Setting up Edimax EW-7206APg as a wireless repeater

Hi,

I just spent 10 hours figuring out (successfully!) how to set up the Edimax EW-7206APG in its repeater mode so I thought I'd share what I gleaned.

1st: A definition - what I mean by a wireless repeater is a unit that can pick up a wireless signal, and rebroadcast it on the same IP subnet. It effectively extends the range of the wireless network.

I was trying to set it up without any security (broadcasting SSID, no WPA or WEP).

The method for setup is actually on the edimax website, but it takes a bit of finding. The link is here:

A brief summary is

1. CONNECT USING A WIRE! If you try to run set up on the repeater using the wireless connection it doesn't work, and it's slower.
2. Put your PC on the same subnet as the repeater. (I.e. assign an IP of 192.168.2.13, subnet 255.255.255.0) The instructions for this are in your Edimax manual. If you're using Windows XP (which isn't covered :), then go to network connections (in control panel) and right click "Local Area Connection" to find the TCP/IP properties.
3. Connect to the unit from internet explorer.
4. Upgrade the firmware to the latest version (see manual) follow this link:
   formatting link
   had to manually unplug the unit after loading the new firmware (very dangerous). I would advise you to wait 2 minutes after the upgrade before unplugging, to prevent firmware corruption.
5. Change the IP address of the repeater to an address on the same subnet as your router (e.g. 192.168.X.17 where X is the subnet number). If you don't know what this is, log into your router to find out.
6. Change the PC's fixed IP address to be on the same subnet as your repeater and router (see step 2 above)
7. log into the repeater and config the repeater function by typing the router SSID into the repeater setup window.
8. (I always forget this one) From the Access Point front page (this one:
   formatting link
   set the mode to repeater and click Apply otherwise nothing will happen. At this stage the WLAN led should start flickering on the Edimax unit.
9. Go into your router and set up a Static IP address for the repeater on your network. This should match the static IP assigned in step 5.
10. Don't forget to change the static IP on your PC Local Area Connection back to DHCP.

In short - it's a bit complicated. But I've managed to make the Edimax work with both a Netgear and a BT Voyager. Once it's setup, you can unplug it, re-plug it and it holds the setup.

Happy hunting!,

Andrew