How to connect to an SSID and broadcast another SSID using the same wireless device?

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I'm using the wireless hosted network feature in Windows 7 to share my internet connection with my other devices, I connect to the wireless network I want to share and start the hosted network:

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

This allows me to connect to an SSID and broadcast another SSID using 1 wireless adapter. I tried using an access point to connect to the wireless router, and connect a router to it to broadcast a new SSID but it didn't work, and I tried to use a repeater which broadcasted the same SSID.

My question is how can I reproduce the same functionality of the Windows 7 hosted network (connect to SSID1 and broadcast SSID2) without using a computer ? using only hardware like access points or routers...

Pierre

Posted 2013-07-13T12:17:36.507

Reputation: 153

What exactly is the "functionality" you are after? Do you want to have two separate SSIDs? Two separate networks? What are you trying to do? – terdon – 2013-07-13T12:26:45.607

@terdon I trying to connect to my wireless network and redistribute it using another SSID, and I'm doing this now using the hosted network feature of Windows 7. – Pierre – 2013-07-13T12:33:56.973

So, you simply want to have 2 networks with 2 different SSIDs? – terdon – 2013-07-13T12:41:28.283

@terdon yes but the first network shares it's internet connection with the second network. – Pierre – 2013-07-13T12:51:37.680

scratch that, they were actually access points that I was using as repeaters. I am not at all sure that a repeater can do what you need (if you really need 2 SSIDs) but I'm pretty sure an access point can. I am deleting my answer since it is most probably wrong. – terdon – 2013-07-13T18:00:02.490

On wich Wireless Card you try to do that ?? – DeaconFraust – 2013-07-24T13:26:39.723

@DeaconFraust I'm currently using Atheros AR5005G and the Windows 7 hosted network to do this, but I want to know how to do it without a pc. – Pierre – 2013-07-25T07:01:11.690

Answers

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You can do this only if the devices you have, have the functionality built-in. Sounds like a tautology but it can't be answered in another way.

Another option you have is hard and depends on many variables:

  • OpenWRT project support for your devices
  • your devices support for VIF
  • your devices have enough flash memory to contain all necessary kernel modules and setup tools
  • your skills to setup all this properly ;)

Basically if you can install openwrt on your device, it is a mini linux distro you can play with but the linux drivers for your wifi device need to support that mode of operation which is not guaranteed.

Hope this gives you some idea.

akostadinov

Posted 2013-07-13T12:17:36.507

Reputation: 1 140

Yes, the router must support it first! Not sure why there is a bounty... – Austin T French – 2013-07-23T13:32:43.460

OpenWRT is more advanced - DD-WRT and Tomato are pretty widely supported and a lot easier to set up. They're more user-friendly too. Worth considering. – nhinkle – 2013-07-24T19:55:15.127

Asked: 2013-07-13T12:17:36.507

Viewed: 797 times

Active: 2013-07-24T13:26:39.723