Building and Managing Wired Networks with Sputnik Agent NMS
How to set up a wireless network with a wired backbone that enables seamless roaming across Wi-Fi APs. Using Sputnik Agent NMS, you can manage the "range extender" nodes in SputnikNet, for free.
Note: this document assumes that you've already provisioned your access points with Sputnik Instant Setup. The primary Sputnik-powered device (base station) should be assigned a standard or pro subscription; range extenders should be assigned an NMS subscription. Please see Provisioning Sputnik-Powered Devices with Sputnik Instant Setup for more information.
Set up the master (base station) node - reset to defaults
From the DD-WRT interface, choose the "Administration/Factory Defaults" tab and restore factory defaults. Then set it up to work on your network as you would any Sputnik-powered Wi-Fi AP.
It is a good idea to repeat this step with all nodes on your network the first time you set them up.
Set up the master (base station) node - basic wireless settings
- Re-associate with the router, and from the DD-WRT interface select "Wireless/Basic Settings".
- Change SSID to the one you want to use on your network (e.g. "myhotspot").
- Leave all other settings unchanged and click "Save" and then "Apply Settings".
Reset Sputnik-powered range extender to defaults
- From the DD-WRT interface, choose Administration > Factory Defaults and restore factory defaults on the range extender.
Set up the range extender node - Setup/Basic Settings/WAN Setup
Associate with the range extender and then:
- From the DD-WRT interface, select "Setup/Basic Setup".
- Under "WAN Connection Type", set "Connection Type" to "Disabled".
Set up the range extender node - Setup/Basic Settings/Router IP
- Under "Router IP" set the "Local IP Address" to an increment of the master node's local IP address. For example, if the master node's LAN IP is Sputnik default 192.168.180.1, set the value for the first range extender node to 192.168.180.2, and further range extenders to 192.168.180.3, etc.
Set up the range extender node - Setup/Basic Settings/WAN Port
- Under "WAN Port" check "Assign WAN Port to Switch".
Set up the range extender node - DHCP Forwarder
- Under "Network Address Server Settings (DHCP), set DHCP Type to "DCHP Forwarder".
- Enter the IP of the master node's IP as the DHCP server.
- Click "Save" to save your settings, but don't commit them yet.
Disable SPI firewall on the range extender
- Browse to Security > Firewall
- Click on SPI FIrewall: Disable
- Click "Save" to save your settings, but don't commit them yet.
Set up the range extender node - Wireless/Basic Settings
- From the DD-WRT interface select "Wireless/Basic Settings".
- Make sure "Wireless Mode" is set to "AP" (the default).
- Set the "Wireless Network Name (SSID)" to the same name as used above (e.g. "myhotspot").
- Note that you can use a different wireless channel than the master node to increase coverage while minimizing interference. (But generally speaking, the wireless channel setting doesn't matter.)
- Leave all other settings unchanged and click "Save" and then "Apply Settings".
Cable a LAN port of the base station to the WAN port of the range extender.