Wireless Bridges for Networking

Follow Eli on the Vlog Channel: / elicomputerguylive
Info
Level: Beginner
Presenter: Eli the Computer Guy
Date Created: July 29, 2010
Length of Class: 12 Minutes
Tracks
Networking
Prerequisites
Introduction to Networking
Purpose of Class
This class shows students how wireless access points can be used to connect networks.
Topics Covered
Why Wireless Bridges Are Used
Creating a Wireless Bridge
Class Notes
Wireless bridges can be used to connect networks in separate buildings, or inside of buildings where network cable cannot be run.
You cannot use 2 wireless routers to create a bridge. One side HAS to be a dedicated Wireless Access Point
In the Wireless Access Point set the access point to Bridge mode, and then enter the MAC address of the Wireless Router or Access Point it is connecting to.
You can attach high powered antennas to the access points to make them work better.
If you are going to use real time communication the bridge should be created with 802.11n equipment

[@ColleenBee]

Finally! Someone who explains things clearly and simply! Thanks so much for your video!!

[@johnd942]

So unpretentious, simple, direct and no time wasting. BRILLIANT!

[@ThomasHope73]

Don't let the audio sync problem at the beggining put you off, it stops at 2 minutes in. Good stuff as always!

[@DougEsWhurl]

Thanks you have no idea how difficult is is to find detailed information that explains this process with the equipment and parameters needed all in one video, thank you hit the example scenario as well.

[@kimerared]

Very easy to understand and direct to the point. Excellent summary.

[@daoudi2522]

after 9 years of your video, now today was my day to learn this concept from you and i put this in pratice and did work. I looked up for second hand linksys routers in my area, learned more about this concept and was able to connect my vpshere esxi using this connection... many thanks!!!

[@tdjf81]

tks you so much for doing all these videos,I love to learn about computers but have a minor learning disability, i always find i fall behind in school, I've wasted so much money in I.T. Thank you again for allowing me to learn at my own pace..

[@sfletcherjones]

I have searched the internet and this is the best and most straightforward intelligent explanation for wireless bridge and how to set up... Nice one and a pleasure to watch your videos...

[@TheSword3000]

I swear you are the best! Time and time again you always deliver! THANK YOU!

[@al.je.5591]

Still great in 2023. Thank you Eli.

[@davidquillard3138]

Great presentation by a great instructor....HIghly recommend

[@VERGIS92]

for distances less than 300 meters you can use powerline adaptors, for longer distances you can use access point devices, with directional antennas, or specifically designed products for bridge (point to point links), where the signal is very directional.

[@352009x]

Excellent Teacher ! Clean English. Simple and effective explanation. Congratulations Eli !. I'm not a native English speaker but I understood your explanation at all. Greetings from Arequipa, Perú.

[@MURBZrecords]

I dont even need to ask my question, every Eli video i watch that is related to my search hits every point. Thanks dude you rock! Subscriber fow life :)

[@csmatrix007]

"ANN TANNA" Love this guy!! Great Video.

[@elithecomputerguy]

@almada284 You could use 2 access points to make a repeater... 1 access point in bridge mode connected to another access point in access point mode.

[@skatergeek19811]

This was really fun and has elaborated how to extend my ADSL connection around the house instead of playing "please trip me now" with ethernet cabling etc. Keep them coming !

[@jamestaylor7417]

Very helpful and fun; absolutely love the emphasis on AN-tenna! :)

[@elithecomputerguy]

@almada284 Correct... It's like running a cable from one switch to another, but wirelessly. I've used this to connect offices on different sides of buildings. So in the server room there is an access point, and then on the other side of the building I setup an access point to act as a bridge, connect it to a switch, and then have the computers in the office connect to the switch with network cables.

[@elithecomputerguy]

It depends on what equipment you are using. If that's what you want to do you should look to buy a wireless repeater. It will connect to the first wireless router, and then rebroadcast the wireless signal. That would be the simplest route. You can connect a wireless access point to a wireless router in the Guard Shack, but then you have to know TCP/IP and a bit f networking to make the setup work properly.

[@davidduffy9806]

Eli, great class! For some strange reason IT dudes always express their thoughts in awkward language. I have all got the feeling they are striving to keep their work secret. You on the other hand have presented Bridges and building WiFi bridges in the same simple, clear language I would use to describe a new idea. Great work!

[@elithecomputerguy]

@smokenfly514 "Bridges" are simply Wireless Access Points set to "Bridged" mode. Wireless Access Points ONLY transmit data wirelessly and nothing else. Routers: Route Traffic between Subnets, provide DNS, Provide DHCP, Provide Port Forwarding and Quality of Service, AND transmit data wirelessly.

[@promixing7714]

Hi Eli, I just wanted to thank you for this video; even tho it is 3 yrs old, it is STILL helpful and I have learned exactly what I needed to use my bridge.

[@plongkie224]

This guy explains it better even after a decade..

[@hiashtidaniels5523]

Eli that comment down there is entirely satirical and i love your channel dude. Thanks for numerous savings from embarrassment & failure in all things computer.

[@MastersSolution]

I don't know it's useful in today's technology or not but the way you explained is wonderful.

[@RobertKwapich]

This video actually helped me to grap the gist of bridges, beauces I needed that type of connection. Setting up that connection was actually pretty easy. Thank you for sharing knowledge with the internet community :)!

[@HenryNovellas]

You are the F-ing bomb! God bless you even more! I needed to hear this right here. Priceless. Like I said, may God or whoever you believe in most, bless you even more. Thanks for this and all you videos. I really connect with you and the way you explain it. Sometimes these nerds get too freakin nerdy and elegant in speech with complicated words and terminologies (without explaination) and I'm confused all over again. But you really put your expertise into simple terms which is perfect for me, a novis, aspiring IT Professional in the Helpdesk -usually seen as the least and lowest of the IT spectrum but non the less equally important to any organization.

[@cole12145]

ive been looking all over for this. as a recent grad from college for IT i love finding instruction videos like this to always better improve my knowledge. subscribed and am looking forward to more videos!!!

[@jeffersonsinoy2913]

Really great presentation . now i understand how bridge network work. Thank u very much

[@ayzee12]

Learning so much. Old memories dripping out of ears.

[@obayalattar]

Man, i just have fun watching ur videos :) ,, u kinda make me wanna learn more and more about my major ( NETWORKING ),, thank u for every single second u taught us in. thanks a lot. keep up the good work,, and best of luck.

[@dickchiggas1514]

congrats. You took a simple problem and increased it exponentially.

[@cuttingedgecool7235]

This was a great explanation of what a wireless bridge is vs an access point.

[@yianfam]

Thanks Eli for all your work and time on videos and topics. Really appreciated.

[@Sandman368]

elithecomputerguy that was a great presentation. Very informative,detailed and easy to understand. Well Done!

[@juanD23]

regardless comments of video productions I thank you for clarifying my confusion about the use of the Bridge. Your explanation is extremely helpful. I have subscribed.

[@bimmer323i]

i'm a networking idiot. this guy's video was incredible... it makes so much sense to me now :)

[@Sirrom5]

May you explain how to configure 2 routers modem to get the wds workable?

[@unosec]

very informative, thank you Eli for creating the video lecture, great one!

[@ismaeleo]

Hi Eli... Like everyone else, really impressed with your knowledge and clarity of delivery... got one geeky question though: would I have any luck trying to configure my old wireless router to become an access point? I know you clearly said it is not possible, but surely there is a way to either flash the firmware with something flash! Please let me know if you think it's a no no... I've done some research and found nothing so far. Cheers

[@temitaiwo1141]

Thanks for the clarity in this video. I have a Wnvr2008-B1 wireless Nvr with 8 wireless ip cams. The issue is two of the ip cams are out of the NVR's Wi-Fi range & neither the NVR nor the ip cam have a repeater feature. I intend to exerted the NVR Wi-Fi signal with my Tp-link TL-MR3240 router but the issue is how do I configure this to work! Three NVR has two different ip addresses: a. Basic: Network: static ip, ip address: 192.168.0.xxx, subnet: 255:255:255:0 gateway: 192.168.0.1 b. Network status: ip status: 172.20.18.xx, gateway status: 172.20.18.1, DNS1: 172.20.18.1 My question is which of these ip's do I configure the router to so as to be able to extend the NVR Wi-Fi to the two distant cameras. The ip cams "ip address" are within 172.20.18.xxx range. Thank you

[@captainmikek6172]

Eli, this is you at peak, can you come back to this style? Come home Eli, we miss you at this level.. Not the current "Crazy" level..Mike..

[@muhammadzafariqbal4512]

i watch many videos for understanding but this video excellent good enplane thanks

[@MexterO123]

Is the wireless access point from the gaurd station essentially a network extender or repeater? Like say an airport express extending the wireless network of a airport extreme.

[@Incarnadine0]

+Memo “MekoxTwiSparkle” Pony A network repeater / extender is referring to extending the WiFi signal by rebroadcasting the SSID and expanding the area covered without running a cable. A wireless bridge is referring to a means of hard wiring computers without running a cable to that specific area.

[@steveearle9678]

I assume the guard shack is range of the main building wireless access point broadcast, as the access point in the guard shack picks it up. Why would you not just connect the guards computers directly to the original access point via wireless?

[@helcioandrade]

Nice explanation. Clear and easy to undertand. Thanks for the and God bless you.

[@Machine217]

Very good sir. Got me headed in the right direction.

[@steef4000000]

what does the access point bridge mean in terms of security, since it going wireless

[@ranvirdhillon6687]

Question - Does the Shack require a working internet connection working as a separate network at first? to converge these two networks OR do we just need a power cable to the WAP sitting in the shack to connect between the two locations together? so technically speaking the Shack would have no internet at all at first....

[@beausizemore4167]

I'm waiting for a kung fu fight to break out.

[@nawafXjohn]

🤣🤣🤣 Damn son I haven't laughed this much in a while

[@SergeLetunovskiy]

Great video Eli! Thanks a lot! Easy to follow and learn. Thank you for taking the time!

[@mrau92me]

My home is wired for ethernet to most all rooms. Should a bridged setup be used in my situation? My gateway and ethernet switch are located next to my bedroom at one corner of the house, and I have a wireless router (TP-Link Archer C7 Ver. 3) located in our Study/Office at the opposite corner of the house. It is connected to the ethernet switch via ethernet cable into the wall . My printers, which are wi-fi, are also in the Study. I want the movement of our wifi devices (cell phones/tablets/laptops) to be seamless without having to go into the settings and switch to the stronger signal and I also want to be able to print without having to move my laptop closer to the wi-fi router that my printers are connected to.

[@Dominic__Lewis]

What a nice video, you're so good at explaining networking to people. Thank you for your efforts!

[@quentincollier9387]

First time this has been explained so clearly keep up good tutorials.

[@loricebernard6210]

Question? Do you need a physical connection from your access point to a switch box or you can connect wirelessly to this access point. My case is that i have my modem/router in the basement and my signal is low upstairs and in my garage. Should i go access point and bridge or signal extender? Thanks for all your videos.

[@robmercante44]

Great video man. You explained everything very clearly. I stumbled upon your video while searching for a wireless solution at my new apartment. We don't have an attic at to run cables through and the wireless adapters didn't seem to great. Do you know if any good wireless bridges that would be good for PC gaming? This is a concern I have since I can't get a hardwired connection.

[@Awed1b]

Thank you for explaining this. I am glad that you mentioned the use of wireless n for VoIP etc. That was helpful.

[@mh5539]

So can you give a more detail on the wireless access point or router set up on the main building? You said the 'normal' stuff but how about the ip address assignment in the router or access point and the which port do you use? Sorry if I don't ask the right question. I am also confused about access point and network bridge. In this example, looks like you will need 2 router and 1 access point hub but examples I have seen other example (not yours), you only need one access point hub???

[@ghassanqasim1194]

Eli , I hope you’d explain technically everything you’re saying. That’s will make a huge difference in terms of understanding.

[@adimascahyaning9202]

Great video! I have a query here. How does the data transfer between two computers in the guard building work? does it through an access point only? or it will go to the main network?

[@brandonfarfan1978]

Thanks for explaining this Mr. Eli.

[@sbssales5604]

What is the practical distance you can achieve with a run of the mill wireless bridge network? I need to reach about 125'-150' away. Thanks

[@mikereckley2624]

Eli I really enjoyed your video and as a novice would like either to ask over the phone a question or can by email how I can take a small building and wifi it for all the retired folks.

[@elithecomputerguy]

you wold need a wireless router from the main building... a wireless access point in the shack to bridge the network... and then connect a switch to the access point to give connections to the local systems in the guard shack...

[@crod6431]

What's the maximum connection speed? For a home with Verizon FiOS at 1GBps, I tried using Power Line Adapters but the connection speed was too low (around 100Mbps) and ended up using a MOCA Extender in a room with a Coaxial Connector to get around 400 Mbps. Is a Wireless Access Point faster than a MOCA Extender?

[@posvar9]

Is it possible to use my Dlink DIR-655 as an "access point?" Meaning is it possible to use it as an expander but still utilize the settings within the DIR-655? I have a crappy Arris modem and want to shut off it's wireless and use the DIR for the wireless only

[@j.jwhitty5861]

I have an old computer which has a wireless network card that only supports WEP. My Router has WPA/WPA2, Is it possible to get a Bridge to connect the old Computer to the Internet? Thanks

[@Bludduck]

I'm sure glad you taught us how to spell the word Bridge because that was the hardest part.

[@paulfaulkner6299]

Really useful video and cleared a lot of the consused fog in my mind. Thankyou

[@Lewa3]

Very good lesson. Thank you!

[@markhillen5090]

Does the wireless access point and the bridge receiver both need to be on the outside of the building with clear line of site or not? Can these both go through walls? Can the bridge be used for multiple wireless cell phones instead of a hard wired computer connected to the bridge? Can one router be connected to two bridges in two separate buildings? Thanks. Mark

[@henryserranorodriguez2298]

2020 watching this video, thanks a lot for that great explanation

[@codemiesterbeats]

trying to set up a client bridge for my pc (working basically as a wireless card) Would the "primary router" the access point in the large building still be able to broadcast wireless internet to devices as well as work for the client bridge?

[@eagle___empire3175]

I am bridging my router/modem combo to my new router. It never asked for a MAC address. I simply turned off the wireless and set up the router settings. Is this correct. Seems fine to me

[@UtwoBed]

Please explain something. Referring to the guys in the guard shack... is that considered a separate network? What about IP addresses on the guard shack side, does it access the DHCP of the router in the main building or does the AP in the guard shack have it's own DHCP? I wish you would elaborate on how to handle IP addresses in these types of situations. Thanks

[@TravisThomas1994]

Need some help. My apartment has free wifi for everyone (community wifi). I am wanting to connect an old router I have to the community wifi network and use my personal router as the connection for all of my devices. Can I do this without running a cable from the communities router to my personal router? Basically wanting to create my own network through the community network.

[@ColinWatters]

5:08 These days the device in the guard shack doesn't have to be "only an access point". There are some routers that can be configured as access points and used in bridge mode (but you do need to check with the maker).

[@MrRickep1]

Eli, I am attempting to install an AP(WAP54G) wireless bridge using a yagi antenna to get a stronger connection. Followed your instruction, was starting to configure the AP, and it says that for bridge mode, the WAP54G will only communicate with a Linksys WAP54G or WRT54G. The way you said you used the WAP54G to test installations seemed to imply it would connect with most any hardware. Do I need to get a Linksys counterpart or is this just Linksys attempting to boost sales?

[@corneliustillman]

Hi Eli. I have a very important question that I'd like answered. I have a Wyze Door lock and a medical alert, which uses a cellular signal. I want the remote lock and pendant of the medical alert to work as one unit. Therein making the door to unlock when the pendant sends a signal to the base station.

[@dineshk821012]

Hi I am trying to move my iptv connection from my room to the living area and I have bought at tp link access point to transfer my connection without adding cable. So I have setup my ap as a client and try to connect the set top box to that and didn't work for me but the wireless internet connection has been extended. Could you help me where did I do wrong? Thank you.

[@elroypienaar1605]

Hi I hope you can help me please.I have a TP-Link wifi dongle connected to a Yagi Antenna on my roof and plugged into my 1 pc's usb port. How can I get/ configure it to connect my Server 2012 machine to the internet ?

[@johnbo8832]

Hello, I understand about this router and access point seperate router for receiving the network, but Here is my question, can you run a software program from the bridged access point? Or how can this be done. Thank You Much John

[@carlsonjeremiah88]

This was a great video. It helped out a ton for my home project. Thanks!

[@hacktheripper6497]

Thanks for all your videos. Much appreciated. Question: I have a receiver Denon AVR-X1000 that needs to be directly cat5 to the router. My router is PPpoE which Denon does not like. If I buy a wireless bridge will that get my receiver to network and have internet access? Thanks

[@PeteCorp]

That was really nice. Thank you. I'm going to try to put a metal bowl around my router to make it transmit in one direction towards the WAP.

[@annubenny]

how much distance the access point can cover from the main premise? Like the other premises should be close to the main premise? How much distance the signal can cover properly?

[@sebastian272007]

Lmao, I am a security guard watching n learning this on my phn as I watch eli. Security guard not the greatest but I'm getting alright pay with great health benefits to STUDY n get a better career!!! Not all guard jobs are that fortunate, and if ur not looking for another line of work 8 hrs in a booth doing practically nothing can be boring n unhealthy (sitting on ur ass 8hrs) lol. Thanks again eli for ur awesome youtube class ;)

[@lromeroyt]

Hi Eli, thanks for the info! What should I use in a large house with CONCRETE/brick walls where low strength signal is available, other than running cables. I want wi-fi all around. I have 12 rooms each one needing network access, thanks a lot!

[@middy77]

Hi great break down.. Would it be possible to run a IP camera in this way connected to the poe switch? Thanks

[@philandrew6691]

Wow this is amazing. so if the wifi doesnt reach your place, all you have to do is build a bridge with wireless access point instead ? the main router must have a wireless access point so that main router can give an ethernet to the wireless accesspoint as the deliverer, to your wireless bridge. so which mean you have to buy 2 wireless router? so i can set up this in the modem ip on the website?

[@adaylateacoinshort]

Hey, thanks for making the video. Could you please help me out with my situation - I have an ASUS AC58U wifi router sitting in my living room operating at 5GHz, but I don't get my plan's full 50Mbps bandwidth in my bedroom's corner where my new TV and HTPC are located. Can you suggest a solution where I can get full speeds on both devices, over ethernet preferably ? From your video I learned that having a second router setup in WDS bridge can serve otherwise isolated wired/wireless clients, but if I setup a second router (same model) for WDS bridge in my bedroom, will my primary wifi router still be able to serve wireless devices in other rooms at full bandwidth ? I've read WDS halves bandwidth for wireless clients - is that true for wired devices connecting to the WDS router (WDS only mode, not AP/WDS+AP) ? Also, apart from Client bridging a second router, is there any other solution you would suggest ? Thanks.

[@hapticfeedback1]

hey so i got a tplink access point i want to configure the to transmit ip cctv cams so i want to bridge them but on other bridging tutorials they configure the router side AP as a standard AP and the ip cam side as a client what the difference?

[@Elc0chin0]

Very good explaination. Now do you have a video on making a mesh router into a access point to bridge to a router?

[@TheDon667]

Thanks Eli, this was awesome!

[@StreetSmartification]

Hey Eli, The video really helped me out, but i am trying to figure if that Wireless Bridge can be used for a building that's located about 500 yard away from main building? Does the number of users in the new building matter? Or its sufficient for lets see a medium-size company who want to connect to the internet as well as share the network resources.

[@montezumaheights8058]

Many thanks, best explication found so far.

[@punjabiexplorer]

How to use Apple Airport Extreme router as wireless access point? I can not see where to put MAC address in Apple'sAirport Extreme using bridge mode?

[@leop1193]

Whiling bridging do we lose strength of the network as we expand? How many access points should be used per service?

[@ChellSneed]

Thank you and God bless you!