WAP4410N work in Client-Repeater mode?

[amvita]

I have purchased 4 of these devices about 2 months ago and have experienced all of the issues reported within this thread.  The came with the 2.0.0.5 FW rev installed, so unless the 2.0.0.5 on the cisco DL site is different, nothing I can do with that.

I've tried making them work as stand alone AP's, Bridge<->Bridge, etc... all modes seem to lock up eventually needing a reboot to get any functionality back.

Ultimately, I need to make them work in AP<->Client-Repeater mode.  I've not been successful in making them work in any mode for a prolonged period of time.

having just rfound this thread today, I have not tried hard coding the NIC's to 100/full, but will give it a try.  If it works, great, but then that would defeat the purpose of buying an N radio AP.  I would like the potential 300Mbps throughput.

Any update from Cisco on this?  Help!!!

[tgronek]

What kind of router are you using with the WAP4410N's?

[amvita]

I've got them connected to a Cisco ASA 5505.  I've tried using the PoE ports on the ASA and also having the AP's powered with the external power supply.  Both options fail.  When attempting to do the AP<->Client/AP mode, I have the first AP connected directly to the ASA, the client/AP is powered using external PS.

[tgronek]

Using the Cisco ASA 5505 you will need to have one of the WAP4410N's wired in, in AP mode then allow the wireless signal to be repeated by a repeater. Then the next WAP4410N can be in client/ repeater mode.

[amvita]

So, are you saying a need to get a dedicated repeater to regen the first AP so that the second 4410 can act as client/repeater?

[tgronek]

Yes

[amvita]

Is there a way I can do this with the two WAP4410N devices?  I am trying to extend the WiFi range within a large home that lacks cabling.  The main router (ASA5505) is in the basement and AP#1 is plugged into it.  I want to be able to use the WAP4410N's to extend the signal to other parts of the house.  Can't they be put into AP-Client/Repeater mode to do this.  The client's can then associate to the second 4410?

[orbital69]

As I previously mentioned you might want to try using WDS Repeater mode rather than Client/Repeater. They effectively do the same thing but the WDS mode uses the MAC address portion of the packet to identify the parent AP. The Client/Repeater mode actually associates with the parent AP as a client and then re-transmits the signal. I have had more joy with the former option and have a setup similar to the one that you described

[ahorwitz9523]

That's theoritical, when the planets align, salt was thrown over the shoulder, and Hail Marys said. Also I don't think that Wi-Fi really does duplex. At least not real duplex like you can get on an Ethernet port. Bottom line is a 100MB full duplex wired connection might not be that different than a 300MB 802.11n connection.

In any event let us know what your resultrs are but I think others have already tried it. What I don't understand is why Cisco employees are STILL asking questions like what hardware you're using with it. We all know Cisco knows how to make good gear and Linkused to make decent, consumer grade gear. The WAP4410Ns don't fall into either category.

[orbital69]

Hi,

FYI I experienced difficulty trying to use the second AP in Client/Repeater mode. Have you tried using WDS Repeater? This does the same thing but connects using the MAC address of the first AP rather than connecting as a wireless client. Subtle difference I know but it was more successful for me. You have the added advantage of being able to use different SSIDs too, if you wish. This can be benefical sometimes depending upon how well your clients roam.

HTH

Paul

[air1jwp01]

I am extremely disappointed in Cisco's lack of effort to resolve this issue. The more I looked into it the more i realized how widespread this issue is. Multiple support forums all report the same behavior. I have 2 4410s and am now considering switching over to D-Link. I have always been a Cisco fan and my entire operation runs on Cisco routers, switches and access points. I bought a D-Link DAP-2590 as a test and it has been running flawlessly for about 2 months. Cisco support, if you're reading this you have really dropped the ball on this one and may have lost yet another customer over this issue.

[cowen]

In my experience the WAP4410N worked perfectly for the purpose described in this thread, after following the directions given above. However, there is a little more information that will likely be helpful.

The short: Connect the first WAP to the network in AP mode (I will call this one the primary), the second in WDS Repeater mode, assign the second a unique SSID, list the MAC of each in the configuration of the other, should be all set. Each WAP will allow clients to connect, the remote WAP will provide full network connectivity, including passing through DHCP.

And I think this is a correct statement: client/repeater mode does not apply to the scenario presented in this thread. It seems as though the "client" would be the various workstations connection to the WAP. But in fact the "client" is the remote WAP, which is connecting to the primary WAP as a client, and then routing traffic through. My bet is this would apply to a use of a WAP4410N with another manufacture of AP.

But, I had the same problems as amvita - none of this worked when I first tried.

I think the reason is simple: I initially configured using the client/repeater mode. I started by setting up the remote WAP, assigned it a unique SSID, set up security, then configured for client/repeater. At the time that the WAP connects and authenticates to the primary AP, its unique SSID is REPLACED with the SSID of the primary. I guess this is clever - it would appear that there is a single SSID to connect, even though there are multiple WAPs forming the network. This configuration did not work, so I went back to the WDS Repeater mode. But now the SSIDs match between the primary and remote, and the pair does not work. So put back the unique SSID on the remote WAP, and everything should be good.

[John Frankish]

This is also what I found - using a wap4410n as an AP and a second wap4410n as a WDS repeater, the repeater only start working when I gave it an SSID different from that of the AP. For me, this doesn't make sense and the WDS repeater setup should warn of this.

Note also that I enabled wireless web access on the wap4410n acting as a WDS repeater, which allowed me to adjust its setup without a wired connection - this and rebooting the AP a couple of times may also have helped getting things going.

[BRYAN HUNT]

All,

I am (have been) experiencing the same problems with Client-Repeater mode.

I have a WAP4410N connected to my LAN switch, another WAP4410N attached via C-R mode with a remote computer plugged into the WAN port.

I started with version 1 hardware, which Cisco upgraded to version 2 when I first contacted them about this issue.

Version 2 hardware actually made the problem worse.  With v1, I could reboot the remote access point and work for 3-4 hours without issue.  With v2, in 3-4 minutes my wireless connection will drop no matter how often I reboot it.

In both cases, the hard-wired PC seems to do *fairly* well.  Nowhere near the issues like with the wireless clients.

I have to agree with the other respondents in this thread: Cisco has not done a good job of addressing/fixing this issue.  I'm not sure if it is a hardware or a firmware issue, but the bottom line: If it doesn't work, don't offer it as an Option in the config.

I have read that WDS mode may work in its place?  I don't mind trying that, but I want to make sure that I understand the SSID issue first.  Did I understand that the SSID of the remote AP *must* be different from the SSID of the primary AP?

One other item of interest... I replaced my "low-end" WAP54G APs that worked perfectly in this configuration with "high-end" Cisco gear that does not... hard to understand that...

Thanks.

Bryan Hunt