Belkin F7D2301 & Airport Xtreme BS (4th gen) client configuration

Question

Level 1

4 points

Belkin F7D2301 & Airport Xtreme BS (4th gen) client configuration

I m now using a Belkin F7D2301 v1 as my main wireless router since my Airport Xtreme's WAN port got fried in a recent thunderstorm.

The LAN & WLAN on the Airport however works fine so I want to use it to enable my Oppo Bluray & Onkyo receiver access the internet for bluray and internet radio

The options are:

1) Join a wireless network

2) Participate in a WDS network.

I tried both options and in the end the AXBS glowed green, showing as if everything was normal. However I could not access the internet when i tested by connecting my mac (wired connection) and opening a browser window.

On checking my ethernet settings on my mac, it showed it was getting a self assigned IP and would not be able to connect to the Internet.

Where am i going wrong? My belkins IP is 192.168.2.1 - should the Airports IP be in the same range, some later number?

Should i be using WDS instead? Would greatly appreciate any help to get these components connect to the Internet.

thanks

Rosh

Airport Extreme, Belkin F7D2301-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Aug 31, 2011 10:00 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Tesserax

Level 10

148,423 points

Aug 31, 2011 3:36 PM in response to Roshthomas

The options are:

1) Join a wireless network

2) Participate in a WDS network.

I tried both options and in the end the AXBS glowed green, showing as if everything was normal. However I could not access the internet when i tested by connecting my mac (wired connection) and opening a browser window.

Sorry, but neither of these options will work for what you are trying to do. Instead, you would need to connect the AEBS to the Belkin by Ethernet and the AEBS would need to be reconfigured as a bridge. In bridge mode, all of the AEBS' ports act like Ethernet ports ... there is no WAN / LAN functionality as it is basically a switch.

Reply

Answer 2

Roshthomas Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 1, 2011 4:05 AM in response to Tesserax

Thanks for your quick reply- very helpful of you!

As I mentioned earlier, the problem i have is also the airport Extremes Ethernet (WAN) port is non functional, so I cant use that at all to connect to the Belkin. The WLAN & LAN interfaces work though. I was reading about ProxySTA being a way to create a wireless bridge using airport express- Would this work here with the Extreme? What does "joining a wireless network" actually do? What are my options left?

Or am I left with a very expensive paperweight? 😉

Rosh

Reply

Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

148,423 points

Sep 1, 2011 9:56 AM in response to Roshthomas

As I mentioned earlier, the problem i have is also the airport Extremes Ethernet (WAN) port is non functional, so I cant use that at all to connect to the Belkin. The WLAN & LAN interfaces work though.

I understood. When reconfigured as a bridge, the still functional LAN ports will all be treated as simple Ethernet ports. I was suggesting that you could still connect the Belkin to one of these ports, not the "bad" WAN port. Sorry, if I wasn't clear.

I was reading about ProxySTA being a way to create a wireless bridge using airport express- Would this work here with the Extreme?

Unfortunately, no. This feature is only available with the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn). Not sure why Apple did not allow it to be so for the Extreme or Time Capsule routers.

What does "joining a wireless network" actually do?

On the Extreme, basically nothing. The device would perform as wireless client. Its Ethernet ports would not be enabled. This would be true for the Express and the TC as well. Because it doesn't really serve much of a useful purpose, it is "hidden" unless you hold down the Option key before making it a selection. Again, I'm not sure why Apple just removed this option all together on the Extremes & TCs.

What are my options left?

You still have the option to connect it directly to the Belkin via one of its LAN ports and using it as a bridge to for both wired clients and to create a roaming or separate wireless network with the Belkin.

Reply