Setting gateway using DHCP

phunni · 2011-07-29 08:15:21

I'm about to restructure my home network to use a new arch box as a router instead of the current wireless router (D-Link DIR-615). The wireless router will become an access point.

The problem is that I'm not sure how some of my wifi devices are going to find the gateway and the internet. The D-Link doesn't seem to have a way to set this via DHCP. Obviously, the boxes that are configured with a static set up can have the gateway specified, but I don't want to specify a gateway on my phone, for example.

I was thinking that the solution might be to set up a DHCP server (such as dhcp or dnsmasq) on my new router which would pass the gateway ip to the connected devices. Am I right in thinking that these devices will find the DHCP server purely by virtue of it being on the same network - or does it have to be at the point of access (the D-Link)?

Would this work how I'm hoping/expecting it to?

litemotiv · 2011-07-29 08:24:32

Did you check out the Router article in the wiki?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Router

phunni · 2011-07-29 08:31:01

Thanks - I missed that. I was looking for DHCP on the wiki. That looks like a better article.

tomk · 2011-07-29 08:39:54

Disable DHCP on the D-Link, make sure it's in AP mode, make sure all devices are in the same subnet. They will find your router's dhcp service.

Think of your wifi AP as the wireless equivalent of an ethernet cable - it's not the point of access to the IP (layer 3)[1] network anymore, it has become a layer 2[1] device.

I have a similar setup here, except that my router is an IPCop box. All works fine.

[1]OSI Network Model

Arch Linux

#1 2011-07-29 08:15:21

Setting gateway using DHCP

#2 2011-07-29 08:24:32

Re: Setting gateway using DHCP

#3 2011-07-29 08:31:01

Re: Setting gateway using DHCP

#4 2011-07-29 08:39:54

Re: Setting gateway using DHCP

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