Setting DD-WRT Client Bridge mode on D-Link DIR 615 E4

What is DD-WRT Wireless Client Bridge mode

Our goal was to set D-Link DIR 615 E4 to connect to our wireless network so we could connect to it our wired computer for different purposes: Wakeup-On-LAN, Backup to a wireless network card for this particular computer. To achieve this setting, it was only possible by flashing custom firmware and we chose DD-WRT. You may check our article on how to install DD-WRT to D-Link DIR 615 E4 router. For our particular purpose we needed to setup “Client Bridged” Repeating Mode. There are many other methods – you can get familiar with them from Linking Routers DD-WRT wiki database and Repeating Mode Comparisons.

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“Client Bridged” mode is a hack by DD-WRT team and may cause instability in your production environment. The purpose is to connect wired computers “wirelessly”. For example, Computer 1 connects to the main router with wire, then main router connects to the secondary router wirelessly (this is the only wireless connection allowed, one router to another) and lastly the second computer connects by wire to the secondary router. If we have another computer that we want to connect wirelessly, it should not work, because this mode is intended for routers only.
You can read more about Client Bridged Description in the wiki.
Setting up Client Bridge is different on all the chipsets – for us it worked.
*** You might also consider reading about “Repeater Bridge” mode if you need more tips in settings.
. There are many chipsets covered.

How to setup Client Bridge mode on D-Link DIR 615 E4

. Login to the web interface at “192.168.1.1”

. Setup => Basic Setup
Local IP Address: 192.168.1.2

*** Your main router is likely to be 192.168.1.1, so you won’t be able to connect to this one in order to view the configuration page. So set it up to “192.168.1.2”. If your main router on 10.0.0.138, so make it the next on the same subnet, like: “10.0.0.139”.

          [Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Administration
[Reboot Router]
. Login to
192.168.1.2

*** Or to any other IP that you set in previous step. Which is configured to your subnet.

. Wireless => Wireless Security
and set the security type and key from the primary router.

*** For us best worked on both routers (the main and this – the client)

                    Security Mode: WPA2-PSK
WPA Algorithms: AES

*** These also the recommended settings by DD-WRT, so don’t use TKIP.

                    WPA Shared Key: 
[Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Wireless => Basic Settings
Wireless Mode: Client Bridge (Routed)

The wireless network mode, channel, and encryption match the primary router settings.
If you are using N-only or Mixed with N, set your wireless channel width to match the primary.
Set the wireless network name exactly the same as your primary router.
*** We used “Default GW Mode” as “DHCP”. Maybe for someone else better will be to use the IP address of their main address.

          [Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Setup => Basic Setup
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: As your gateway (192.168.1.1)
Local DNS: *** Only if you don't have internet set it to the same as Gateway
Assign WAN Port to switch [V]

*** In Client Bridged mode the WAN is disabled anyway

          Time Zone: 
[Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Security => Firewall
Under "Block Wan Requests" header
uncheck all but "Filter Multicast"
SPI Firewall => [Disable]

*** These are the exact steps of the official tutorial, so follow them as is. Other orders might not work.

          [Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Setup => Advanced Routing
Operating Mode: Router
[Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Administration
[Reboot Router]

For some reason the settings didn’t work right away (no internet connection, but WOL worked), even not after 5 minutes. So we left the router working for a night and day after we checked and there was Internet connection. Same thing happened also to some folks on the forums, so take this into consideration.

Extending the Client Bridge Mode

It is stated that “Client Bridge” can only connect wired devices to the wireless network. Wireless connection is only between the routers: secondary router is connected to the main router wirelessly, but all the other connections are wired. Like all the computers connected are wired, and cannot be connected using wireless connection to the routers with Client Bridge mode.
Despite this, we successfully added virtual wireless network in this mode and connected to our secondary router as it was extender of the main router. Off course stability isn’t guaranteed.
With all the settings that we already set from above:

 . Goto => Wireless => Basic Settings
. Under “Virtual Interfaces” click [Add]
Wireless Mode: AP
Wireless Network Name (SSID):

*** You can set a different name of the main Wireless SSID to know who is who, or you can set it as extender under the same SSID as the main router. You will be connected each time to the stronger signal. If you see that your signal is low, you can reconnect and you will be again connected to the strongest signal.

          Wireless SSID broadcast: Enable
[Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Wireless => Wireless Security
. Now add security settings for the virtual interface, better use the same as for the physical:
Security Mode: WPA2-PSK
WPA Algorithms: AES
WPA Shared Key:

*** If you chose to use different name from the main router’s SSID, then you can choose whatever Key as you want, but it you chose the Extender method with the same SSID, better use the same key as the SSID of the main router.

          [Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Services => Services
DNS Masq: (*) Disable
[Save]
[Apply Settings]
. Administration
[Reboot Router]

*** If something is not working, clear your browser cache and try again

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