# Adding a Buffalo access point to a Netgear wireless router



## tgreenbe (Oct 10, 2007)

Hey all. I just came across these forums and I'm trying to do a new networking config that I haven't done before. Hopefully someone can help.

I have an existing netgear router that is supporting my wireless network using WPA security and everything is working fine.

Now I just bought a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 Wireless-G router/bridge that I want to add to my setup so that I can put it next to my TV that will enable the internet for my xbox 360 and whatever else I might want to hookup in the future.

I have figured out how to access the web-based config on the buffalo bridge, but I can't seem to find out how to get that bridge to talk to my existing netgear router.

Is there a particular setting that I need? Should I configure the buffalo bridge to obtain it's ip automatically from the netgear router instead of the default of 192.168.11.100?

I was thinking that the bridge would work sort of like a laptop that is trying to connect to a wireless router - I was expecting a list of wireless networks to connect to and then I would pick my netgear router. This is not the case.

Are there any settings on the netgear router that I need to enable?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Terry


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## skinnywhiteboy (Jan 26, 2001)

tgreenbe said:


> Hey all. I just came across these forums and I'm trying to do a new networking config that I haven't done before. Hopefully someone can help.
> 
> I have an existing netgear router that is supporting my wireless network using WPA security and everything is working fine.
> 
> ...


For starters, the routers should be on the same subnet. An example would be:

Router 1: 192.168.1.1
Router 2: 192.168.1.2

I'm afraid I cannot help you on the rest since I am unfamiliar with your equipment, but would be most interested in seeing other responses.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

See page 14 of the manual here: http://www.buffalotech.com/support/getfile/?WHR-HP-G54-Manual-v1.7-web.pdf

It appears there is a switch to put it into AP mode.

Before switching to bridge mode, configure the wireless with the encryption desired, etc, then flip the switch and see if that gets you going.


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## tgreenbe (Oct 10, 2007)

I'm now in AP mode and I've modified the ip address of the buffalo airstation to be 192.168.1.10.

With my computer hooked up the way it used to be (connecting to my netgear router) I can also use an ethernet cable to hookup the buffalo airstation up to the router directly.

I can access the admin webpage for both the netgear (192.168.1.1) and the airstation (192.168.1.10).

However, when I refresh attached devices on my netgear admin panel, I don't see the airstation as either a wired or wireless connection.

Another config that should work, but doesn't is if I unplug my computer from the netgear router and then plug it in to the airstation. The airstation should communicate on channel 9 (I've disabled encryption for now) to the netgear router and then provide internet access to my computer. Doesn't work. I must be missing something. I can't find any setting for the airstation that says which wireless network to connect to. Shouldn't there be such a setting?

Thanks,
Terry


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Having AP mode capability does not guarantee that it will function as a wireless bridge (as JohnWill determined with a Belkin router recently). Does the manual say anything about this?

Suggest that you try to get it working with encryption disabled to take one variable temporarily out of the picture.


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## tgreenbe (Oct 10, 2007)

All encryption is disabled. Both my netgear router and buffalo access point are using the same channel in 802.11g only mode. I've enabled WDS on the buffalo AP and added the MAC address of my netgear router. It says it's enabled.

With all that, I can only communicate to the Buffalo AP when it's wired via ethernet. As soon as I unplug the ethernet cable, I can't communicate wirelessly. 

I really don't know what I need to do to get the Buffalo Airstation to talk to my netgear router. There doesn't seem to be anything in the config (other than a MAC address for a WDS access point) that tells it to connect to my existing wireless network.

Does my netgear router (WGR614) have to support WDS for this to work? I don't think it it supports WDS.

Does netgear make a product that does what I'm looking for?

Should I give up on this and just go ahead and buy a stand-alone wireless adapter for my xbox 360? I was hoping to save some money with this setup plus then have the ability to hook up other devices around my TV to the internet.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

I don't know much about WDS, but if one device is using WDS the other one must be using it also. Netgear likely makes a product, but I don't happen to know it. If you don't get it working, below are some alternatives.

JohnWill has used the ZyXEL P-330W router as a wireless bridge: http://forums.techguy.org/networkin...less-access-point.html?highlight=router+as+AP

I recently bought and am using an Airlink 101 Super G Access Point AP431W. What I call wireless bridge they call AP client: http://www.airlink101.com/products/ap431w.html It has only one ethernet port so you would need an ethernet switch for multiple devices.

I have no experience with it, but have noticed that the Buffalo Ethernet Port Wireless Converter (wireless bridge) has 4 ports: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=wli-tx4&x=13&y=33


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

My experience with the Belkin was that while it appeared to be configured properly for bridge mode, it just didn't work. OTOH, the ZyXEL worked first time, and actually impressed me with it's speed.


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