TL-WR1043ND as an access point??

[HHawk]

I have a quick question; I am currently using an Asus RT-N16 router with DD-WRT firmware. I must say; I really love all the options I now have.

The only downside is that the wireless signal is really bad. Even increasing the TX Power (to dangerous values) didn't help me.

Therefor I was thinking about getting a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND and use it as an access point in the living room.

My first question is, will the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND work as an access point? And how is the wireless signal of this router? I couldn't find any reviews on Smallnetbuilder on this router.

The TP-Link TL-WR1043ND seems like a small investment when it really can be used as an access point.

And what settings do I have to keep in mind when setting up the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND as an access point? I never used an access point before. So any pointers in setting it up as an access point would be highly appreciated.

Of course this only applies if it's even possible to use the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND as an access point of course.

 

[lbs129]

SmallNetBuilder has reviewed the TP-Link TL-WR1043ND:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...d-ultimate-wireless-n-gigabit-router-reviewed

I have one, and it works very well with good WLAN coverage (similar to the Linksys WRT54GL, if it tells you something) and decent 802.11n performance. It does not support access point mode out of the box, but you can install DD-WRT on it to accomplish that.

 

[phreich]

It can function as an access point out of the box, but....

Hi,

Just a couple of comments about this router. Yes, it can be used as an access point using the factory firmware. There isn't a "use as access point" setting, but you just have to follow the recommended settings on the TPLINK web site, which I recall were: setting the router's ip address to a static/fixed IP above the range your existing router uses, and disabling DHCP. Then ignore or tape over the WAN port, and connect it to your wired network via one of the LAN ports, and viola -- you've got an access point.

Of course you'll need to configure the wireless settings in the access point to your desired settings (most folks use the same SSID, wireless key type and wireless key, but make sure to select a radio channel at least 5 away from your existing router). This way your wireless devices should automatically connect to the stronger signal as you move through your location, and, because you have separated the channels, they won't be overlaying each other's signal, and you'll be maximizing the coverage range.

However, having said all of this, I found that the factory firmware (no matter which version, and I tried them all), is flakey and would cause the device to lock up -- often requiring 2 power cycles every week. I installed DD-WRT firmware, and it has been working flawlessly ever since, without a single restart needed. You would use the same settings in DD-WRT as mentioned above -- for that matter these settings should work for most routers.

One other thing that can help when manually setting up a router as an access point -- if the WAN configuration on your access point is set to be a dynamic connection (the usual case), the router may waste some cpu cycles attempting to get a WAN side IP address from a connection that isn't there. (Remember -- don't use the WAN port when using the router as an access point!). You can stop this useless polling for an IP address on the WAN side by setting it up as a dummy static ip address (not one that is in your network). For instance, if your network uses 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.250, then you can set the WAN side to something like 192.168.9.1 and it will stop the router from polling the WAN port and will save you a few CPU cycles.

Cheers!

 

[stevech]

I've re-purposed routers as APs without issue.. until I did it with a Linksys E1200. Every week or less it would hang. Responds to ping, but admin gui non-responsive and WiFi signal gone.

I tried this and that (such as disabling NTP which would use the WAN port which is disconnected). Tried giving the WAN port a fake IP address. Tried several guesses. None worked.

That E1200 just wouldn't run a week with the WAN port disconnected and DHCP disabled. Some sort of memory leak, I presume.

Now I'm using a humble ASUS RT-N12D1 ($35), as the AP. No problems.

 

[jlake]

I've re-purposed routers as APs without issue.. until I did it with a Linksys E1200. Every week or less it would hang. Responds to ping, but admin gui non-responsive and WiFi signal gone.

I tried this and that (such as disabling NTP which would use the WAN port which is disconnected). Tried giving the WAN port a fake IP address. Tried several guesses. None worked.

That E1200 just wouldn't run a week with the WAN port disconnected and DHCP disabled. Some sort of memory leak, I presume.

Now I'm using a humble ASUS RT-N12D1 ($35), as the AP. No problems.

For the E1200, you're supposed to disable NAT too....when repurposing it as an AP. Every router is different as far as instructions go.

Click on link below. Then click on "video" tab. Then click on cascading video.

http://support.linksys.com/en-us/support/routers/E1200