Member Avatar for billfromvt

Hi all,

I hope some one can help me here. This is the settings for my TPlink WR940N router which I am using as my primary router. I want to connect a TP Link WR740N and a Linksys WRT54GL as two bridges from the primary router. (I need 3 to cover the area inside my house, the walls are very thick.) I believe I have to change some of the ip setting of the router but where do I do that? I can access all the setting via the main setup page and change the value from 192.168.100.1 to 192.168.100.2 but when I do this the computer looses the router even after a reboot. Should I just be changing the values in the network/LAN/IP Address and leave the main set up values as they are or ??????

WAN Connection Type: Static IP
IP Address: 192.168.100.24
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.100.1
Primary DNS: 192.168.100.1
Secondary DNS: 0.0.0.0
Network Name (SSID): Primary
Network Security Type: Most Security (WPA2-PSK)
Network Security Key: n4tur35v13w

     Many thanks in aticipation
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Dani AI

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, what you are calling “bridges” should be set up as simple access points if you can run Ethernet. Leave your WR940N as the only router/NAT and DHCP server. On the WR740N and WRT54GL, give each a unique LAN IP in the same 192.168.100.0/24, disable their DHCP, and uplink from a LAN port on the primary to a LAN port on each secondary (do not use their WAN ports). That is classic LAN-to-LAN AP wiring and avoids double NAT. (tp-link.com)
Tip: space the radios on non-overlapping 2.4 GHz channels to reduce interference, as suggested. In the U.S., non-overlapping channels are 1, 6, and 11. (cisco.com)

Re: losing the router after changing the IP, that is expected when you change a device’s LAN address. After saving, browse to the new address or renew your PC’s IP; the admin pages are served locally by the router and do not require internet access. For TP-Link you can reach the UI at tplinkwifi.net or the device’s LAN IP; if that fails, connect a cable to a LAN port and try again. ()
For the WRT54GL specifically, its default LAN IP is 192.168.1.1 and DHCP can be disabled in its LAN settings. (ui.linksys.com)

A quick plan you can apply now (adjust addresses to your primary’s LAN):

  • WR940N (primary): LAN 192.168.100.1/24, DHCP scope e.g. 192.168.100.50-199.
  • WR740N (AP): LAN 192.168.100.2, DHCP off, SSID/security to match or differ as you prefer.
  • WRT54GL (AP): LAN 192.168.100.3, DHCP off.

If you cannot run cables and truly need wireless bridging, use WDS/bridge mode on the secondary, but note that cross-vendor WDS can be unreliable; wire where possible. (tp-link.com)

’s advice to use each device’s AP/bridge mode toggle is spot on and the quickest way to avoid routing features you do not need. (tp-link.com)

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Member Avatar for DeanMSands3

I'm going to go ahead and get the ball rolling.
The best plan of action would be to:

  • Set your primary's DHCP to limit IP assigning from .2 to .252
  • Assign your secondary routers LAN IP's to .253 and .254 respectively.
  • Disable the DHCP on your secondary routers.
  • Run cables from the primary's LAN switch to the secondaries' LAN switch. I doubt you'll need crossover adapters.
  • Configure your primary router and 2 secondaries to broadcast their WiFi on channels 6, 1, and 11 respectively.

If I neglected something, someone on the forum will cheerfully call me an idiot and give the correct configuration.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

most importantly, find the configuration in the two routers to disable routing. Some of these routers, have an option to disable the router and turn the device into an "access point".

Member Avatar for billfromvt

Can I find out the routers config without connecting them to the net? If so, How???

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