How to setup WDS between a wireless router and an AirPort Express

Filed under: Features, Hardware, Macintosh, Open Source, How-Tos

How to setup WDS between a wireless router and an AirPort Express

by Chris Brentano Dec 14th 2006

WDS Love Thinking about expanding your wireless network but aren't exactly sure how to go about it? Using my trusty Linksys WRT54G, a copy of DD-WRT and an AirPort Express, I was able to increase the range of my network, and also bridge my wife's office upstairs with the network in the basement. Here's how you can do it too.

Ingredients:

1 Linksys WRT54G running DD-WRT
1 Apple AirPort Express
MAC addresses of both
15-20 minutes of your time

For those who don't know, WDS stands for Wireless Distribution System. It's a simple system that allows you to interconnect multiple access points wirelessly. Wikipedia, as always, has more information on the subject.

Before we get started, as noted above, you need to have DD-WRT installed on your Linksys WRT54G, or on any AP/Router that supports it. Have a look at DD-WRT's hardware compatibility list to see if your hardware is supported. If you don't have DD-WRT installed, and are using a WRT54G, see these instructions on my personal blog on how to install DD-WRT. You'll also need to have already configured your AirPort Express.

One important note: If you want to use WDS, you can't use WPA or WPA2 encryption. This is because with WPA and WPA2 the MAC addresses of nodes are encrypted. WEP is your only option for any encryption, so go 128-bit. You may also want to consider other security precautions, such as MAC address filtering, since WEP is trivial for even a caffeinated monkey to crack.

1. Write down the MAC address of both your WRT54G and your AirPort Express. This will likely be on the underside of the WRT54G and on the side of the AirPort Express. MAC addresses are commonly printed as 01:23:45:67:89:ab, but can sometimes be printed with dashes or without any separators.

2. Go to the DD-WRT administration panel of your Linksys WRT54G and click on the Wireless tab. From there, click the WDS sub-tab. You'll see a list of empty MAC addresses and some extra options.

3. For the first entry in the list, select "LAN" from the drop-down menu, and then type in the MAC address of your AirPort Express. Leave "Lazy WDS" and "WDS Subnet" disabled, and then click Save Settings.

4. Now, launch the AirPort Admin Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities), select your AirPort Express in the list, and click the Configure button. At the configuration window, click the WDS tab.

5. Select the "Enable this base station as a WDS" option, and from the drop-down menu select "remote base station", and also select the "Allow wireless clients on this base station" option. For the Main AirPort ID, either type in the MAC address of your Linksys WRT54G (separated with colons) or click the select button, and in the sheet that appears, select your wireless network and click OK.

6. Once you're back at the main AirPort Admin Utility window, click the Update button, and then wait as your AirPort Express restarts.

7. Almost done. Once your AirPort Express has finished restarting, it will reappear in the list in the AirPort Admin Utility. Click Configure again and verify a few settings:

on the Internet tab, make sure that "Connect Using" is set to AirPort (WDS)
on the Network tab, make sure that "Distribute IP addresses" is shut off if you are running another DHCP server, for example on the WRT54G
if you have a stereo connected to your AirPort Express, enable AirTunes on the Music tab!

And that's it! Everything should be working. Your wireless network's range will be increased, and if you plug in a laptop, computer, or other network device (hub or switch) to the Ethernet jack on the AirPort Express, it will be bridged automatically across the wireless network. Sweet!

Tags: airport, dd-wrt, ddwrt, linksys, networking, wds, wireless, wrt54g

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Frank said 1:10PM on 12-14-2006

WDS is ten times easy to set-up with a Buffalo Router just for the plane fact that you don't need DD-WRT to get it to work.
WHR-HP-G54
with Airport Express
Awesome Speed and Distance.

Tony said 3:16PM on 12-14-2006

Could I use something else instsead of the Apple AirPort Express such as second DD-WRT'ed WRT54G

Scott Russell said 5:24PM on 12-14-2006

Chris- Nice job on the article. It's about time someone put together an easy to follow hot-to. BTW, this will work if you have HyperWRT/Thibor installed on your router as well.
http://www.thibor.co.uk/

pete said 1:36AM on 12-15-2006

Got it to work - it's only slightly different configuring from a windows machine.
1 - On "Airport" tab,
for Wireless Mode select "Create a Wireless Network (Home Router).
In Network Name give it the same network name as your wireless network's ssid.
Put it on the same channel as your wireless network.
Hit "Wireless Security" button, and replicate the same wireless settings you are using on your wireless network - remember has to be WEP.
2. WDS tab - same as above instructions.
Viola!

My DD-WRT54GS assigned it an IP out of it's DHCP range, which at first I thought was strange, but actually makes sense.
ymmv

Hitesh Sawlani said 6:18AM on 12-15-2006

Actually you don't even need DD-WRT, it works with the default firmware, just set the airport expresses's MAC id's right and it will work.

Yannick said 8:07AM on 12-15-2006

Need WPA encrytion ? I use WDS with WPA encryption between two WRT54G using HyperWRT firmware.
How to :
http://www.genslernet.com/hyperwrt/

Should work with Airport Express too...

Garrett said 10:18AM on 12-15-2006

Couldn't get it to work, airport express just blinked yellow...

Alex Boschmans said 3:28PM on 12-15-2006

Good article, there aren't meany around, I know this because I searched when setting up my WDS using the same hardware.

You could also add that the Airport Express actually has two mac addresses, one for the wireless and one for the ethernet port. Make sure it's the one for the wireless one that is entered in the dd-wrt WDS config screen.

My experience :
http://www.boschmans.net/2006/10/20/setting-up-wds-between-a-linksys-wrt54g-and-airport-express/

Scott Blasl said 3:51PM on 12-21-2006

How can I get in touch with Frank who commented-
"WDS is ten times easy to set-up with a Buffalo Router just for the plane fact that you don't need DD-WRT to get it to work. WHR-HP-G54 with Airport Express
Awesome Speed and Distance."

I need some help Frank or someone else who has the WHR-HP-G54 with Airport Express.

hijk said 2:40AM on 2-14-2007

Pete!

Many Thanks!

After two days, and reading the same 3 instructional web pages over and over again, I couldn't figure out what to do with that first "AirPort" tab of my remote Airport Express. When i tried to change the channel or security settings, it gave a warning that it would break the WDS set up, so i quit trying. Turns out those warnings were wrong.

Thanks for sharing your experience. know it has helped at least me immensely!

matt said 7:37PM on 3-01-2007

Using OSX 10.4.8 with the latest LinkSys Firmware updates for the WRT54Gv3.1 (v4.21.1) none of the above was necessary.

I just fired up Airport Admin, selected the Express network, select configure, select "Extend existing network". The LinkSys showed up, selected it, saved and updated and bingo - AirTunes via the LinkSys network!

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