Windows 10 wireless connection?

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Zepper
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Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by Zepper »

I have a DLink DIR-600 Wireless 150 router, and I'd like to use it to connect my PC in a WiFi hotspot. Is this possible? No, I don't want to turn it into an Access Point. :roll:
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koitsu
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by koitsu »

I can't tell exactly what the OP wants, but the best guess I have is this:

PC (wirelessly) <--> DIR-600 (wirelessly) <--> WiFi hotspot <--> Internet/etc.

Rather than the more common:

PC (wirelessly) <--> DIR-600 <--> cable modem, DSL bridge, etc. <--> Internet/etc.

If it's what I suspect, then this is the answer:

No, you cannot have your router act as both a: 1) WiFi AP for your PC, and 2) a wireless client (to connect to the hotspot).

The router (DIR-600) can act as either a WiFi AP, or as a wireless client, but not both. There may be some routers that can do this -- no I do not know of models/brands/etc. to give you -- but it would require they have two separate physical wireless PHYs (think: wireless chips) to accomplish it.
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by tepples »

Or is this what's intended?

PC <-wired-> DIR-600 <-Wi-Fi-> restaurant/library hotspot neighbor <-wired-> Internet

Some PCs have a wired NIC but no wireless NIC. Other PCs have both a wireless NIC and a wired NIC, have working drivers for using the wired NIC in a free OS, but lack working drivers for using the wireless NIC in a free OS. To put it another way: "FreeBSD supports my Ethernet but not my Wi-Fi." The usual workaround for these is to buy a USB Wi-Fi NIC of a make and model known to have free drivers, but that has two problems:
  1. Like tokumaru and Fisher, Zepper lives in Brazil, whose tax policy includes prohibitive import tariffs in an attempt at import substitution industrialization. Buying a USB Wi-Fi NIC may be more expensive than using a hand-me-down AP as a bridge.
  2. If your PC's ports are already taken up with an external mouse and flash drive, using a USB Wi-Fi NIC would require buying and carrying a USB hub. Using an AP as a bridge requires carrying, but not buying.
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Zepper
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by Zepper »

Sorry for the language barrier. Well, I have this device to connect in a WiFi network/hotspot (wireless client only). However, I'd like to use my old device instead (see below).

I'm using the WiFi network signal from my neighbor.
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by Fisher »

If what you whant is to have a wired network device to connect through the DIR-600 to a wireless network I think the only way to do that is by using the dd-wrt firmware. Watch out for your hardware revision!
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koitsu
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by koitsu »

Okay, so you want the DIR-600 to actually act as both a) a router (for you), and b) a wireless client.

Which of the below diagrams is what you want?

Option (a)

Code: Select all

+----+ Ethernet +---------+ WiFi +-----------+  +----------+
| PC |----------| DIR-600 |------| Neighbour |--| Internet |
|    |          | router  |      | router    |  |          |
+----+          +---------+      +-----------+  +----------+
This is possible, but will need a custom firmware. DD-WRT should be able to do it (if the DIR-600 can run it). Three things to be aware of in this situation:

1) Your DIR-600 will be subject to KRACK vulnerability unless it's using wireless drivers (in the firmware) that are immune to it. You would need to ask the DD-WRT folks. TomatoUSB (which is an alternate firmware) IS NOT immune to KRACK in this configuration, so if someone tells you "try TomatoUSB instead for this project", don't. I've been a contributor to the TomatoUSB project for many years, so I'm being honest. KRACK applies only to wireless clients, which in this situation, is true.

And please, only use WPA2 AES! Do not use WEP, WPA, or WPA2 TKIP.

2a) You will most likely be subject to what is known as "double NAT'ing", which means that some services may not work correctly. I'm pretty sure you know about port forwarding on routers, right? Double NAT means your PC would be behind *two* routers, both with non-routable IP addresses, which means port forwarding has to be done on BOTH routers to reach your PC. Just something to be aware of if you use protocols like IRC DCC, Skype file transfers, or some other things.

2b) This configuration IS NOT a wireless bridge! It's "a router behind a router" configuration. Wireless bridging would allow you and your neighbour to use your wireless routers (your DIR-600 and his/her whatever-router)'s wireless capability to create a bridge, so that there would essentially be only a single LAN. In bridging configurations, the wireless routers **CANNOT** act as _routers_ -- they can only do bridging. If you want a "single LAN" type of situation, then you need to look into buying actual wireless bridges, and you will also need a router (some bridges can do both, as well as offer wireless AP capability, but you need to make sure they can do that before you buy one. Ubiquiti I think makes some devices that can do this). If you want me to draw a diagram of what wireless bridging would look like, just ask.

3) You will probably have to re-configure the DIR-600 to use a different IP range than 192.168.1.0/24 (stock default on most routers), particularly if your neighbour is already using that. I might suggest using 192.168.2.0/24 or 10.0.0.0/8 (although something smaller would be better, ex. 10.10.10.0/24). If you don't understand CIDR notation: /24 means "netmask 255.255.255.0", /8 means "netmask 255.0.0.0". In other words, you'd have something like this:

Code: Select all

PC      = 192.168.2.50
DIR-600 = 192.168.2.1
Neighbour's router = 192.168.1.1

Option (b)

Code: Select all

+----+ WiFi +---------+ WiFi +-----------+  +----------+
| PC |------| DIR-600 |------| Neighbour |--| Internet |
|    |      | router  |      | router    |  |          |
+----+      +---------+      +-----------+  +----------+
Cannot be done because the DIR-600 cannot be both a wireless client (connecting to your neighbour) as well as an access point (proving your PC with connectivity). Covered this in my first reply.
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Zepper
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by Zepper »

Option A.

By the way, I don't see how would be possible to connect a PC + DIR600 through WiFi, but only with an ethernet cable. :lol: My PC has no WiFi device, so I had in mind the DIR600 for it. Well, for now, this device is nicely doing the task, so I can connect to the internet using WiFi.
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by Dwedit »

Some wireless routers need to be changed to "Repeater Mode", then you can plug in a device via ethernet, and it can use the router's wifi connection.

AP mode, Repeater mode, Universal Repeater, WDS, all of these are possible ways to configure the router to act as a client rather than a server.

Sometimes you hit a "Site Survey" button, or something similar, and it shows a bunch of networks to connect to.
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Re: Windows 10 wireless connection?

Post by petersh »

I am sure your wireless router can be setup as an Access Point.
Even your computer can work as an Access Point if you know how to configure.
I usually use my computer to share my Internet with my roommates, when they don't have Internet connection
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