[HH] Resend: DD-WRT 'Client Mode' 'Client Bridge' with Atheros chips

[Phil C.]

I emailed this message before I confirmed my subscription to the hardware
hacking mail list. So I'm sending it again. (Apologies if you get a
duplicate)


I posted these questions on the DD-WRT forum a week 4 days ago and no one
can help, so I will ask here.

I was trying to make a low cost bridge that has external antennas to help my
friend whose Trendnet 4 port media bridge is not receiving a wireless signal
that well.

I picked up a Rosewill (Newegg) RNX-N300RT. The hardware is identical to the
TP-Link TL-WR841N V?. It uses an atheros chip.

I flashed it with this firmware:
>ftp://dd-wrt.com/others/eko/BrainSlaye...P2/2012/

I followed the wiki Client Bridge instructions:
>www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

to set up a bridge with my WRT-54GL as the primary router (running V24 sp2).

I can get the N300 to maybe connect once after finishing the wiki
instructions. After that, it does not work. I am seeing a lot of receive
errors on the N300 status.

HOWEVER, >www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic....9#702019
describes using "CLIENT MODE" for the TP-Link TL-WR841N V7 which is the
brother unit of the Rosewill, but I'm not sure if the Rosewill RNX-N300RT
hardware matches the TL-WR841N V7 or V8.

>www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Bridging
says that Client Bridging is better than Client Mode, BUT SAYS that Client
Bridge DOES NOT WORK with Atheros chips.

So is this telling me why I can't get client bridging to work?

And client mode should work?

TO FURTHER muddy things, I read somewhere that if the host router is
Broadcom based that it will not communicate well with an Atheros based
client.

Can anyone shed some light on Client Bridging/Client Mode with Atheros
wireless routers?

MORE DETAIL ON THIS ISSUE IS CONTAINED IN this DslReports post that I
started:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27438567-DD-WRT-Client-Mode-Client-Bridge-w
ith-Atheros-chips~start=8#27443841

Thank you.