modem -> firewall -> wnr3500l

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kvi
kvi's picture
modem -> firewall -> wnr3500l

Hi,

my network is build like this:

 

modem <-----> freebsd/firewall <----> wnr3500l <----> computers, game consoles etc.

 

Now I have all setup, but when I login to my wnr3500l it says:

 

"No Internet connection is detected, the router cannot check the NETGEAR server for updated firmware. After setting up your Internet connection, go to the "Router Upgrade" page to check for updated firmware."

 

I do not want to setup the connection as I only want this to work as an access point. It should connect to the internet trough my freebsd firewall. How should I configure this? I find nothing about this kind of configuration from the manuals. They always expect that the router is directly connected to the modem.

Hands of Blue
Hands of Blue's picture
If you just want to use it as

If you just want to use it as an access point, hook the LAN ports to the firewall and any other devices leaving the WAN port empty. Then ignore the warning ;)

kvi
kvi's picture
But I think that is just

But I think that is just plain stupid. All other routers I've had has an "AP only" -mode. Usually that way you get that "internet" -port to be used as a normal lan -port. I've set up the router like you told, but I'd really like it to be able to use ntp for example.

I wonder if this can be helped with Tomato or DD WRT?

kvi
kvi's picture
It has 2 interfaces and it's

It has 2 interfaces and it's running on a PC. I can't bypass it because it allows more specific firewall configurations than these routerboxes and I can easily run transparent http-proxy on the freebsd while Im pretty sure my wnr3500 would not be able to handle that (+ all the other services like openvpn, etc.).

kvi
kvi's picture
How do I actually connect

How do I actually connect these to each other? Do I connect my PC firewall to the routers internet-port or where do I connect the firewall? If I connect the firewall to any of the lan -ports in my router, the router does not know how to connect to the net.

I've had couple of Asus wl-500gP access points and I used custom firmwares with them. I wonder if I flash my wnr3500l with dd-wrt, could I get it to work as an access point and can I use all 5 rj45-ports as normal lan-ports?

kvi
kvi's picture
I know it's the firewalls

I know it's the firewalls problem to handle the traffic and the router does not need to know about it. The problem is that when I plug the firewall to one of the lan-ports in wnr3500, it does not know how to connect anywhere. It does not know how to use ntp for example, because the internet -port is not connected. So should I connect that internet -port to my firewall, so it knows how to connect to the internet? But if I do that, does the wnr3500 work as a secondary firewall to my home network?

My setup is like this at the moment:

firewall
- lan1
- lan2

lan1 connected to modem
lan2 connected to wnr3500 lan -port

computers, consoles, printers, etc. connected to wnr3500 lan -ports & wireless

wnr3500 does not know it has access to internet. It sends nothing, it can't use ntp, it can't search for firmware upgrades. It does not know it is connected, it wants a connection to the internet -port. But if I connect that internet -port, where am I supposed to connect it? To the lan2 of my firewall? But how do I connect my other computers, etc. to the firewall then?