By Ki Grinsing

Multiple opeartion modes

The DLink DAP1360 is a wireless access point device which can be configured in wide range of operation modes:

1. wireless access point mode
2. wireless client mode
3. wireless repeater mode
4. bridge mode
5. bridge with AP mode
6. WISP client router mode
7. WISP repeater mode

I am not discussing each of the operation modes but only couple of the modes: the wireless access point and the wireless repeater.

Build Wireless Network with Wireless AP mode

You can build a wireless network to share the broadband internet with your wireless AP device (DAP-1360) only if your existing modem supports the router function such as Actiontec GT701D or Trendnet TDM-C500 (for DSL services). If your existing modem doesn’t support the routing function (NAT feature) such as Surfboard SB6120 / SB6121 or SB5101 (for Cable services) you cannot share the internet wirelessly with your wireless AP (Dap-1360), what you need is the wireless router.

Default Gateway (Router IP Address)

Prior of configuring your Dap1360 device you need to record the current IP address of your modem-router (GT701D for example). Normally your computer connects directly to the Ethernet port of the modem-router using the UTP network cable. The easiest way to know the IP address of the router is running the Dos command from your computer. Click Start => Run => Type CMD and then press enter. From the Dos prompt (C:>) type ipconfig  and press Enter. It will give you list of the TCP/IP configuration as follows.

Please note the ‘Default Gateway’ line with the IP address (192.168.1.1), this is the IP address of your modem-router. Write in a piece of paper this default gateway because you will use it later.

DAP-1360 Configuration

The first time what you need to do is configuring the Dap1360 by connecting the device to your desktop or laptop with NIC adapter enabled. Connect the Ethernet port of the Dap1360 to the NIC port of the computer using the UTP network cable that comes with the device.

Provide static IP address

Since the manufacturer setting default of the IP address of the device is 192.168.0.50 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and gateway 0.0.0.0.0, you have to provide the static IP address to the computer with the unique IP in the same network as the Dap1360. Use one of the IP address between 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254 but do not use the 192.168.0.50. For example use the IP address 192.168.0.25 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. The computer can communicate with the device if each of them has unique IP address in the same network or in the same subnet.

Open the TCP/IP property of your computer. Click the Local Area Connection => Click Properties => Select the ‘Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Click Property. Typically the General tap is configured to “Obtain an IP address automatically”. Select the radio button “Use the following IP address” => type in the IP address 192.168.0.25 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and click OK => OK => Close.

At this time your computer is ready to communicate with the Dap1360. What next?

1. Configure the Dap1360 to function as the wireless AP.
2. Change the default IP address to the same subnet as the modem-router (your current network segment)
3. Connect the Dap1360 to the router

Steps:

-         Open your computer web browser (Ie or Firefox) and type: dlinkap or 192.168.0.50 in the address field, it will prompt you a logon window. Type the user-name and password, by default the user is Admin, leave the password blank.

•  Once you logon, Click Launch Wireless Setup Wizard
• Provide the device name
• Select the wireless mode to wireless AP from the dropdown menu and follow the on-screen instruction to complete the configuration. Make sure that you have the installation manual book with you for more installation help.
• Configure the LAN Setting
• Disconnect the cable and make sure you change the ip address of your computer to obtain the IP address automatically

In configuring the LAN setting, you need to provide the static IP address of the Dap1360 with the IP address which is in the same subnet as your router. In this example you can use the IP address: 192.168.1.50. Please note that the default IP address is 192.168.0.50. Change the default to using the ‘Static IP”, IP address: 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and default gateway 192.168.1.1 (remember the default gateway you wrote in the paper).

Setting Up DHCP

DHCP is used to provide the IP address configuration automatically to all the wireless clients on the network. Use the range of IP address in the same subnet as the router for example between the 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200.

Connect the Dap1360 to the modem-router using by connecting the Ethernet port of the Dap-1360 and one of the Ethernet ports of the router. Up to this point, your wireless network should be ready for wireless clients to connect.

Up to this point, your Dap1360 should work as the wireless access point and creating the wireless network to share the internet with the wireless clients on the network.

Wireless Repeater Mode

The most popular in deployment of the Dap1360 is wireless range extender or the wireless repeater mode. You need to expand the current wireless network coverage of your wireless router to eliminate the dead spots. You need to record the current configuration of your router:

-         Your router IP address, for example 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. This will become the default IP address of your network

-         IP pool in DHCP range of your router, for example in the range of 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.49

Now you need to hook the Dap1360 to the computer as discussed above and configure the device to work as the wireless repeater. Click Launch Wireless Setup Wizard and select the mode to the Repeater.

-         Select the mode to Repeater mode – Click the Site survey and select the SSID you would like to repeat. Note that in repeater mode the SSID, security setting and the channel must be the same (in the router and the Dap1360). By selecting the SSID in the site survey assures the parameters from the router copied to the Dap1360.

-         Provide the IP address of the Dap1360 with unique IP address of the same subnet as the router for example 192.168.1.50. This IP address is used to manage the Dap1360 via the browser

-         Enable the DHCP server of the Dap1360 to provide the IP address configuration for all the wireless clients connect to the Dap1360. Make sure the IP scope in the DHCP range is not overlapped with the one configured in the router. For example if your router DHCP scope is 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.49, then configure your Dap1360 with the scope 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and the default gateway should be the IP address of your router (192.168.1.1 in this example)

-         When finish the configuration, disconnect the cable from the computer and place the Dap1360 in area where you want the signal to repeater. Make sure that the device still within the network coverage of your router.

Up to this point, your wireless client computers should be covered by this repeater, receive the IP address from the Dap1360 and get connected to the internet. Check the IP address configuration of your computers to see if they receive the IP address within the DHCP scope of your Dap1360. You can use the “ipconfig” command from the Dos prompt as discussed above.

Note:

If your computer receives the IP address within the range of 169.254.0.0 to 168.254.254.254 subnet mask 255.255.0.0 this indicate that the computer doesn’t receive the IP address from the DHCP server or the DHCP server is not available. Make sure the DHCP server in the Dap1360 is enabled with the correct IP scope. Use the command “ipconfig /renew” from the DOS prompt to renew the IP address leased from the DHCP.