)​

Static IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)​

Different SSID for AP: (Not really a viable option: Android won't switch between the two unless it really has to i.e it favours continuity over signal strength)

Dymamic IP: "failed to obtain an IP address"

Static IP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)

​

I've also tried turning on DHCP on both (each with their own independent range) - the AP responds first and sets itself as the gateway, which means wifi connectivity works but no internet access.

My PC, which is connected to the AP by cable, works when its IP is set to both static or dynamic.

Are there any other options that I need to change on either router to get this working properly? Or is it most likely an incompatibility between the two routers?

These devices have barely have any features to manage a wireless environment correctly, to use one SSID. Upgrade to a wireless system that supports wired back haul. There is a variety of wired backhaul solutions.

 

[foggs]

"isn't "No AP mode" a little odd for what you are trying to do ? It sounds like your device is working on the main wireless router only."

From the guides I've read online it doesn't make a difference, it's just a setting to auto configure the router as an AP, so that it's easier for end users.

It's certainly looks like it's switching between the two - I can see the signal strength change substantially on the phone when it switches.

 

[degrub]

it may attach and reconnect to the devices, but the "router/AP" portion is not working correctly.

 

[foggs]

These devices have barely have any features to manage a wireless environment correctly, to use one SSID. Upgrade to a wireless system that supports wired back haul. There is a variety of wired backhaul solutions.

The Dlink router is just an old one I had lying around. Before this I had another similar Netgear which worked for the most part, but my phone line was struck by lightning, and that was the end of that. If I can't get this working then I'll take a look at getting something else

 

[CaptainSTX]

I have 2 wireless routers set up at home, one configured as an AP, like so:


Internet

|
|​

|Router|____________cable_____________| AP |______| PC |


I'm having an issue where wireless devices either fail to obtain an IP address or the internet is unavailable.

Details:

Router:
Netgear DGN-2200v4
Fixed IP (192.168.0.1)
Built in ADSL modem connected to internet through phone line
DHCP enabled
Channel: 1 (single - 20Mhz)

AP: (Router acting as AP - connected to main router by cable)
Dlink DSL-2750U
No AP mode
Fixed IP (192.168.0.2)
DHCP disabled
UPnP disabled
Channel: 6 (single - 20Mhz)


Both have the same wifi SSID and password
Both have the lastest firmware (same issue on older firmware too)


Testing:

I've tested this on 2 phones, one running Android 7, the other Android 5, and get the same results:

Same SSID:

Dynamic IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "failed to obtain an IP address" (wifi disconnects)​

Static IP:

Move from AP to Router: works
Move from Router to AP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)​

Different SSID for AP: (Not really a viable option: Android won't switch between the two unless it really has to i.e it favours continuity over signal strength)

Dymamic IP: "failed to obtain an IP address"

Static IP: "internet may not be available" (wifi stays connected, internet doesn't work - starts working again after a while)

​

I've also tried turning on DHCP on both (each with their own independent range) - the AP responds first and sets itself as the gateway, which means wifi connectivity works but no internet access.

My PC, which is connected to the AP by cable, works when its IP is set to both static or dynamic.

Are there any other options that I need to change on either router to get this working properly? Or is it most likely an incompatibility between the two routers?

The cable from the router should be plugged into a LAN port on the router and a LAN port on the AP unless the firmware on the router being used as an AP allows the WAN port to be converted to a LAN port. Is your cable done this way?

If it is and it isn't working perhaps the cable linking the two devices is defective. Try another cable that you know is good.

 

[foggs]

The cable from the router should be plugged into a LAN port on the router and a LAN port on the AP unless the firmware on the router being used as an AP allows the WAN port to be converted to a LAN port. Is your cable done this way?

If it is and it isn't working perhaps the cable linking the two devices is defective. Try another cable that you know is good.

Port 1 on the router is a LAN/WAN combo port, so I'm gonna try port 2 and see if that improves the situation!

My PC is connected by the same cable and doesn't have any issues so I doubt it's the cable

 

[foggs]

I got that wrong. It's actually port 4 that's the combo port. Tried switching anyway, but it didn't make a difference

 

[CaptainSTX]

To make your existing AP work try doing a factory reset in case there is some setting that is messing up its functionality, then just turn off DHCP on the AP and use the default channels, security etc to see if it works. If it does then change SSIDs, channels security etc. If it works great if not it's time to try with another piece of hardware. Normally repurposing a router to an AP is simple and works easily if the the DHCP function is disabled on the AP and they two devices are cabled LAN port to LAN port.

 

[foggs]

I almost did that! But then I ended up switching the two around. So the Netgear is now the AP and the Dlink is now the main router.

The Netgear has a dedicated AP mode, but I originally didn't want to use it because the Access Control is grayed out in this mode, and I wanted to use that.
Rather annoyingly, even when left in router mode and configured to work as an AP, the Access Control is available, but simply doesn't work.

Another quirk is that the Dlink router lists the Netgear AP as a DHCP client with an IP of 192.168.0.3 and 0 seconds of lease time, but it's actually set to a static IP of 192.169.0.2.
But it seems to be working for now

 

[degrub]

can you assign the Netgear MAC address a fixed IP in the Dlink ?
Make sure the address used is not assignable by DHCP range ie if range is 192.168.0.1 to 50 make the Netgear .0.51

 

[foggs]

can you assign the Netgear MAC address a fixed IP in the Dlink ?

Yup! Thanks for the suggestion! I've set that up now, maybe it'll be more robust like this