Tom's Hardware > Forum > General Networking > Routers & Gateways > [Solved] How do I bridge wi-fi network-->XyXEL travel router--> XBox 360?

[Solved] How do I bridge wi-fi network-->XyXEL travel router--> XBox 360?

Forum General Networking : Routers & Gateways [Solved] How do I bridge wi-fi network-->XyXEL travel router--> XBox 360?

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Hello and thanks for looking! The short of my request is I am trying to use a ZyXEL mwr102 travel wi-fi router to pass my home WiFi network to an Xbox 360 elite, pre built-in wifi. (Wireless LAN client?)

I highly appreciate any help. After trying myself for an embarrassing number of hours and essentially feeling overwhelmed by too much data to sift through, I thought it was time to ask the good folks of the Internet. :hello:
I will include the solution (or a link to this forum) in my Amazon review of the product, so we can share the love and knowledge.

Extra details and efforts/updates so far will be tucked under a spoiler box to prevent clutter

Spoiler :

ok, so I have access to my ZyXEL mwr102 router's browser-based setup page. Yes, I noticed that the product is advertised more to create wi-fi on a wired network, instead of the inverse, but I think it's possible because the spec sheets and a few settings in the HTML setup page refer to a client bridge mode. The 2nd half of the buy.com spotlight video made it sound so easy to set as a wireless LAN client I intend to use this to give my Xbox 360 wi-fi capability in the short run, but eventually I would like to do the same for a computer (hac Mac) that I am building. You can't use a USB dongle for both, which is why I went this route.
A quick google search for "client bridge" brought up a nice dd-wrt document about how to use their firmware on everybody's favorite Linksys router, but after reading through I didn't know how to apply that in this case.
There doesn't seem to be online FAQ or support documents online yet from the manufacturer (new product from October 2011), just a PDF users manual @ http://us.zyxel.com/products/detai [...] PDCA201138

Update 1/31/12: wifi-->MacBook Pro-->Internet Sharing activated through System Settings-->ZyXEL WAN port--> ZyXEL LAN port--> Xbox 360
Works in router mode without changing factory settings. Streamed YouTube vid smoothly (no info on XBOX about resolution (looked 480p) without stopping to buffer. FYI we have FiOS Internet, but even so WiFi connection speeds are way faster than any typical home Internet service (ISP is the bottleneck).

Solution update:
To enable Client mode (to bridge my existing wifi network to Ethernet), follow these steps:
*flip the switch on the ZyXEL's side to AP mode.
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*log in to the ZyXEL's setup page @ 192.168.100.1 (the directions recommend giving your computer a static IP address first, 192.168.100.10)
*save a backup of the current configuration & settings.
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Basic Settings
*look for the "wireless mode" setting halfway down; click where it says "AP" and pick "Client" from the dropdown menu (I missed this at first)
*from the sidebar, click Wireless>Site Survey
*Click the Site Survey button on this page to refresh the list of wifi networks in range.
*Click the bubble to the right of your network, and then the Next button to get the password screen
*Match your encryption method (mine was WEP), key length, and type of password. My password was ten digits long, so 64-bit and the HEX setting were right for me.
*Click finish, and if you typed in your password and settings riiiight... You're done!

Something I didn't know before but the configuration document pointed out, in client mode BOTH Ethernet jacks pass through the Internet connection. SO, end result, I do (and you will/would) have a travel router that serves up a 150mbps WiFi N signal, an access point, AND a wireless client bridge that allows two devices to connect to a wifi network. All in a package powered thro either Ethernet or AC, smaller than an Altoids tin!

Message edited by Evshrug on 02-02-2012 at 12:44:28 AM

Reply to Evshrug

did you try using the WiFi Client Bridge mode?

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Emerald

Emerald wrote :

did you try using the WiFi Client Bridge mode?

Hi Emerald, thanks for the reply!

There isn't a clear way to enable client mode. Source of my problem right there.

There is a switch on the side to change into router or AP modes, but I think the client bridge mode setting is buried somewhere under the AP settings... I'm looking through stuff on it right now, sorry I don't have more to go on just yet...

What confuses me most is I cannot find where to input the existing wifi network's ssid, even though I did see it detected under a site survey list.

(I got distracted in the Games forum looking up system requirements for someone else, trying to build good karma )

Message edited by Evshrug on 02-01-2012 at 01:37:48 AM

Reply to Evshrug

Update: I've found a way to temporarily fake it... More info as I figure this out.

I'm faking it in the short term by turning on Internet sharing on my MacBook Pro, which bridges the wifi to wired Ethernet, connecting THAT to the ZyXEL's WAN port, then connect the LAN to the Xbox. This is a slight improvement, as when I tried connecting the Xbox directly to the MacBook before, I discovered that Microsoft actually had specifically disabled accepting Internet through a Mac. I'm sure my NAT settings will be a nightmare, but I streamed a YouTube video real quick through the Xbox, and it worked smoothly enough. Will test gaming on it later, as I have a date with my girlfriend

I still need to make the router connect directly in client mode, but I sent an email to ZyXEL support. We'll see if they have an answer

Reply to Evshrug

Best answer

maybe when using the AP mode, check out the Site Survey option on the menu. This might allow you to connect to your main router wirelessly; however, you need to make sure that the Zyxel uses the same IP scheme then your router.

Reply to Emerald

Another update:
I called ZyXEL (short wait) and moments after reaching a person, he said they had a configuration document that would walk me though the process. It's a .docx file (lol) that isn't found by normal methods of browsing their website. I suppose they don't want to advertise the feature? Interestingly, the doc states that I will be able to use BOTH the LAN and WAN ports to hook up Ethernet devices to our wifi network.

Anyway, in AP mode, I browse the setup screen to the "basic settings" tab under wireless, and there is a pull-down menu for "Wireless Mode" that lets me switch from AP to Client. Now, in Wireless>Site Survey, selectable buttons allow me to pick my home router's SSID from the list and enter encription passwords. Our home router is set for WEP protection (I know it's not the safest, but we're nobodys and I don't want to mess with my Mom's whole setup), just the standard stuff that Verizon set it up with.

My new problem may be something more common to troubleshooting. When I carefully type in our WEP key, I get an error message stating "invalid key length!" There is a 64-bit and a 128-bit option under a key length setting, but of course neither one works. Any ideas?

Reply to Evshrug

Success! I checked settings for when the ZyXEL sets it's own SSID & passphrase, and I saw that it actually listed the number of characters in a password, and changing the 64-bit key length to HEX mode allowed the password to go through! I turned off the wifi on my laptop and ran speedtest.net, the down/up speeds match what I was getting with my airport extreme card that was built into my Mac. Very happy! So now I'm set... I can make my Xbox360 wireless NOW, and later when I finish building my PC I can give that wireless too... At the same time as my Xbox! Perfect, with lots of bonuses!
All for $32 shipped, ain't so bad.