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I have a Netgear DGN3500 wireless router - this is the one:

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I'm currently looking for a way to use it to connect to my current WiFi and make it available through Ethernet (for one of my non-WiFi machines). Is there a way to do this with this router?

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What you're looking for is something called client mode or wireless bridge mode (these are two different ways to do this), and it does seem to be supported as wireless bridge mode on this router - this needs you to set 2 APs as wireless bridges, and it seems you can't use either router to serve wireless clients when you do this - see page 86 of the manual

Alternate firmware might be an option, but outside a WIP openwrt build, I can't find any options - ddwrt's client mode is what I'd use for this but its not hugely common

It seems repeaters would do this - acting as both a bridge and a transmitter and offering up a ethernet port for whatever you need. They're also pretty cheap and cheerful.

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  • So does setting '2 APs as wireless bridges' mean that I need two routers?
    – user194458
    Nov 26, 2013 at 4:44
  • well, one AP would be the one you already have, the other would be this, and they'd have to be exclusively connected to each other as I understand it. Its not an ideal solution (in your shoes, I'd look at other options - I've gotten rather fond of Homeplug lately), but within the constrants of the question, this seems to be the option to look at. I've personally found repurposing modem routers have usually ended up more trouble than they are worth
    – Journeyman Geek
    Nov 26, 2013 at 4:47
  • There isn't a way to just connect through Ethernet to the WiFi, like an Airport Express can do? Seems kinda weird.
    – user194458
    Nov 26, 2013 at 4:48
  • Afraid not, the firmware just dosen't support it, least from my reading of the manual - thats called client mode, and is VERY uncommon amongst routers
    – Journeyman Geek
    Nov 26, 2013 at 4:49
  • I have another spare router lying around - would this work?: connecting R1 to my main router via Ethernet, putting R1 and R2 into bridge mode and connecting them to eachother, and connecting to the Ethernet on R2 at the other end? I'm OK with the added complexity.
    – user194458
    Nov 26, 2013 at 5:00

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