Using Chromecast with Repeater

[aldenoneil]

I just set up my wireless router with dd-wrt to use as a repeater. Now I have my DSL modem, which is putting out "Signal 1" and my repeater, which is putting out "Signal 2." If my Chromecast is connected to Signal 1, and my phone is connected to Signal 2, I cannot talk to the Chromecast with my phone. Isn't the point of a repeater to extend the same wireless signal? Obviously it'll work if both my Chromecast and phone are on Signal 2. Wondering if there's a way to have devices cross-talk from different signals. Just wondering if there's a way, for convenience sake. My kids do a lot of tablet watching and I don't want to have to teach them to switch wifi signals, if possible.

 

[mavrrick]

3 questions.

Do you have wireless isolation turned in on one of the devices?

Are both devices on the same network? Are they the same up to the last octet of the ip address?

If it is truly just a repeater it all should talk to each other.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Groundhound]

As mavrrick, said, if devices connecting via the "repeater" are on the same subnet as your main router and there is no isolation (protection) configured, it should work. It does not have to have the same ssid, only be on the same network. I have my Chromecast connecting via a Linksys E1200 that I have configured as a bridge with a different ssid from my main router (Sonicwall), and all phones and computers on my network can cast to the Chromecast connected on the bridge.

 

[clindner]

As mavrrick, said, if devices connecting via the "repeater" are on the same subnet as your main router and there is no isolation (protection) configured, it should work. It does not have to have the same ssid, only be on the same network. I have my Chromecast connecting via a Linksys E1200 that I have configured as a bridge with a different ssid from my main router (Sonicwall), and all phones and computers on my network can cast to the Chromecast connected on the bridge.

How do you have your main router and repeater on the same subnet? Every guide I've seen for setting up repeaters call for the repeater to be on a different subnet. (192.168.2.x for repeater and 192.168.1.x for main network, for instance). I understood that this is to prevent each of them serving up the same IP addresses to clients via DHCP.

Is there a way to have both on 192.168.1.x for instance, and have them each serve IP addresses that are mutually exclusive?

 

[mavrrick]

Based on what you said it isn't acting as a repeater, but a router.

A repeater would essentially be a dumb device that would simply take your wifi and pass it to the main router/AP in the house. All it would do is extend the signal that is already there. If you start to have it do anyting with networking like handle DHCP it is being more of a router then a reapeater. This is when you run into segmented home networks were things can't talk to each other.

You should only have one DHCP server on your network.

 

[Groundhound]

How do you have your main router and repeater on the same subnet? Every guide I've seen for setting up repeaters call for the repeater to be on a different subnet. (192.168.2.x for repeater and 192.168.1.x for main network, for instance). I understood that this is to prevent each of them serving up the same IP addresses to clients via DHCP.

Is there a way to have both on 192.168.1.x for instance, and have them each serve IP addresses that are mutually exclusive?

If your dd-wrt "repeater" is connected to your router via Ethernet cable, use this procedure to set it up as an AP: Wireless access point - DD-WRT Wiki

If the repeater is to be connected wirelessly to your router, set it up this way: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge In this case the SSID for both AP's (main router and repeater) must be the same.

Note that in both cases the DHCP server is turned off on the repeater AP, only your main router should be assigning IP's.

In my case (not using dd-wrt), my Linksys E1200 (stock firmware) is connected via powerline adapter/Ethernet, and is setup as a bridge to provide an AP on the same subnet. The reason I have a separate SSID on that AP is because I only want my Chromecast to connect there, so other wireless devices on my network will not attempt to use that AP. I did have to temporarily connect my phone to the bridge AP to do the initial setup on the Chromecast but once setup I can use the Chromecast from wireless devices connected to my main router's AP.

 

[clindner]

If the repeater is to be connected wirelessly to your router, set it up this way: Repeater Bridge - DD-WRT Wiki In this case the SSID for both AP's (main router and repeater) must be the same.

Note that in both cases the DHCP server is turned off on the repeater AP, only your main router should be assigning IP's.

Thanks, I'll give this a shot. I am on dd-wrt firmware on an old wrt box. I followed a guide that had the two wireless APs with different SSIDs. I didn't like the part about having different subnets, and now I can see how it would cause problems in this scenario.

 

[Groundhound]

If the repeater is to be connected wirelessly to your router, set it up this way: Repeater Bridge - DD-WRT Wiki In this case the SSID for both AP's (main router and repeater) must be the same.

Note that in both cases the DHCP server is turned off on the repeater AP, only your main router should be assigning IP's.

Thanks, I'll give this a shot. I am on dd-wrt firmware on an old wrt box. I followed a guide that had the two wireless APs with different SSIDs. I didn't like the part about having different subnets, and now I can see how it would cause problems in this scenario.

Looking again at section 6 of the guide it sounds like you end up with two SSID's broadcasting from the repeater, with the second one as a "Virtual Interface" that is different than the primary one that must be the same as the main router. I suppose that your Chromecast would end up connecting via this second, different SSID on the virtual interface. I would expect that this kind of setup would have some bandwidth limitations compared to a wired connection between the main router and the repeater, but that's just a guess.

 

[Jozef Vodicka]

I had the very same problem. I solved it:

1. upgrade repeater & router to the latest firmware.
2. Disable AP isolation on repeater and router.
3. setup repeater to connect to your router network and keep the name of this network. (so do not change the name nor channel)
4. Disable DHCP on repeater. Router needs to have it enabled.
5. Now reboot the repeater.
6. Use chromecast with extended HDMI cable for better Wifi signal.

Chromecast will work when repeater name of the network is the same as the router's one.

Enjoy O