WDS

Instructions

The FRITZ!Box supports WDS (Wireless Distribution System). A WDS is a radio network made up of multiple WLAN devices, for instance, two FRITZ!Boxes, in which one is configured as a base station and one or more others as repeaters. The base station establishes the connection to the Internet, the repeater(s) maintains the connection to the base station and extend the range of the wireless network for the WLAN clients (your WLAN-enabled computers).

  • In a WDS the base station and all repeaters must be set to the same radio channel.
  • All of the WLAN devices used must support WDS mode.
  • The same WLAN encryption must be configured in all of the WLAN devices involved.

Setting up a WDS

Perform the following steps to configure a WDS:

  1. Switch to the "WLAN / Radio Channel" page.
  2. Select the "Adjust radio channel settings" option.
  3. Select a radio channel and make sure that the base station and repeater(s) use the same radio channel.
  4. Click "Apply".
  5. On the "WDS" page, enable the option "WDS enabled" and select an operating mode for the device to be configured.

Base Station Operating Mode

With this setting your FRITZ!Box is the base station for up to four repeaters in your WLAN and establishes the Internet connection for all devices. Each repeater must be located within the range of the base station.

Repeater Selection
Select from this list all of the WLAN devices that are to be used as repeaters.

You can use up to four repeaters.

Security

Select how the connections between the FRITZ!Box and the repeaters should be encrypted. We recommend setting up WPA2 encryption, as it currently offers the best security. If you select the "no encryption" setting, the connection between the base station and the repeater will not be protected at all. Even the WEP encryption mode offers only a modicum of protection. It is so out of date that decryption has become quite simple. Even unauthorized persons would be able to share your Internet access, monitor data and files you transmit and use shared printers in your network.

  • WPA2 encryption:
    You can use WPA2 encryption only if both the base station and the repeater are FRITZ!Boxes. The following characters can be used in the WPA2 key:
    • the numerals 0 to 9
    • spaces
    • the following special characters:
      ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < = > ? @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` { | } ~

      Attention The special characters ß, &, colon, empty spaces, the umlauts ä, ö, ü and Ä, Ö, Ü and the accent character ´ cannot be used in the password.

  • WEP encryption:
    WEP encryption will use the WLAN key 1, registered in the "WLAN / Security" menu. If you have not entered any WLAN key there, input it now in the "WLAN key 1" field.

The kind of encryption selected here and the key you specified must be entered in every repeater as well:

Click the "Apply" button.

Repeater Operating Mode

Select this setting if the FRITZ!Box is to function as a repeater. In this case another WLAN access point must be configured as base station.

Base Station Selection
Select in this list the WLAN device to be used as the base station.

IP Settings for Repeater Operation
If the FRITZ!Box is to be operated as a repeater, you must change the IP settings of this FRITZ!Box.

  • IP address
    Enter here the IP address for this FRITZ!Box, taking the following into consideration:
    • The FRITZ!Box must have a different IP address than the base station.
    • The IP address must be from the IP address range of the base station.
    • The IP address may not come from the address pool of the DHCP server of the base station.
    Note: To open the user interface of this FRITZ!Box in the future, you must enter the IP address entered here in the URL line of your web browser.
  • Subnet mask
    Enter the value "255.255.255.0" in this field.
  • Default gateway
    Enter the IP address of the base station here.
  • Primary DNS server
    Enter the IP address of the base station here.
  • Secondary DNS server
    Enter the IP address of a second DNS server here.

Security

Select how the connections between the FRITZ!Box and the base station should be encrypted. We recommend setting up WPA2 encryption, as it currently offers the best security. If you select the setting "non-encrypted", the connection between the base station and the repeater will not be protected at all. Even the WEP encryption mode offers only a modicum of protection. It is so out of date that decryption has become quite simple. Even unauthorized persons would be able to share your Internet access, monitor data and files you transmit and use shared printers in your network.

  • WPA2 encryption:
    You can use WPA2 encryption only if both the base station and the repeater are FRITZ!Boxes. The following characters can be used in the WPA2 key:
    • the letters from a to z (lower-case) and A to Z (upper-case); the use of the umlauts ä, ö, ü, Ä, Ö, Ü, and special characters such as ß is not allowed.
    • the numerals 0 to 9
    • spaces
    • the following special characters:
      ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < = > ? @ [ \ ] ^ _ ` { | } ~
  • WEP encryption:
    WEP encryption will use the WLAN key 1, registered in the "WLAN / Security" menu. If you have not entered any WLAN key there, input it now in the "WLAN key 1" field.

The kind of encryption selected here and the key you specified must be entered in the base station as well

Click the "Apply" button.

Help: Overview Back Close Window