Dear All,

 

Hereby, I want to share a solution for an issue I had with my new Archer C9.

 

The Set-up

- ISP Modem (LAN 192.168.0.1) - Ethernet LAN Port 1 to

    - Access Point A (TP-Link Archer C8) - Static LAN 192.168.0.2 - DHCP Disabled - Connected through Ethernet LAN Port 1

    - Access Point B (TP-Link Archer C8) - Static LAN 192.168.0.3 - DHCP Disabled - Connected through Ethernet LAN Port 1

    - Access Point C (TP-Link Archer C9) - Static LAN 192.168.0.4 - DHCP Disabled - Connected through Ethernet LAN Port 1

All carry out the same SSID

 

The Issue

- For AP A and B (both C8), the settings work fine by disabling the DHCP and connecting through Lan Port 1

- For AP C (the C9), the exact same setting did not work - the wired clients have LAN/WAN access, the wireless clients only have LAN access.

- 'Access Point Mode' does not allow 'Router Mode' options (such as NAT, QoS, MAC Filtering, ...)

The combination 'same SSID' - 'Access Point Mode' + clients always choosing the right Access Point is not guaranteed, since in my set-up, I had MAC filtered clients from AP B and C which always need to connect to AP A.

 

The Solution

A. If you are OK with having different SSIDs and do not need the extra Router Mode Options, you can easily run the Archer C9 in Access Point Mode - Done.

or

B. If you need some of the Router Mode Options, the key is to enable a WDS Bridge to the Ethernet MAC Address of the Router, since the wired clients do get a fully working connection.

 

Here are the steps to set it up:

 

1. Set-up the Archer C9 as an Access Point manually

     - Go to 'Network - LAN'

     - Enter the IP address manually within the subnet of the main router (e.g. 192.168.0.x)

     - Enter the subnet mask identically as the subnet mask within the LAN (e.g. 255.255.255.0)

 

2. Set-up the Wireless Connections and SSID

     - Go to 'Wireless - Wireless Settings'

     - Set-up your 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz SSID

 

3. Now, we need to bridge the LAN to your Wireless SSID

     - Go to 'System Tools - System Parameters'

     - Under '2.4Ghz Wireless', click 'Enable WDS Bridging'

     - Now, enter the MAC Address of the LAN part to be bridged of the Archer C9 (can be found under 'Network - LAN')

 

 

4. Lastly, disable the DHCP server, as the DHCP settings will be received from the main router

     - Go to 'Network - DHCP Server'

     - Untick the box 'Enable DHCP Server'

 

5. Reboot the Access Point

 

6. Now, you should be able to access the LAN and WAN, both wired and wireless, and tweak the settings (such as MAC filtering) further!

 

Hope this was useful.

 

Best regards,

kurgom86