Westell A90-750015-07 as a wireless router w/o use of the DSL portion?

[Gerard_Sr]

EDIT:

WHOOPS! Perhaps a better place for this would have been home networking, my apologies, even though this is in an area that is not best suited for it, please don't delete it as for someone that is a "hunt n' peck" typist, it would be heck to enter it all over again... Thnx.

Hello,

Perhaps someone has already done this...

I'm curious about the possibilities of a Westell 7500 DSL modem / wireless-router operating ONLY as a wireless router.

That is to say if there was a need for an additional wireless router to use one as such.

After all, one of the network connectors is labeled E1-UPLINK.

One "possible" scenario would be an extension of service to an outbuilding or another floor. To elaborate, a wired connection could be made between the DSL / router and another Westell 7500 in a detached garage or on another floor of a residence that the wireless signal from the first DSL Modem could not reach. Of course they would be both operating on different channels.

Anyone ever tried this or had it work for them successfully?

Cordially,

Gerry

[smith6612 · Accepted solution]

This can be done. Use a second 7500 and set it up with the settings you need for Wireless. Don't connect it to a DSL line and instead, disable DHCP (Private LAN) on the second Westell 7500. Also disable the Network Scanning to cut down on ARP traffic on the network. From that point, connect the two units LAN to LAN and you've got a switch and Access Point. Don't bother enabling the VersaPort feature of the 7500, and it's also best to disable the Firewall built-in since it's not needed (unloading it from Memory).

You might be able to bridge the Westell 7500 as if it were being set up as just a modem and that would effectively do the same thing (shut off the router-related features in a single go) and from that point all you'd need to do is disable DHCP on the router and connect the two units LAN-to-LAN. Not sure if bridging shuts the wireless off, however.