Hello friends. Recently launched a service for tracking air traffic online -. But in the process of setting up the equipment, I encountered a problem with access to FlightFeeder, a device for receiving signals from aircraft on the Internet.

As can be seen from the diagram, FlightFeeder is connected with an Ethernet cable directly to a modem or router to transmit data to the server site. The length of the cable from the antenna to the receiver is 15 meters (with a longer length, attenuation begins in the cable), which in turn affects the reception range. So in my situation, the receiver was directly next to the window in the back room.

The Internet in my apartment is connected via PON technology and the optical cable was only enough to install a modem in the hallway. Therefore, all devices in the apartment connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Because FlightFeeder is based on Raspberry PI3 (in the third revision, Raspberry supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth out of the box), I decided to connect it via Wi-Fi. (You can watch the FlightFeeder unboxing and review). But unfortunately I ran into a problem. Many Raspberry PI3 users note that the capabilities of the built-in Wi-Fi module and small antenna do not allow it to be used far from the access point. In my situation, the distance was large and the situation was aggravated by the metal case. Therefore, we had to give up the ability to use standard Raspberry Wi-Fi. However, I decided not to miss the chance to connect FlightFeeder to Wi-Fi. Next, it was decided to use the TP-Link TL-WN722N USB Wi-Fi adapter. This venture was also unsuccessful. After carefully studying the setup documentation and corresponding with FlightFeeder support, I came to the following conclusion:

• FlightFeeder cannot be connected to a Wi-Fi network standard means Raspberry PI3 or via USB Wi-Fi adapter (There are exceptions. Official software Pi Aware supports two USB Wi-Fi adapters Edimax EW-7811 and TP-link N150 (TL-WN725N)
• FlightFeeder support responds quickly. They promise to change the situation in the coming updates.
• You will have to connect FlightFeeder via Ethernet or look for other connection options.

And so the backstory is over.

I’ll make a reservation right away. The option of running a cable across the entire apartment did not suit me, so I began to look for options to get out of this situation. That's how I came to WDS.

Wikipedia says the following about WDS:

Wireless Distribution System(WDS) is a technology that allows you to expand the coverage area of ​​a wireless network by combining several WiFi access points into a single network without the need for a wired connection between them (which is mandatory in the traditional network construction scheme). A distinctive feature of the technology compared to other solutions is the storage of MAC addresses of network clients.

An access point in a WDS network can operate in main, relay or remote base station mode.

Basic base stations, as a rule, are connected to a wired network, remote base stations serve to connect wireless network clients, and relay stations serve to connect the main and remote stations, serving as a signal amplifier and repeater.

The connection diagram will look like this.

If you have not yet understood what and how I will configure, then from the above diagram I hope everything will become clear.

Step 1. Log into the modem.

Login with your credentials. According to the standard, the login/password is ADMIN. I strongly recommend changing it, as this directly affects safety.

There is only one parameter that needs to be changed in the modem settings. Change the value of the Channel parameter from Auto to a specific channel number. I chose number 1 for myself. Subsequently, you need to set the same channel number in the router. From practice. The air in the apartment building is quite noisy due to large quantity devices equipped with Wi-Fi (modems, routers, smartphones, smart plugs, irons, etc.), so I recommend using a utility to evaluate the channels used by other routers/modems and determine a freer channel.

Step 2. This completes all modem settings. Let's move on to the router settings. We log in and first of all change the IP address, it must be different from the modem’s IP address. Further.

Step 3. Go to Wireless -> Wireless Settings wireless connection). Check Enable WDS. Then a page similar to the one shown in the figure below will be displayed. Change the channel to the channel of the root access point / modem.

Step 4 Click Search.

In the window that appears, find the SSID of our modem and click Connect.

As a result, the SSiD and BSSID fields will be automatically filled in, all that remains is to select the type of security key and enter the password for the modem’s Wi-Fi network. Press the button "Save".

The setup of the TP-Link TL WR841 router can be considered complete. What does the status “WDS Status: Installed” indicate?

Now all that remains is to take the router to the back room and get an extended Wi-Fi network. The result of my labors is a working online service for the community

At the end I would like to add that in this example router TP-Link TL WR841DN/ TP-Link TL WR841D are used as a special case, on this moment Many routers support the WDS function and you can perform similar operations with them, the only thing I would like to add is that it is advisable to use routers from the same manufacturer, and ideally the same model, for the connection in WDS. The fact that I managed to pull this off with a modem from the Belarusian provider Betelecom was pure luck.

Special thanks to my colleague EW4C for providing the equipment.

A wireless distribution system (WDS) is a system that allows access points to communicate wirelessly over an IEEE 802.11 network. It also allows you to expand wireless network using multiple access points without having to use a wired connection to connect them. For additional information For information about this feature, please refer to the corresponding article on Wikipedia. Below is a guide to simple solution WDS for SOHO class.

*Note: Both devices must have different IP addresses, in the example the IP address of the root access point is 192.168.1.2, while the TP-Link 11n series router has 192.168.1.1 If you want to change the IP address of the TP-Link router, then use the instruction number .

To configure the WDS function on TP-LINK routers that support the 11n standard, you must complete the following steps:

Step 1 Go to the router setup page. If you don't know how to do this, click here.

Step 2 Go to Wireless -> Wireless Settings. Check Enable WDS. Then a page similar to the one shown in the figure below will be displayed.

Step 3 Change the channel to the channel of your root access point.

Step 4 Click Search. In the window that appears, find the SSID of your root access point, click Connect.

Step 5 After Step 4, the router will redirect you to the previous page. The SSID of the root access point and some other parameters will be filled in automatically. Then make security settings similar to the security settings on the root access point.

Step 7 Go to System Tools -> Reboot page to reboot your device.

Step 8 All WDS function settings are completed. You can check using the Ping utility. If the test is successful (meaning the WDS function is working properly), you will see a window similar to the one shown in the image below:

If you have further questions, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section or contact customer service technical support TP-Link.

Distribution System) stands for "distributed wireless system". In this mode, access points connect only to each other, forming a bridge connection. Moreover, each point can connect to several other points. All points in this mode must use the same channel, so the number of points involved in bridging should not be excessively large. Clients are connected only via a wired network through the uplink ports of the points (Fig. 4.11).

Wireless bridge mode, similar to wired bridges, is used to combine subnets into a common network. Using wireless bridges, you can combine wired LANs located both in neighboring buildings and at a distance of up to several kilometers. This allows you to combine branches and the central office into a network, as well as connect clients to the Internet provider network (Fig. 4.12).

A wireless bridge can be used where laying cables between buildings is undesirable or impossible. This decision achieves significant cost savings and provides ease of setup and configuration flexibility for office relocations.

Wireless clients cannot connect to an access point operating in bridge mode. Wireless communication occurs only between a pair of points that implement a bridge.

Term WDS with AP(WDS with Access Point) means “a distributed wireless system that includes an access point,” i.e. Using this mode, you can not only organize a bridge connection between access points, but also simultaneously connect client computers (Fig. 4.13). This allows you to achieve significant equipment savings and simplify the network topology. This technology supported by most modern access points.

However, it must be remembered that all devices within the same WDS with AP operate at the same frequency and create mutual interference, which limits the number of clients to 15-20 nodes. To increase the number of connected clients, you can use several WDS networks configured for different non-overlapping channels and connected by wires through uplink ports.

The topology of organizing wireless networks in WDS mode is similar to conventional wired topologies.

Bus topology

The “bus” type topology, by its very structure, implies identity network equipment computers, as well as equality of all subscribers (Fig. 4.14).

Rice. 4.14. Bus topology

There is no central subscriber through which all information is transmitted, which increases its reliability (after all, if any center fails, the entire system controlled by this center ceases to function). Adding new subscribers to the bus is quite simple. You need to enter parameters new point access, which will only lead to a short-term reboot of the last point.

The bus is not afraid of failures of individual points, since all other computers on the network can normally continue communicating with each other, but the remaining computers will not be able to access the Internet.

Ring topology

A "ring" is a topology in which each access point is connected to only two others (Fig. 4.15). In this case there is no clearly defined center; all points can be the same.

Connecting new subscribers to the “ring” is usually very simple, although this requires the obligatory stop of the two extreme points from the new access point.

At the same time, the main advantage of the ring is that relaying signals by each subscriber allows you to significantly increase the size of the entire network as a whole (sometimes up to several tens of kilometers). The ring is significantly superior to any other topology in this regard.

Link topology between points in this mode is an acyclic graph of the “tree” type, that is, data from the Internet from point 4 to point 2 passes in two directions - through points 1 and 3 (Fig. 4.15). To eliminate unnecessary connections that can lead to the appearance of cycles in the graph, an algorithm is implemented Spanning tree. Its use allows you to identify and block unnecessary connections. When the network topology changes - for example, due to the disconnection of some points or the impossibility of channels working - the algorithm Spanning tree restarts, and previously blocked extra connections can be used instead of failed ones.

Rice. 4.15. Ring topology

WDS (Wireless Distribution System) is a technology that allows you to combine several routers into one network without the use of wires.

The technology is ideal in cases where you need to combine the main part local network with its remote segment: for example, if the remote segment is located in a neighboring office (or in an office that is visible, for example, through a window).

As already noted, the main advantage of WDS is the ability to connect network segments (routers) wirelessly. But there is also a minus - a drop in network speed. This is due to the fact that routers connected by a wireless bridge must use one common channel.

So, we have two routers:

The first one connects to the Internet (or a network with Internet access) and creates wi-fi network. Let's call it "Main Station".

The second one is installed in the place where we need to “deliver” our network. Devices (called "clients") can connect to it either wirelessly or over a wired network. We will call it “Remote Station”.

If the Main and Remote stations are on long distance from each other, and the signal disappears or becomes very weak, then another device is placed between them. This is a router (or access point) that can operate in wireless signal repeater mode - repeater or range extender modes. This will be our "Relay Station". There may be several of them.

Practical implementation

Let's try to build our network on three devices.

We use a TL-WR841ND dual-band wi-fi router (300MBit/s, 1 wan, 4 lan ports) as the Main and Remote stations.

In the role of a Relay Station, the TL-WA830RE is a dual-band access point (300Mbps, 1 lan port).

We connect via LAN, go to 192.168.0.1 and configure the Internet on the WAN port. Go to the Wireless Settings tab.

We indicate the name of the network, we will have, for example, Basic_Station. Be sure to assign a specific channel: in our example there will be channel No. 1.

On the Wireless Security tab, select encryption and enter the key. Save and reboot.

We connect our repeater with a wire, go to the WEB interface: default is 192.168.0.254.

In the "Operation Mode" item, select Range Extender, in the "MAC of AP" field, enter the MAC address of our main station. Or click the Survey button, find our network (Basic_Station) and click Connect. Save and reboot.

Go to 192.168.0.1, go to the Wireless Settings tab, enter the network name. Let's call this network Ext_Station. Please note that at a remote station it is better to name the wireless network differently. This is done so that the client, who is connected to the wireless network of the main station within the coverage area of ​​the remote station, can move across the entire area of ​​the wi-fi network without interruptions in communication.

We indicate the channel explicitly, we have channel 1. Enable wds, to do this, check the “Enable WDS Bridging” checkbox

Click the Survey button, find our network (Basic_Station), click Connect.

Below, in the "Key type" field, select our encryption type, and in the Password field enter the key from the network (created by the main station - Basic_Station). We save and on the Wireless Security tab we indicate the type of encryption and the key to the wireless network created by this router - the Ext_Station network.

We have one last step left. Both routers - the main and remote stations - have the same IP. Also, both routers have a DHCP server enabled. This will lead to an address conflict.

Therefore, on the "DHCP Settings" tab, turn off DHCP

On the "LAN" tab, in the "IP Address" field, change the address to 192.168.0.2

Save and reboot.

Now, if we need to go to the “Remote” station and adjust some settings, we will need to use the new IP address: 192.168.0.2. The distribution of addresses throughout the network will be handled by the “Main Station” (the first router).

The network is configured, let's check it!

It should be noted that the use of WDS is justified when the network is not highly loaded and the total number of clients does not exceed 25-30. If there are more clients, then you will have to use a wireless network controller.

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A Wi-Fi router is needed to connect your mobile devices and other devices using wifi networks: tablets, laptops, smartphones.

Routers very often have to be configured to work as an amplifier or bridge. That's why this instruction suitable for those who are trying to configure Tp-Link to work as a bridge in WDS mode. Before moving on to the job description process, there should be a clear definition of what a bridge is and how it differs from a repeater.

The question of repeater mode has already been raised earlier. It was noted that Tp-Link models this mode absent. For example, Zyxel or Asus have them; there is a separate switch in the settings. In this case, the device works like a real amplifier. For TP-Link this function Available only at select access points. Most standard router models, for example TL-WR941ND, TL-WR740N, TL-WR841N, TL-MR3220, TL-WR842ND, only have a WDS operating option - bridge.

What are the features of the bridge?

A bridge is characterized by connecting a pair of devices via wireless communication. This method can be used if it is necessary to strengthen or expand the Wi-Fi network. The situation can be clearly seen using the example of a router that distributes a connection. Its network does not cover the entire space, therefore, it needs to be expanded. For this, a second Tp-Link router is used. It is connected and configured according to the instructions below. As a result, it takes over the settings from the main equipment and distributes the network further. The difference from an amplifier is that with a bridge you will have two wireless networks with independent access parameters.

The method is quite convenient if there is no other way to configure it. The amplifier is more beneficial since it simply duplicates all the parameters and does not create its own connection. In the case of a bridge, you will have to choose each time which of the two networks to connect to.

Sometimes the question arises of how to configure the tl-wr941nd to receive a wireless connection and then transmit it further via cable. It turns out that the router will be used as a receiver, and is such use of the equipment possible?

The answer is simple, when you configure a router using a bridge connection, it will work as a receiver. In this case, you can easily connect a TV, laptop or other equipment through it that does not have its own adapters for connecting via a Wi-Fi network.

What points should be considered?

1. For the main router, you can choose a device from any manufacturer. It is desirable that he be alone, but not necessary. The ideal option is when both routers are the same model. In the example, the main one will be the D-link DIR-615/A, and the TL-MR3220 model will be used for the bridge. It should be noted that not all models can interact correctly. Communication between Asus old version RT-N13U and Tp-Link were not configured.
2. The main router settings will also be changed. You will need to specify a static communication channel.
3. This method is optimal for wireless communication. An example of use is a situation where a main device is installed in one place, and another device is installed in another, which is connected to the main one via Wi-Fi via a bridge.

How to set up a bridge on Tp-Link?

Initially, you need to change the wireless connection channel of the host device. It is important that the main router is configured and debugged before starting the procedure. It should broadcast the Wi-Fi connection uninterrupted. In the example, the main router is D-link DIR-615. His communication channel should be changed. Perhaps it will be different for you. Then in order to change the channel, you should read the instructions. She talks in detail about this procedure for routers of various brands.

For Tp-Link this is easy. You should log in to the administration panel at 192.168.1.1 (192.168.0.1). If you can't do this, read the article. Then go to the section Wireless You will be interested in the field Channel. It specifies a static channel. This can be a value of 1 or 6. After this, changes to the button are saved Save.

This completes the changes to the main router settings. You can close the administration panel.

The second step is to configure the operating parameters of the bridge router. In the example, this is model TL-MR3220. To complete the procedure, you must log in to the administration panel. If it doesn’t work out, then read.

In the settings, you should make changes to the IP address so that there is no conflict between devices if they receive the same values. In such a situation they will not work. To change data, open the section Network – LAN IP Address. In it you will need to rewrite the value of the last digit of the address to 2. After this, apply the settings using the button Save and reboot the device.

In order to check the new parameters, log in again and make sure that the address is the same as you assigned it.

In the third step, specify the network name. To do this, open the section Wireless. Find the line in it Wireless Network Name. Write the name of the new connection in it. In line Channel, be sure to specify the same channel that you set in the settings of the main router. In the example, the value is 1. Check the box next to the line Enable WDS Bridging, and click Survey.

In the list that appears, mark the connection with which communication will be organized and click on "Connect"

The fourth step is to set the security type. In the dropdown list Key type a value similar to the settings of the first router is selected. Then the field is filled in Password. This is the access key to the new network. To apply the parameters, press the button Save.

When the settings are saved, reboot. To do this, turn off the power to the box and restart it. Or use the button on the administration page.

The fifth step is checking the parameters. You should go to the router settings again. On home page admin panel find the section Wireless. You will be interested in the line WDS Status. Opposite it should be the value Run.

If the value is set, it means the setup was done correctly. The router was able to successfully connect to the host device. Now he is ready to distribute the network via a wireless connection or cable.

In some situations, IP addresses must be distributed by the head unit. In order to do this, the DHCP server is disabled in the administration panel of the secondary router. Does it in the tab DHCP, where the value is set opposite the line Disable. For the settings to take effect. The save button is pressed.

Finally, you should set a complex password for the new wireless network. You can find out how to do this by looking. In the settings, find the tab Wireless — Wireless Security, mark the section WPA/WPA2 - Personal(Recommended), in line Wireless Password specify the keys and save using the button Save.