Router connected to Client Bridge: Wireless still halved

[misfiringsystem]

Device: WRT54G v.6
Firmware: dd-wrt

I have the WRT54G set up as a client bridge. Everything works, when I connect my computer via the LAN port of the client bridge, I was able to get almost 90% of the ISP's internet speed.

What I'm trying is, connecting another router to the client bridge.

Set up:
Client Bridge (LAN) ----- (WAN) 2nd Router.

When I connect my computer to the LAN port of the 2nd Router, I was still able to get roughly same speed as connecting client bridge.

But when I connect wirelessly to the 2nd router, everything (incl. internet speed) was halved.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? I'm just confused why speed coming out of the LAN port and wireless is different.

Any explaination/help would be greatly appreciated.

misfiringsystem

 

[stevech]

Aren't there two WiFi hops in your setup?

It might help a little if you put the 2nd router on a channel # that is 3+ channels different than the one the bridge uses.

 

[misfiringsystem]

Aren't there two WiFi hops in your setup?

It might help a little if you put the 2nd router on a channel # that is 3+ channels different than the one the bridge uses.

stevech,

I believe so. To put it in simpler words, I'm trying to build a repeater bridge [dd-wrt] without losing half the bandwidth over wireless.

I assume that if I connect a client bridge with a router/ap, I shouldn't see the theoretical loss in bandwidth seen in a repeater bridge, since I have the radio on the client bridge handling just the communication with the primary router, and router/ap handling just communicating with the clients.

What's confusing is, for the ap connected wired to the client bridge, clients connected wired to the ap seems fine (no noticeable loss in speed), but when connecting to wirelessly to the ap, there seems to be a drop.

I'm not sure if I set up everything the right way, but it seems to be working so far, except for the theory part on building a repeater bridge without noticeable loss in wireless speed.

Thanks.

 

[abailey]

You are dong it correctly but it sounds like your client bridge and 2nd router are on the same channel. If your using 2.4Ghz then only use channels 1,6, or 11 for your setup and make sure your main router and client bridge are on a separate channel from your second router. Also make sure you set the channel width for 20Mhz, not auto or 40. If using 5Ghz make sure they are on different channels.

 

[thiggins]

The two APs must be on different channels, using 1, 6 or 11, with different SSIDs so you can be sure your clients are connected to the desired AP.

If both are on the same channel, they share the same bandwidth and will compete for air time.

 

[misfiringsystem]

I will make sure they are on different channels and see how it goes.

Thanks!

 

[stevech]

You are dong it correctly but it sounds like your client bridge and 2nd router are on the same channel. If your using 2.4Ghz then only use channels 1,6, or 11 for your setup and make sure your main router and client bridge are on a separate channel from your second router. Also make sure you set the channel width for 20Mhz, not auto or 40. If using 5Ghz make sure they are on different channels.

There's an echo in here.

 

[TonyH]

I will make sure they are on different channels and see how it goes.

Thanks!

Hi,
When you are setting up some thing like that no matter how simple it is, may I suggest you draw the plan out on a piece of paper if you are not doing it already. This makes it easier. If you change some thing make updated drawing rev.1, etc. This is a time saver for the long run.

 

[abailey]

There's an echo in here.

What do you mean.

 

[misfiringsystem]

This is what I have set up


modem --wired-- [WAN] Primary Router --wireless-- client bridge (WRT54G) [LAN] --wired-- [LAN] access point (WRT54G)

 

[sfx2000]

Check and see if you're full duplex on the second WRT54G ethernet connection - sounds like it might be in half-duplex.

Also consider that you might be running out of horsepower on these older WRT54G's - at best they were 200Mhz single core MIPS processors with 4 to 8 MB of memory.

sfx

 

[misfiringsystem]

What baffles me is that, the access point that is connected to the client bridge is connected via wired connection, not wireless. So the access point should be using the radio to communicate with the client and nothing else.

The confusing part is, I get no loss in speed on my computer when connected via wired to the access point, but speed drops when connected wirelessly.

I checked the full/half duplex thing, and I didn't change any setting on the access point, so I think it should be full.

edit:
I've swapped out my second router with a stock WRT54G.
Primary router ---wireless--- client bridge (DD-WRT WRT54G) ---wired--- access point (stock WRT54G). I'm still seeing the same thing.

Thank you for the response everyone's been giving so far, even though, I still haven't figured out what's wrong, unless there's something I'm missing.

edit2:
My internet speed is only 25 Mbps, so it's nothing that the wireless on the WRT54G can't handle.

 

[CaptainSTX]

The 54Gs are thirteen year old technology. While the hardwire connection speeds maybe OK off the bridge using the WiFi (G only ) is going to limit your speeds.

Follow the advice above and put all the radios on different channels and hope for the best.

 

[stevech]

My internet speed is only 25 Mbps, so it's nothing that the wireless on the WRT54G can't handle.

When my ISP went to 20Mbps, my WRT54G's CPU wasn't fast enough.

 

[sfx2000]

When my ISP went to 20Mbps, my WRT54G's CPU wasn't fast enough.

Completely agree - they were great devices for their time - and core of the OpenWRT/DD-WRT development that has provided a strong foundation for 3rd Party firmware development.

Many of the older Draft-N devices run out of steam as well, once you pile on more than 10 on them, esp. for routing purposes, as the traffic models have changed.

 

[sfx2000]

The 54Gs are thirteen year old technology. While the hardwire connection speeds maybe OK off the bridge using the WiFi (G only ) is going to limit your speeds.

Follow the advice above and put all the radios on different channels and hope for the best.

One thing I forgot to mention - the wifi "bridge" link will be half-duplex, and limited to a max PHY connection of 54Mbps, which says about a max of 20Mbps at the network layer - and being half-duplex, it's going to be much slower than a 100baseT link.

sfx

 

[misfiringsystem]

One thing I forgot to mention - the wifi "bridge" link will be half-duplex, and limited to a max PHY connection of 54Mbps, which says about a max of 20Mbps at the network layer - and being half-duplex, it's going to be much slower than a 100baseT link.

sfx

Is there any way to remove this "half-duplex"? Or turn it into full-duplex?

My wireless clients are connected to the access point (which is connected via Ethernet cable to the client bridge), not to the client bridge.

 

[misfiringsystem]

There's an echo in here.

stevech, which part of the setup is there an echo?

Thanks

 

[stevech]

Is there any way to remove this "half-duplex"? Or turn it into full-duplex?

My wireless clients are connected to the access point (which is connected via Ethernet cable to the client bridge), not to the client bridge.

802.11 WiFi is inherently half duplex - because it cannot simultaneously transmit and receive. Cellular data is full duplex. Ethernet (802.3) is usually full duplex.

 

[azazel1024]

Are you POSITIVE that the WR54s are on seperate channels. Main router and bridge need to be on the same channel to work, but then the access point should be on a seperate channel.

If this is the case and you are still getting halved performance compared to wiring to the access point (or directly to the client bridge), something else going on.

However, it SOUNDS like what is happening is co-channel interference with everything set on the same channel.