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I have a old "ADSL 4-port wireless modem router" laying around and I wondering could I convert it into WLAN Access Point. Is is possible for Wireless router unit with built-in modem? so far I not able to find much information on web.

My model is TP-Link TD-W8961ND

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3 Answers 3

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Yes. Simply disable NAT and DHCP service. You want it to be just a bridge, with wireless AP mode on.

Use one of the LAN Ethernet ports to connect it into your home LAN (e.g. into a LAN port of your upstream router).

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  • work nicely after DHCP service is off on the AP router, NAT on and off so far no noticeable difference
    – Dennis
    Sep 16, 2013 at 14:42
  • so you have to manually assign all IPs? Isn't possible to leave the dhcp services on? Or how can I provide another shcp service? May 5, 2016 at 15:34
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    @FelicePollano OP wanted his device to just bridge traffic between wireless clients and the rest of his LAN. He would have had another device on the LAN acting as a DHCP server and NAT gateway. Most people should avoid having multiple NATs and DHCP servers on their networks.
    – Spiff
    May 5, 2016 at 15:59
  • Like Den, in my case having NAT doesn't seems to have side effects but DHCP must be off. It can be trivial but modem router must be reset to factory default and the first access to the modem-router administration page should be done via Wi-fi with no cable connection at all to avoid addresses conflicts with the upstream router. I wrote a step by step guide here tested on my old Netgear modem-router revamped into an AP.
    – chirale
    Oct 27, 2016 at 6:23
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    @luisdev Yes, if you have a device that has an ADSL WAN port and some Ethernet LAN ports and can create a Wi-Fi network, then you can use it as an AP using the instructions above. You won't be using the ADSL port of this device; it will use an Ethernet port to talk to your fiber ONT/router.
    – Spiff
    Apr 13, 2021 at 17:03
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Here is the official link from tp-link http://www.tp-link.in/faq-417.html

Step 1

Connect your computer to a second LAN port on your TP-Link N router using an Ethernet cable.* Login to the TP-Link web interface through the IP address listed on the label on the bottom of your TP-Link N router (see below link for assistance):

How do I log into the web-based utility of a TP-Link router

Note: Though possible, it is not recommended to attempt this process over Wi-Fi

Step 2

Go to Network>LAN on the side menu and change the LAN IP address of your TP-Link N router to an IP address on the same segment of the main router. This IP address should be outside the main router’s DHCP range.

Example: if the DHCP of your main router is 192.168.2.100 – 192.168.2.199 then you can set the IP of the TP-Link N router to 192.168.2.11

Note: After changing the LAN IP address a reboot will be required and you will need to log into the TP-Link N router with the new IP address.

Step 3

Go to Wireless>Wireless Settings and configure the SSID (Network name)which can be the same or different from the main router’s. Select Save.

Step 4

Go to Wireless>Wireless Security and configure the wireless security. WPA/WPA2-Personal is recommended as the most secure option. Once configured, click Save.

Note: If using a dual band router, repeat this process for the 5GHz band as well.

Step 5

Go to DHCP>DHCP Settings and select Disable the DHCP Server. Select Save.

Step 6

Go to System Tools>Reboot and select Reboot to reboot the device.

Step 7

Use an Ethernet cable to connect the main router to your TP-Link N router through their LAN ports (any LAN ports may be used). All other LAN ports on your TP-Link N router will now grant devices Internet access. Alternatively, any Wi-Fi device can now access the Internet through your TP-Link N router by using the SSID and Password set up in the above steps.

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    Please explain the wiring more clearly. Do you:run a network cable OUT of one of the 4 ethernet ports and INTO one of the four ethernet ports on the access point router? Or do you plug it into the cable/ethernet port on the access point router? Nobody ever explains the wiring correctly and clearly in the dozens of sites on the www that try to answer this question.
    – luisdev
    Apr 13, 2021 at 8:07
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You could setup an access point by following these steps :

1-Find the IP addresses of your existing gateway/router and clients : connect a pc to it and use (Start > Run > type: cmd) ipconfig to get its IP (gatway ip). don't forget to - set your client computer to obtain its IP automatically (default behavior in Windows)

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2-Configure the wireless router/AP First, you need to change its internal/LAN IP address to an unused address in the same range/subnet as all your other LAN devices to avoid any collisions. Second, you need to disable the DHCP server on your new AP, so there is only one DHCP server on the network. for exemple if the gateway/LAN router ip is set to 192.168.1.1, and it is serving dynamic IPs via DHCP in the range 192.168.1.10 - 192.168.1.100. I have to use any other address in the 192.168.1.X>100 range for the access point.

3-Connect the AP to the LAN first reboot the router and Use a LAN port on the new wireless router, and connect it with a network cable to one of the LAN ports of the existing gateway. Make sure not to use the "Internet/WAN" port on the wireless access point!

4-conenct your wireless device and test

Notes: If both your main gateway and access point have wireless capability, you can use the same SSID, same security, and different non-overlapping wireless channels to extend the range of your wireless network and allow clients to connect to either one automatically.

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