We use the router as a wi-fi receiver. We use the router as a Wi-Fi receiver to connect the TV to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Problems with the router
Today we’ll talk about how to configure a router in wifi client or wireless network adapter mode. In English terminology it is referred to as “WISP” - Wireless Internet Service Provider. This function can most often help in a situation where you need to connect a computer or TV set-top box that has a connector for an Ethernet network cable to WiFi. But at the same time, you do not have a separate additional USB wireless network adapter or there is no port for connecting it.
WISP, or client mode in a router - what is it?
What is the job of a router as a client? Essentially, in this mode, it turns into some kind of , that is, it does not distribute a wireless signal received via cable, as happens in its most familiar role, but on the contrary, it receives the Internet via wifi from another source and transmits it to a computer or laptop , printer or TV using a power cord.
In this case, the configuration of the main wireless point does not need to be changed, except for one:
On the first router, you need to configure a specific one to avoid subsequent operational difficulties associated with automatic frequency scanning.
After that, we take the client router, configure it to the main router that distributes the Internet throughout the apartment, connect it to this device with a cable and voila - it already has wireless Internet, although initially it only has a LAN port for a cable connection.
How to configure an Asus router in wireless network adapter client mode?
And now I want to show in detail exactly how to configure a router in client mode using the example of a model from Asus. Surprisingly, manufacturers still haven’t decided what is the correct way to call the WISP mode of a router as a wireless adapter. Each company has a different name - WISP, WDS, Bridge, Bridge.
This is especially noticeable at Asus, where it can be designated differently in each model. For example, on the Asus EA-N66 it is called “Wireless Network Adapter”. To activate it, you need to go to the “Administration” section, the “Operation Mode” tab and check the box on the required item.
The WISP client mode in many cases is not available in the official firmware installed on routers from the factory. For example, like on my home Asus RT-N10U, this mode is not officially available. Therefore, if you plan to use this type of connection, then make sure that the model you purchase has a client mode - it is usually indicated as “Client mode”.
But if you have already bought it and it turns out that the router does not have the WISP function, then all is not lost - you can use unofficial firmware, for example, mine came from the DD-WRT group, in which this opportunity was opened.
More details about this firmware in the video
WISP TP-Link client mode - router as a wireless adapter
In the TP-Link router lineup, the client mode of the WISP adapter is called “WDS bridge”. For example, I took the TL-WR1043ND model. Its administrator panel is located at 192.168.0.1 - go here to the “Wireless Mode - Settings” menu and activate the “Enable WDS Bridge” checkbox - additional fields for settings will open.
Here we do the same as with other routers - we enter the SSID, password and other data from the main wifi network, and then save the settings.
How to connect a router in WISP client mode using Netis as an example?
Setting up the Netis router in client mode is also very simple - you need to configure all the basic Wi-Fi parameters absolutely identically, as was done on the main access point.
That's all - now the router, as a client, receives the Internet from the main source using WISP wireless technology and transmits it via cable to the computer.
Video on setting up TP Link client mode as a wifi adapter
As you can see, to configure the client mode on the router, you don’t need to make any special efforts and have in-depth knowledge - I’m sure that after reading this article, you will be able to do it yourself!
Wireless networks have provided us with comfortable travel, but have confused us with terminology. To the average user who has access to the Internet and periodically works or has fun there, network equipment appears to be a winking box and a bundle of wires somewhere in the back, although most often proudly bearing the name “wireless.” No one wants to understand data transmission technologies unless absolutely necessary, and even less so to study theory. Therefore, when organizing your own access to the network, it’s no wonder you get confused at the sight of the variety of technology that should open this very access. Wi-Fi adapters and Wi-Fi routers on store shelves are equipped with meager lists of characteristics, almost identical, their manufacturers are also the same, and the price range is quite wide. However, upon closer examination, these devices turn out to be different, and in some ways even diametrically opposed.
Wi-fi adapter– a device for receiving and transmitting Wi-Fi signals (IEEE 802.11 standard), operating when connected to a computer via common physical interfaces.
Wi-fi adapter
Wi-fi router– a device designed to exchange data packets between segments of the same network via wireless communications of the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Wi-fi router
Comparison of Wi-fi adapter and Wi-fi router
The difference between a Wi-Fi adapter and a Wi-Fi router is, first of all, the tasks they perform. An adapter is a discrete receiver installed in the system so that the computer can connect to a Wi-Fi network. A router is a device that organizes this network and connects all its participants. By themselves, neither the adapter nor the router provides access to the Internet.
Wi-fi adapters are intended mainly for desktop computers whose motherboards do not have a wireless connection module. Mobile equipment does not need adapters. Pairing the adapter and computer is possible through different interfaces, but today most users prefer USB, SD and PCI. Wi-Fi routers do not create client gradations and work with any devices that have a Wi-Fi receiver.
The key difference between a Wi-Fi adapter and a router is independence. If the router does not require communication with client devices in order to work, then adapters without connection are a set of hardware and plastic. Most Wi-Fi adapters receive power from the client’s motherboard, while routers most often require an independent power supply (the exception is USB routers, which only need power from the port).
A Wi-Fi adapter is an extremely simple device, configurable only physically (if you have an antenna, you can rotate it, for example) or using the operating system. The Wi-Fi router requires multiple settings and is capable of performing the functions of a firewall. The router has an IP address, but the adapter does without one, and its coordinates are displayed on the network according to the address received from the router.
TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between a Wi-fi adapter and a Wi-fi router is as follows:
The adapter is designed to connect the system to a wireless network, the router is designed to organize this network.
A Wi-Fi adapter is required for systems or devices without a wireless module; the Wi-Fi router works with all devices in the network area.
A Wi-Fi router is a stand-alone device; the Wi-Fi adapter requires a client to work.
The router is highly customizable; the adapter provides virtually no customization options.
The router has its own IP address, the adapter receives it from the router.
In this article, I promised to talk about one interesting scheme that can be used to connect a TV to the Internet via a wireless network.
I will quickly tell you what the essence of this method is and in what cases it can be used. Well, then, let's start setting up.
This method is useful if your TV does not have a built-in Wi-Fi receiver; in this case, the TV can only be connected via a network cable. But you don’t want to extend the cable from the router, or it simply doesn’t work.
Yes, you can buy this very branded external Wi-Fi receiver. But it costs twice as much as a simple router. But I am still inclined to believe that you will use this method in the case when you already have a router that is just standing idle.
Or, for example, the signal of your Wi-Fi network is not received in the place where the TV is located. Yes, in this case, too, you can buy a Wi-Fi repeater that will boost the signal of your wireless network. But a regular router can also be configured as a repeater.
What do we do?
We will take a router (which, for example, you have gathering dust somewhere in a cabinet), install it somewhere near the TV, and configure it in repeater mode. Then, from this router we connect the network cable to the TV. That's the whole scheme.
Now a little more detail.
So, let’s take our router and install it near the TV. I have this TP-Link TL-MR3220, I have had it idle for a long time. It is not necessary to install it near the TV itself; for example, you can even place it somewhere on the floor, behind the bedside table.
We plug the router into a power outlet (you don’t have to connect it to the TV yet). The main thing is to configure the router in repeater mode. We need it to take the Internet from your main router and transmit it to the TV. We configure everything according to these instructions -.
And only after this router (which we placed near the TV) distributes , do we move on to the second step. To check, just connect or phone. If the Internet works, then you can connect the TV. If, nevertheless, you were unable to configure the bridge mode, then you need to remember that not all routers can work in this mode with each other (I’m talking about device incompatibility). It’s good when both devices are from the same company, then there is a better chance of making friends between them.
If everything worked out for you, then...
Or, if there is such a possibility (for example, if you installed a second router to strengthen the signal from the first).
That's actually the whole scheme. Hope it's useful to someone!
And I apologize for the quality of the photo, in the near future I will try to buy a normal camera, otherwise I take pictures on my phone, and in poor lighting, the photo quality is not very good.
Background or why it was needed.
One day something terrible happened. My adsl internet died at home. And, as usually happens, it was then that it was needed very urgently and on the computer. Remembering that you can access the Internet through a mobile operator, I thought about how to use this. I don't have a 3G modem, but I have a tablet with built-in 3G. Because tablet based on Android, then in the basic OS configuration there are two options to share the Internet for public access:
1. Enable USB modem mode (Settings - Wireless networks - Modem mode - USB modem). To work in this mode, you must be connected to a computer via a USB cable.
2. Wi-Fi access point mode (Settings - Wireless networks - Modem mode - Wi-Fi access point). In this mode, the tablet becomes a simple access point for wireless clients. No wires needed. Great! But then I remembered that I don’t have a laptop, and even less so a wi-fi adapter for my computer! I wondered if it was possible to use my wi-fi router as a wireless client to connect a PC to a tablet, i.e. use the router as a wi-fi adapter. As it turns out, it is possible! Poking around on the Internet, I found several articles about setting up wi-fi routers DD-WRT in client mode. Following the instructions, I configured my router. And... nothing worked. As it turned out later, the instructions contained a number of gross errors in which the client mode cannot work even in theory. Additionally, important aspects of the setup process are omitted. In general, I only got the truth from the official manual. For a short time, I always swear off reading the original manuals first... :(. In fact, this instruction is a translation of the official manual, with some additions in the form of pictures and extended comments.
So, in my (simplest) case, the connection diagram looks like this:
Where,
Wi-Fi Access Point— wireless access point. In my case, it is a tablet with a 3G modem. In yours, this could be, for example, a neighbor's Wi-Fi router or a public access point.
WiFi Router- router with wi-fi and dd-wrt firmware. In my case it is TP-Link TL-WR740N and DD-WRT v24-sp2 (11/21/10) std - build 15778
Settings
1. As the official manual recommends, first of all, the router needs a hard reset according to the 30/30/30 scheme. I didn’t do this, but simply reset the settings to factory settings via the web interface Administration -> Factory Defaults.
2. We do the initial PC setup. Setting up a PC comes down to setting a static IP address from the range 192.168.1.2-254 (for example, 192.168.1.7, mask 255.255.255.0). The gateway and DNS can be left empty.
3. Initial setup of the router. If you have not yet connected your PC to the router with a cable, now is the time to do it :) Open a browser on your computer and enter the router address 192.168.1.1. Enter a new username and password and click change password
4. Let's go to Wireless -> Wireless Security and select security settings for the Wi-Fi connection. They must match the parameters of the access point. Previously, on my Android tablet, I selected the WPA2 PSK security standard (Settings - Wireless networks - Modem mode - Access point settings - Configure Wi-Fi access point). The parameters I entered on the router are shown in the screenshot below. 
Attention! After entering the parameters, press the button Save. button Apply Settings don't touch!
5. Let's go Wireless -> Basic Settings and choose Wireless Mode How Client. Press the button Save. button Apply Settings don't touch! As a result, you should get the following picture: 
6. Now we need to indicate our access point to the router. This can be done by manually entering the SSID of the point in the field Wireless Network Name (SSID). But I recommend doing this by selecting from a list of available networks. To do this, go to Status -> Wireless and at the very bottom of the page click the button Site Survey A new window will open, in which after a while a list of available Wi-Fi points will appear. 
Press the button Join opposite the desired access point. My tablet claims to be AndroinAP.
If the connection is successful, you will receive a window that looks like this: 
Click Continue and we get back to Wireless -> Basic Settings. In field Wireless Network Name (SSID) The name of the point we have chosen should be written down. 
7. Next, go to the section Setup -> Basic Setup and change Connection Type on Automatic Configuration - DHCP. This will allow our router to automatically receive network settings for the external interface from the access point. If the point is not configured to automatically issue settings, you must select Static IP and enter the settings manually.
8. In the same section, change the local address of the router Router IP to an address that will be located in a subnet different from the network of the connected access point. For example, if a neighboring router, when connecting to it via Wi-Fi, gives you an address like 192.168.1.xxx (mask 255.255.255.0), then you need to change the local address of the router to something like 192.168.2.1 (mask 255.255.255.0 ). As a result, I got the following picture: 
Press the button Save and then the button Apply Settings
9. Because We changed the local address of the router to an address from a different subnet; the router will be inaccessible to our computer. Set your PC's network settings back to automatically obtaining an IP address and DNS server addresses. As a result, my computer received the following network settings from the router:
IP address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.111
Subnet mask. . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Main gate. . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP server. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS servers. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
10. This completes the setup. Try it!
P.S.
By going to the router control panel at the new address (the one you registered in step 8) and going to the section Status -> Wireless, you can see the status of the wireless connection of our router to the access point. In chapter Status -> WAN you can see the settings that the access point gave us, as well as the amount of traffic used.
The topic of this publication is a WiFi adapter as a wireless access point. Is this possible and how to organize the distribution. The thing is that not every time you have a router or wireless modem at hand, with the help of which you can organize a private network. In the age of digital technology, when every person has a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and so on, such connections are in great demand.
This is because users can combine their devices to transfer information. But, as a rule, such groups are organized using a WiFi router. It is worth noting that in some situations it is simply impossible to use a router for certain reasons. In such situations, questions arise about how to make an access point from a simple WiFi adapter.
Wireless adapter as an access point
Before moving on to the question of how to organize a network without a router, you should understand how a router works. The fact is that any wireless equipment that supports WiFi technology is equipped with adapters, which actually make the transfer of information over the air possible.
Such modules are installed both in routers and modems, as well as in smartphones, laptops, TVs and other equipment. This means that, for example, a tablet can act as an access point. There are often cases when users install an external USB WiFi adapter on desktop computers that do not have a built-in module.
But it doesn’t matter at all what type of module you use, since they work on the same principle. This means that setting up a USB WiFi adapter as an access point is no different from a regular module used in a laptop or smartphone.
So let's look at how to do this using a laptop as an example.
You can do this in several ways:
- Using third party programs.
- Using built-in Windows tools.
Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the choice is yours. So, let's look at these methods in more detail.
Setting up a Wi-Fi adapter as an access point: Video
How to organize a virtual access point using built-in Windows tools
It doesn’t matter what type of device you use, external (USB module) or internal, everything is done in exactly the same way. Configuring a WiFi adapter as a wireless access point using built-in tools can be done in two ways:
- Creating a computer-to-computer connection.
- Using the command line.
The first option is a little more complicated and has limited capabilities. This limitation is that you will not be able to use one WiFi adapter to connect to the Internet and distribute it to other users. If you need access to the global network, the laptop must be connected to it using a cable or USB modem. In this case, an access point via a wireless WiFi adapter, organized using the command line, can simultaneously receive and distribute the Internet.
So, let's look at the principle of network organization using the command line as an example. To do this, first of all you should launch the command line, in which fairly simple commands will be written. On Windows 8 this is done using the Win+X key combination. In the menu that appears, simply select “Command Prompt (Administrator).” In the seven, you can open the service by simultaneously pressing the Win and R keys, and in the window that appears, type CMD and press “Enter”.
Now all that remains is to write the commands:
- To install the necessary driver and create a virtual network – netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=My_virtual_WiFi key=12345678 keyUsage=persistent. Here My_virtual_WiFi is the name of the network, and 12345678 is the password. You can change these values at your discretion. This command is written once and is valid until the operating system is reinstalled or the corresponding driver is removed.
- To start the network – netsh wlan start hostednetwork. The command must be entered every time after restarting the PC or turning off the WiFi adapter.
After you enter all the necessary commands, your wireless WiFi adapter will work as an access point.
How to create an access point on the command line: Video
As mentioned above, external devices, for example on desktop PCs, work on the same principle. Therefore, an external USB WiFi adapter on a computer as an access point is configured in exactly the same way.
Smartphone WiFi adapter as an access point
It is worth noting that not only Windows has the means to organize a private network. An ordinary smartphone or tablet can be used as an access point. This is very convenient, especially when you are on the go. At the same time, you can connect the device to the mobile Internet and distribute it to everyone around you.
Let's look at how to do this using an Android smartphone as an example. Go to system settings and open “Wireless Networks” (or “Network Connections” on some models). Next, we are interested in the “Other networks” item (in the case of older platforms, the section may be called “Modem and access point”) In this case, you need to enable Mobile AP - this is the mobile access point.
With newer versions, you need to enter the “Other networks” section and only then select “Modem and access point”. Here we find and turn on the portable access point. That's it, the network is created. Moreover, if you turn on the mobile connection, then all subscribers will be able to access the Internet.
Setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot on Android: Video
How to distribute the Internet from a computer
You already know how to create a virtual network using a wireless module. Now we are interested in distributing the Internet via an external or built-in WiFi adapter. Let's imagine that you have already created a connection and launched it. It is also worth noting that your computer must be connected to the World Wide Web.
Next we will need to enter the Network and Sharing Center. This is done by right-clicking on the network icon in the tray (lower right corner of the desktop). Select the appropriate item. In the menu that appears, you need to enter “Change adapter settings”. Here, after creating a virtual connection, a new wireless connection should appear (the name may also be “Local Area Connection 3”).
