adding another wireless access point or repeater

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jworth-p40
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adding another wireless access point or repeater

#1

Post by jworth-p40 »

It seems that most other church ward buildings cannot be covered with just one wireless access point and that is the case in our building. Thus, I want to add another device to either act as an access point or repeater.

I am not exactly sure on how best to set it up.

I have a Linksys WRT160N router mounted in the hallway just in front of the chapel doors. There is a long hallway to the right which leads down to the YW and RS rooms. This is where the additional coverage is needed.

My plan is to get an Engenius ECB9500 which has been recommended in other threads and set it up as a access point or repeater. The reason to use this device is because I need to use the PoE abilities of this router.

I know I would shut the DCHP off on it but would I have to give it a permanent IP address?

What other setup options would I have to make?

Thanks

Jeff
harddrive
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#2

Post by harddrive »

jworth wrote:It seems that most other church ward buildings cannot be covered with just one wireless access point and that is the case in our building. Thus, I want to add another device to either act as an access point or repeater.

I am not exactly sure on how best to set it up.

I have a Linksys WRT160N router mounted in the hallway just in front of the chapel doors. There is a long hallway to the right which leads down to the YW and RS rooms. This is where the additional coverage is needed.

My plan is to get an Engenius ECB9500 which has been recommended in other threads and set it up as a access point or repeater. The reason to use this device is because I need to use the PoE abilities of this router.

I know I would shut the DCHP off on it but would I have to give it a permanent IP address?

What other setup options would I have to make?

Thanks

Jeff
Yes, you will need to give it a permanent IP address, because you will need to manage it. Also, make sure that you use the same SSID and passcode, so that people can move through out the building and not have to worry about which SSID to connect to.

Terry
jworth-p40
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#3

Post by jworth-p40 »

I am assuming that the second router will be setup as a repeater since they both will have the same SSID, right?
harddrive
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#4

Post by harddrive »

jworth wrote:I am assuming that the second router will be setup as a repeater since they both will have the same SSID, right?
No it will not be a repeater. It would need a direct connect to the firewall. You can have multiple wireless access points in the building all broadcasting the same SSID. The laptop or wireless devices will connect to which ever wireless access point that give you a good signal.

In my current building, there are 4 Cisco Aeronets and each of them have the same SSID and all connected back to the firewall or another switch that is connected to the firewall and I have full coverage in the building.

the key is to make sure that they go to the same firewall otherwise, you will have issues.
lajackson
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#5

Post by lajackson »

harddrive747 wrote:No it will not be a repeater. It would need a direct connect to the firewall.

Do they run on the same channel/frequency? i.e., channel 6 or 11 or whatever?
jworth-p40
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#6

Post by jworth-p40 »

My plan is to run it off the Linksys WRT160N that is already setup and run a ethernet cable using PoE to power the Engenius router for the additional coverage as a router and not a repeater.

With that in mind, and setting a static IP address to it, I guess I will need to give it a different SSID which will require the person moving from one coverage area to the other to possibly loose the connection from one while it connects to the other.

After setting up the two different SSIDs there shouldn't be a problem staying connected. For the most part, there is no need to move around so I don't see this as a huge issue.

Will this work as I have described? There is only one firewall that they both will go through.
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aebrown
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#7

Post by aebrown »

jworth wrote:My plan is to run it off the Linksys WRT160N that is already setup and run a ethernet cable using PoE to power the Engenius router for the additional coverage as a router and not a repeater.

With that in mind, and setting a static IP address to it, I guess I will need to give it a different SSID which will require the person moving from one coverage area to the other to possibly loose the connection from one while it connects to the other.

After setting up the two different SSIDs there shouldn't be a problem staying connected. For the most part, there is no need to move around so I don't see this as a huge issue.

Will this work as I have described? There is only one firewall that they both will go through.
The WRT160N does not have a PoE port, so you'll have to add a power injector to the line coming off the WRT160N that goes to the Engenius, if you want to power it with PoE. The ASA 5505 firewall (assuming that's the kind of firewall you have) does have 2 PoE ports, so if you can run a cable all the way back to the firewall, you won't need a power injector.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.
jworth-p40
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#8

Post by jworth-p40 »

For me, it will be just easier just to use a power injector using the same outlet as the power adapter for the WRT160n.

So, just so I have it right, in this situation, I will be setting it up as a second router with a static IP address, different SSID but I will use the same key. I know this is probably the second best option but once the a laptop connects to the two access points, any handoff from one router to the other if for some reason it was necessary to start in one zone and move to another would not be a big issue.

Thanks
jdlessley
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#9

Post by jdlessley »

jworth wrote:I will be setting it up as a second router with a static IP address, different SSID but I will use the same key.
Pay attention to what harddrive747 has been trying to tell you. Keep your network setup as simple as possible. This will reduce the problems in maintaining the network, your network user's problems, and your successor's ability to take over and maintain the network.

The routing function of the Engenius will not be used. If you connect the Engenius to the network by cable, the connection should be through any one of the ports except the WAN, or Internet, port. It does not matter what the router functions of the device are set to (Well, almost. The explanation is too long and unnecessary here.) as it will be functioning as a dumb WAP. There will be no downstream ethernet hardware connected to the device for it to even function as a router. On the Linksys end of the connection the cable should also be plugged into any available port except the WAN, or Ethernet, port.

If the Linksys is connected to the Cisco ASA 5505 at any port except the WAN, or Internet, port then the Linksys has been set up as a dumb WAP. When the Engenius is connected to the WAP configured Linksys then the Linksys passes on the connectivity to the ASA as though it is a ethernet switch and no further configuration of the Linksys is necessary.

If the Linksys is connected through its WAN, or Internet, port then the Linksys would function as a router. You would need to then make sure it is setup as a non-DHCP router. This complicates the setup and maintenance of the network. This may be good if you want to keep the WLAN isolated from the wired network.

To avoid interference between the Linksys WAP and the Engenius WAP they should be set up on different channels. Typically each one is set on a channel that does not overlap with the other's channel. For example channel 1 does not overlap channel 6 and channel six does not overlap with channel 11. This is only important for WAPS that overlap each other's coverage area. Look out for neighborhood WLANs that encompass your building. If they have not moved their default channel it will most likely be on channel 1. Using channel 6 for one WAP and 11 for the other would probably be a good choice. If the Engenius is to be used as a repeater it must be on the same channel as the Linksys.

Do not use different SSIDs for each WAP. This creates two separate WLANs. A roaming client then will have interrupted service when moving between WAP coverage areas as one signal is lost and the computer searches for another available WLAN. This overly complicates network usage for users not familiar with networking. They will not understand why they can't have seemless coverage and are required to set up two networks on their computer for one building. In some areas there may be local unsecured WLANs that their computer connects to, or tries to connect to.

The static IP of the Engenius should be one of the five (5) IP addresses after the ASA's IP address as listed on the ASA's case. The Linksys should also be one of those five addresses but not the same as the Engenius. Also make sure all devices are on the same subnet mask (255.255.255.224) when the ASA is the only router on the network.

Configuring the Engenius as a repeater is an option if you cannot get cable between it and either the Linksys or the ASA or if the cable run between hardware devices will exceed 100 meters. The cable setup is simpler and more reliable. You can place the power injector at any point along the cable run. It does not have to be next to the ASA or Linksys. But the power outlet does need to be near some point of the cable run to avoid extending the run any further than necessary or to avoid exceeding a run of 100 meters.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
jworth-p40
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#10

Post by jworth-p40 »

Thanks for the good instructions.

With a previous comment from someone, it won't be much further of a cable run just go back the the ASA 5505 firewall and use the PoE port there thus saving the added cost of buying the power injector.

By doing this, I underdtand that I should give the Engenius device a static IP address of the next available after the WRT160n and change the channel to say 11 and 6 on the WRT160n with both of themusing the same SSID.

Sorry to ask so many questions, just want to cut down on my possibilities of problems.
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