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[kbish]

Hello.

I have a new DIR-885L that I would like some of advice on configuring. I have looked at a lot of older posts in different forums and have found that my situation isn't unique, but the solution proposed called for settings controls that are not available in the DIR885L.

The quick summary is that I have a primary router without WiFi support that is my WAN (Internet) access point. Plugged into it is a D-Link switch that all of the wired devices (computers, printers, and NAS) connect to on my network. I'd like for the DIR-885L to be my wireless access point, plugged into the switch as well. It is replacing a router from a different manufacturer that worked fine, but is getting flaky.

The basic set up went pretty fast, and all of my wireless devices (Apple laptops, tablets etc), were able to connect to the Internet easily. The rub is that the wireless devices, specifically the Apple laptops using Bonjour, cannot see the printers and NAS that are on the wired network.

I've researched a number similar cases in these forums and found that this is tied to the default settings in the routers not allowing Bonjour traffic to flow to the wired network. Unfortunately, most of these reports are 2-3 years old, and the few remedies that were reported refer to settings menu entries that don't exist in this version of the firmware. Examples of this include setting TCP & UDP endpoints to "independent" in the advanced Firewall area.

I have found that by setting the DIR-885L into Extender mode so that it lets the primary router do all DHCP and routing duties, everything works fine. However, doing this means that I lose access to features in the firmware like QoS control and other controls that were appealing reasons for getting the DIR-885L in the first place.

I have spoken with the D-Link support line and the representative's response was that what I want to do -- use the DIR-885L as a router within a wired network -- can't be done unless it is put in extender mode. Before I throw in the towel though, I thought I'd ask here and get some input.

For reference, here is the hardware and firmware versions (all other settings are default other than SSID name and passwords):

• Hardware version: A1
• Firmware version: 1.00 (the only version available)

Can anybody recommend a solution for configuration that would allow me to use the DIR-885L as desired?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Kevin

[FurryNutz]

Link>Welcome!

• What region are you located?

Your going to run the 885L as a wired AP only, then you can use this method to enable it and it should work as a wired AP and pass thru any and all traffic:
Turning a router into an AP.

Know that if you use this method, all other router features will not be used or can be configured. Wireless only can be configured.

FYI, there is a known issue with the Extender Mode on this model router which will be fixed. I presume sometime next year. 

[kbish]

Region: North America >> USA >> Texas

Thanks for the pointer to the thread on using. I've read the thread in this forum on Extender mode. The interesting thing is that I have mine wired the same as the picture in that thread (Internet port connecting to the primary router) and it works fine while the post you sent says not to do that. I imagine it works in this case because the switch was put into Extender Mode.

Since my first post I also ran through the Troubleshooting Routers thread that was in the Welcome email. I did try a few other things in there like enabling SPI, but it had no effect either.

For now I'll work in Extender mode and will see what future firmware releases bring...unless there are other suggestions.

Thanks again!

[FurryNutz]

You might give the wired AP mode a try and see what happens when you can.
Keep us posted.

[kbish]

It took me a bit, but I was able to try configuring the DIR-885L as an AP earlier today. I used the post that FurryNutz provided as a guide, as well as a few other references that I found online as the guide for doing this. The good news is that although there were different recommendations for which IP address to fix the AP to, otherwise they were all pretty much in agreement.

The brief summary is that I could not find a way to make the access point configuration as documented work with the DIR-885L. I did, however, have a bit of a revelation about the "Extender" mode switch that I describe below.

As I mentioned earlier, the firmware in this router is significantly different from older models, and menus and selections are named/organized differently from the references that I found online. I was able to find most, although not all, of the various functions that were listed to disable. All of the major items, for example, DHCP services, were identified and set appropriately.

That said, once I finished the configuration and plugged the Ethernet cable back into the router's hub (not the Internet port), the router came back up but was in a pretty much non-functional state. Although set up as a "bridge" it was not letting traffic through to the primary router. As a result IP addresses - for both WiFi and Ethernet connected devices - were not being assigned, and traffic was stuck within the 885L. I did try shifting the LAN cable from the DIR-885L's switch to the Internet port, but it produced new but still non-functional results. In the end I used the reset button to return to factory defaults and did a fresh set up.

This time when I went back into Extender mode, I tried accessing the router via the static IP address that I set up for it on my primary router, and the admin page came up! I now have access to a limited set of administrative functions for the DIR-885L including:

• The basic Wireless screen for SSID, password, and options for security mode, transmission power, and schedule
• The basic Network screen for management link address, and dynamic vs static IP address assignment for the DIR-885L
• The Management menu for time & schedules, firmware upgrades, and password management

In short, everything that's left are the core features of an Access Point as I understand it. I know that an upcoming firmware update is supposed to provide additional functionality for "Extender" mode, so we'll see what that brings.

If anybody has questions or suggestions, please let me know. It's not a lot of fun, but I'm game to try a different approach at AP configuration.

Kevin

[FurryNutz]

I presume Extender Mode will be fixed in the next FW update. Please be patent. In meantime use the AP mode method for now. 

[FurryNutz]

http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=66046.0