Can the AR300M be used as an Ethernet to WiFi client?

scottgs · 2022-12-19T02:39:21.722Z

Can the AR-300M be used as an ethernet (RJ-45) to WiFi adapter?

I have a device that has no WiFi. I would like to access the internet through a local WiFi Access Point/Router. Can the AR300M do this?

Thanks.

limbot · 2022-12-19T05:14:31.061Z

Yes, you can use it in repeater mode and even turn the WiFi broadcasting off to enable an ethernet only device.

scottgs · 2022-12-19T13:04:52.386Z

Thank you!

I was really sure there was a way, but I seemed to be at a loss to figure it out last night.

I’m trying it now.

bOcy · 2022-12-19T13:17:55.552Z

I always go to my mango to give internet to my machines without wireless or just to give a router a temporary wan

Small problem is it’s only wireless 2.4

scottgs · 2022-12-19T13:30:13.201Z

Works great! So easy and quick to configure too. The way it should be!

2.4GHz is fine with me, for what I’m doing, which is a WiFi interface for a portable VoIP router, but granted, it would be nice to have the flexibility and probability of greater bandwidth with 5.8 GHz.

scottgs · 2022-12-19T15:32:45.626Z

I need more help: I have the AR300M working in repeater mode, works fine for web access, but not for Windows File or Printer sharing on my local LAN. For reference, the PC I’m testing with has built-in WiFi, and if I turn it on, then the File and Printer sharing work fine through the built-in WiFi.

I assume it’s a firewall issue, but I cannot seem to figure out where. Is it a firewall on the AR300M or Windows?

So I turned off my Windows firewall, and still doesn’t work for File or Printer sharing.

I know this should be easy, but help!

wcs2228 · 2022-12-19T18:15:05.741Z

In Repeater mode, the GL-AR300M works as a router, with LAN and WWAN on different IP subnets and NAT/firewall in-between. If you want WWAN and LAN on the same IP subnet, then you can use Extender network mode.

Regarding Repeater mode for File and Printer sharing, you should be able to at least reach the file server/printer by its IP address on the local LAN, not by its NetBIOS name which cannot traverse subnets/filewall.

Is the file server/printer running on a Windows computer? If so, then the Windows firewall (or Norton or other antivirus firewall) may be blocking access from a different client subnet.

LAN remote access via WireGuard connection Technical Support for Routers

The Windows firewall (or Norton or other antivirus firewall) may be blocking access from a different client subnet. I do not work for and I do not have formal association with GL.iNet

I do not work for and I do not have formal association with GL.iNet.

d.b · 2022-12-19T20:18:07.178Z

I want to do this very same thing with a GL-MT300N-V2, (that is, connect a wired device to my wifi network, bridged as if it were connected directly with a wire (ie, no firewall, no NAT, the gateway should see it’s actual MAC, etc) and without creating another AP network, I don’t need my wifi ‘extended’ I just need to connect a wired device to it). However, when I select ‘Extender’ mode my arpwatch goes crazy as the GL-MT300N starts to ARP announce as basically every other device on my network (including the gateway):

12/19/2022 10:39:12 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.10.202
12/19/2022 10:39:13 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.53.5
12/19/2022 10:39:15 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.10.201
12/19/2022 10:39:15 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.4.12
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.4.8
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.3.15
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.4.6
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.4.7
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.3.12
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.10.203
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.3.19
12/19/2022 10:39:16 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.10.204
12/19/2022 10:39:17 AM	Flip flop	94-83-C4-1F-9D-6D takes other’s IP: 10.0.0.1
etc…

Am I doing something wrong? I also tried ‘WDS’ mode, not sure what the difference is, but that doesn’t seem to do the same thing (tries to take over the IP of every other device…)

wcs2228 · 2022-12-19T22:33:38.599Z

OpenWRT Extender network mode uses the relayd package and I seem to recall that the GL.iNet router will generate virtual MAC addresses when I tried it, not pass the original source MAC addresses.

I have not used WDS mode, which is supposed to work as a Layer 2 transparent bridge with the original source MAC addresses.

I do not know why you get the ARP messages. Does it at least work in Extender and/or WDS mode?

limbot · 2022-12-19T22:45:14.201Z

wcs2228:

then you can use Extender network mode.

Poop! That’s my bad for posting before morning coffee… Yes extender mode will preserve subnet.

Sorry.

d.b · 2022-12-19T23:52:04.531Z

Doesn’t work in extender mode, I suspect because it’s attempting to route all the traffic for my entire network through itself, seeing as it decided to impersonate being the gateway IP…

In WDS mode it seems to work. At least, I was able to connect it to my wifi, disable it’s own wifi networks, and plug my PC in and get the same MAC-bound static IP for it. It also didn’t seem to try to take over the IPs of every client on my network in WDS mode, so that’s good.

scottgs · 2022-12-20T00:52:26.315Z

I tried WDS mode, and it doesn’t seem to fix my problem. My PC is assigned by some DHCP an address that is not in my LAN’s subnet. For example, my LAN’s address range is 192.168.1.0 to 192.168.1.254, but the address assigned to the PC is 169.254.182.5, and no gateway is assigned. I can’t reach anything on my LAN or the WAN (internet)

Is it possible that there is a step by step configuration guide somewhere for these really simple configurations?

Regardless, thank you all for the help.

wcs2228 · 2022-12-20T02:05:24.795Z

On Windows PC’s, the Automatic Private IP Address of 169.254.x.x is assigned when a DHCP server cannot be reached. In your case, it may be that the WDS connection is not successful.

WhatIs.com

What is Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)?

Learn about APIPA, a Windows feature that enables a DHCP client to automatically assign an IP address to itself when there's no DHCP server available.

As a test, try assigning a static IP address to your PC on the LAN subnet, such as 192.168.1.199, with gateway IP of your main router and see if it can access the LAN and Internet.

scottgs · 2022-12-20T03:11:21.984Z

I did try your suggestion, and it didn’t seem to help. However…

I switched to Extender mode, and it didn’t work any different, but after connecting by smb and IP address to the File server, it is now working. I’m not sure why it started connecting with normal Windows File sharing after I did this, but it now works every time. Perhaps there is no connection between the smb and File Sharing, and it’s that I simply didn’t wait long enough when I first switched to Extender mode. I’ve tried it several times, connecting the wired ethernet AR300M, and then disconnecting and switching to integrated WiFi on the PC, and back to the AR300M in extender mode, and then to integrated cellular WAN, and then back to AR300M, and it seems to be consistently working fine now in Extender mode. It works, and so I’m going with it!

I know perhaps this is not getting totally to the bottom of it, but Thank You for the help!

wcs2228 · 2022-12-20T18:11:30.118Z

In Extender mode, all devices will be on the same subnet. This probably explains why File and Printer sharing is working, since the Windows firewall will not block access from the same subnet, only different subnets.

Extender mode is known to have issues with DHCP sometimes, given the way it works. If this happens, you can try unplugging and replugging in the Ethernet cable. Alternatively, you can set static IP address, netmask, gateway IP address, DNS server addresses on the client PC, so it does not require DHCP.