Hi guys,

situation:

Main AP: Hotspot open network running at 10.5.101.0/24 on wlan1, wan public running at 192.168.100.0/24 where 192.168.100.1 is a dhcp server that provides internet access and connect to radius server via VPN. Hotspot runs fine. wireless is ap-bridge.

What I want: expand my hotspot using a simple box with no-dual band, I don't need high speeds and I want to keep costs low.

What I'm doing on the Main AP:

1. ap-bridge, wds static OR dynamic
2. bridge ether1 to wds-bridge
3. OR create wds-interface and bridge to eth1 OR wlan1.

What I'm doing on the client-repeater
Either I put on wds-slave mode when it's Mikrotik.
Or I put an Engiunus on simple WDS to connect to the main.

Whatever the options above, the WDS connection happens but the client on the repeater end doesn't connect. Sometimes it appears to get the 192.168.100.x address but of course I want it to get 10.5.101.x

I can ping 10.5.101.1 as client from wds repeater end, but no hotspot function at all.

I have no idea how to make this work and it's getting frustating.

All I want to do is: repeat the hotspot wireles. Thats all. No security, just repeat it.

Please, can somebody help?

In the hotspot IP bindings section make sure you include the MAC address of the WDS of the repeater and the bridge and even the wlan interface.

I would set the AP to:
Bridge 1 includes the WLAN the WDS will be auto added once a connection is made.
AP bridge
WDS MODE to Dynamic
Choose the WDS default Bridge of Bridge 1

on the Repeater
I would use a MT.
make a bridge of bridge1 include ethernet and wlan
set it to AP Bridge
WDS mode needs to be set to Dynamic
choose the WDS default Bridge of bridge 1

This should work. I have a hotspot repeated very similar at a hotel this way.

The bridging is important so that it send the correct DHCP IP address over. Due make sure to allow/bypass the MACs of the repeater.

This should work. Why you are not getting rechallenged is because you probably are authenticated and then remasked or you just allowing the wrong MAC/IP through via the hotspot IP bind.

Hope this Helps,


-Sincerely,
DesertAdmin

Hello DesertAdmin,

Thank you very much for your reply. The problem was in the bridging. It actually made sense on the end but it's really hard to figure that out. The hotspot interface and dhcp server needs to be moved to the new bridge, because you want that working there.
I solved the problem by using sw0rdf1sh's solution
http://forum.mikrotik.com/viewtopic.php ... 93#p254393

Hope that helps someone else like it did for me.

I suggest a specific tutorial for expanding clear auth hotspots with WDS for mikrotik wiki!

all the best