Wireless bridging problem

Hi guys, here is the problem I have...


My neighbor has cable modem connected with his wireless router (TP-LINK TL-WR740N).

I also have that router on my PC and also I just got TP-LINK TL-WN321G wireless USB adapter.
I plugged in that wireless USB adapter and signal is very weak, speed is very poor, sometimes it won't even open web pages. I'll try to change wireless channel at my neighbor to see if it helps. (there is 3 walls between us; 2 rooms; and I can't move my PC)

I tried to search on web on how to use my router as a wireless bridge but couldn't find any specific guide, it all seams very complicated.

Do you think if I use my router as a bridge, will my signal be better? I suppose it will because of the antenna.
If someone can provide me some info on how to do wireless bridging with my router, I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks!

Please tell us what you are trying to do so we may be able to help. It is not clear why you think your router should be in bridge mode (as this would be using your neighbours internet).

Are you trying to connect your router to your USB network adapter, where is the USB adapter located (relative to your router and the other router - also are they all on the same floor level)?

If you are having conflict with the other router (which means it should be showing with a stronger signal than yours unless he has it hidden). You should be able to change your frequency channels. Product info and User manual here Link to product page downloads

You should be using a TL-321NC to be able to utilise the N band on your router which gives you better transmission speed and distance from the router than the G model.

Yes, I want to connect my router to my neighbors router (is the same model: TP-LINK TL-WR740N) so he can share his internet with me.

I need help setting up our routers so we can connect and so I can have internet access.


Scenario 1: I tried plugging in TP-LINK TL-WN321G wireless USB adapter to my PC to connect to his wireless network, but signal is very weak, and internet speed is awful.
Neighbours router and my USB adapter are on the same floor, just 2 rooms apart (3 walls between us)


Scenario 2: I tried connecting my router to his router:
1. Went to 192.168.0.1
2. Wireless Settings > Channel: 10, Mode: 11g only (as our routers support that)
3. Checked Enable WDS Bridging and selected his router from the list
4. Rebooted my router

And after that I still can't get his signal.



My question:

How do I setup my router so I can receive his signal and internet connection from his router?

(p.s. I can't buy any more hardware. Also user manual from TP-Link is useless)

This should only be done with his permission, and you will need his router wireless network login details.

If the signal is weak where you want it then the bridge must be closer to the wireless LAN you are bridging from so it can get access to be able to extend it.

Speed will be roughly halfed through a standard wireless bridge setup.


You need to change the IP address of the bridging router (your router you are using to extend the network coverage)
1. From 192.168.0.1 -> try 192.168.0.2 if that is free and reboot to connect to the new address
2. Enable WDS Bridging and selected his router from the list
3. Setup the bridge wireless encryption and key to be the same as the other router.
3. Reboot router

Hope that provides some help.

Yes, is with his permission of course. I have his login details.

Thanks for the steps, but there is a little problem. When I type 192.168.0.1 into my browser, I can't open TP-Link page.

My router is connected into power and with LAN cable to my PC and I don't have any active internet connection. And when I type that IP address, it doesn't open TP-LINK configuration page. Why is that? How can I access that page without active internet connection?

I tried connecting to neighbors net with USB stick and than trying accessing 192.168.0.1 and I can, but it opens his TP-LINK configuration page, not mine.

Make sure you are plugging into one of the lan ports not the WAN port for your connection to the PC.

If you have previously changed anything it may be easiest to reset it to factory settings (you will need to check the user manual on how to do that). Then you should be able to access it via your browser.

Thanks, I've managed to make it work

Thank you once again, it was urgent situation because I need net access for my business

If you can let us know what you did that might help others next time.

Sure.

1. I changed my IP address to 192.168.0.2
2. Changed my channel and protocol to match the neighbors router (channel 1 and protocol 11n)
3. Turned on wireless bridging and clicked Survey to find his router and I clicked connect and doing that it entered his SSID and BSSID data
4. I changed security settings to match his and entered his password
5. I turned off my router firewall and DNS and access control
6. I changed my SSID to match his SSID

Saved and rebooted router and it worked