ZBT WG1608 and rooter project/GoldenOrb_2021-02-09 and 5ghz wifi network

[pawwright]

Hi all - Sorry for the dumb question. The 5ghz wifi does not work on the ZBT WG1608 with the rooter project/GoldenOrb_2021-02-09, correct? I have been through the settings multiple times but only see 2.4Ghz options.... tia.

[Didneywhorl]

That is correct. There is a few versions that it does work on, as well as the stock firmware, but I burned my 5Ghz radio out with the first release. It may be better now, I would recommend turning the power output down though. The 5Ghz chip was humming! lol.

I haven't tried since the 3/16 release, but this is the latest release: http://aturnofthenut.com/upload/WG1608-GO2021-03-25.zip

[pawwright]

thanks a ton! I also haven't tried the latest release as of yet as the 2-09 one has been working well as far as stability on the LTE network goes.....

[Adm1jtg]

I have found with ALL these routers the "built in" wifi is weak. Over and over you will see that most recommend using a seperate dedicated router for wifi use. Personally I use a cheap c8 router even though I have a completely working wg3526. The wifi is simply much better on the c8

[pawwright]

I haven't looked at the pass through settings for the ZBT series as of yet - I tried it on my old mofi4500 and it didn't work well at all.... thanks, will check it out. My real issue is that the microwave kills my 2.4 ........

[Adm1jtg]

I wouldnt do it as a passthrough, Make the zbt device your "modem". You make the other device handle all the wifi and dhcp and make 2 seperate ip networks.

Connect one port on your zbt to the WAN port of your "dedicated WIFI router"
Thats it for hardware setup

Set the devices to different IP ranges and disable all wifi and dhcp features on the zbt
In my specific setup my WG3526 (modem) is at IP address 192.168.10.1 and my dedicated wifi router is at 192.168.0.1
You then setup the dedicated WIFI router to use a staic IP address for its WAN configuration. In my case I picked 192.168.10.10
Thats it, all devices will get a dhcp address off the dedicated WIFI router and all wifi is not controlled by the dedicated wifi router. This way you can add ANY WIFI router you like. The C8 I have was only like $40 and improved wifi range and reliability tremendously.

This setup also gives you the ability to have the dedicated WIFI router in a different location then the "zbt modem" as long as the ethernet cable run is under 300 feet or so for cat5e

[pawwright]

I wouldnt do it as a passthrough, Make the zbt device your "modem". You make the other device handle all the wifi and dhcp and make 2 seperate ip networks.

Connect one port on your zbt to the WAN port of your "dedicated WIFI router"
Thats it for hardware setup

Set the devices to different IP ranges and disable all wifi and dhcp features on the zbt
In my specific setup my WG3526 (modem) is at IP address 192.168.10.1 and my dedicated wifi router is at 192.168.0.1
You then setup the dedicated WIFI router to use a staic IP address for its WAN configuration. In my case I picked 192.168.10.10
Thats it, all devices will get a dhcp address off the dedicated WIFI router and all wifi is not controlled by the dedicated wifi router. This way you can add ANY WIFI router you like. The C8 I have was only like $40 and improved wifi range and reliability tremendously.

This setup also gives you the ability to have the dedicated WIFI router in a different location then the "zbt modem" as long as the ethernet cable run is under 300 feet or so for cat5e

thanks, appreciate it.... will give it a go

[Didneywhorl]

I use Ubiquiti access points for my wifi, much better and reliable. I think TP-Link makes and equivilent type in teh prosumer level. But for ~$100 its so much better than trying to jank a router into ding an access points job. BUT there isnt anything wrong with using what you have!

on the ip-passthrough/bridge: openWRT doesn't really have it, so DMZ is your best bet. There is a tutorial here on it.

[randylo]

Reviving this thread. I did send a pm to Adm1jtg but not sure if I did it right. I have a zbt wg1608 and it is great. The only problem is the wifi is weak. I would like to purchase a wifi router (any suggestions on which to buy up to 100.00) and make it my "dedicated router." Would this be terribly complicated. Also, would my provider find out? When I ordered, it came preset with all settings for AT&T including the imei for a tablet plan. I am not tech savvy but I do know how to log in to the zbt and look at the settings. From reading the posts on this thread, it seems pretty simple. I would connect an ethernet cable from the wifi router I purchase to one of the ports on the zbt? Problem is, it seems I would have to make some ip setting adjustments and I have no idea how to do any of that. Thanking all the people in advance for any assistance.

[Didneywhorl]

To put it in my own words:

You want to use your WG1608 as an internet source and feed it to another system that can properly handle all wifi devices and provide good coverage?

I have been really liking Vilo: https://store.viloliving.com/

[randylo]

Thank you for the suggestion. It seems like a pretty solid system. Would this be plug and play where I just connect it to one of my zbt wg1608 ethernet' ports? Or, would I still have to go into the settings in the zbt and make changes like disabling wifi and dhcp on the zbt and setting ip addresses (static) and so forth? Thank you for your help.

[Didneywhorl]

It can be used either way. I would disable dhcp (static IP set first on the interfaces) and wifi radios on the wg1608 and then just plug into the main VILO. BUT you can just plug it in and let it configure o nits own, they are vey plug and play with their simple app. I don't like Apps for wifi systems, but the VILO one is pretty good imo.

[randylo]

It can be used either way. I would disable dhcp (static IP set first on the interfaces) and wifi radios on the wg1608 and then just plug into the main VILO. BUT you can just plug it in and let it configure o nits own, they are vey plug and play with their simple app. I don't like Apps for wifi systems, but the VILO one is pretty good imo.

Thank you. Would you be able to point me to a write-up on instructions on how to disable dhcp in the ZBT? And when you say to set static IP on the interfaces, would this be on the Vilo system or the ZBT? How would I do that? Also, there are three to a pack in the Vilo, so would I have to set static IP on each one? I understand that your time is valuable and I need internet because I work from home on a small ranch out in the sticks. I would be happy to pay you via PayPal or something if you could give me step by step instructions. My zbt is running: GoldenOrb_2021-07-31 ( OpenWrt 21.02.0-rc3 ). But host name says ROoter. So is GoldenOrb_2021-07-31 ( OpenWrt 21.02.0-rc3 ) and ROoter the same thing?

I have great speeds for living in the woods at around 18-40 Mbps down depending on the time of day. The problem is that I have to be hardwired with an ethernet cable to get top speeds. This is why I need to stop using the wifi on this ZBT and attach a wifi router or mesh system to it to be able to work through wifi. I am able to log in to the ZBT and navigate. For example, under the Network drop-down menu, there is a sub-menu labeled DHCP and DNS. Would this be where I disable DHCP? I just wouldn't know how to do this without instructions. Do you have the same ZBT WG1608? Sorry for the long post, I just want to get this resolved.

[Didneywhorl]

It's not too crazy, really.

Menu: Network->Interfaces->LAN->Edit. Change from Dynamic DHCP to Static IP and set to the IP address of choice for accessing the router. (192.168.1.1 is stock, I would go with 192.168.11.1 but make sure you write it down so you don't lose access to the routers UI later)

Then do the same for the WAN interface, but change it to something like 192.168.12.1.

Then once those are done. Reboot the router and try and access the router via the new IP address via LAN. no wifi.

If you get into the router just fine, then you can turn off the DHCP as well. This setting should be in the same place: Network->Interfaces->-LAN->Edit->DHCP Server tab->"Ignore Interface" check the box and hit save, then click on save and apply on the main interface. Once done, the only way to access the router is via the static IP, and it will not hand out IP addresses to new devices.
You can now turn off the firewall and forward all ports as well if you like.

If you lose access to the router, re-flash via firmware recovery mode.

Get the mesh, follow it's setup procedure. Plug it into your routers LAN port to the mesh "WAN" port and you should be good to go.

[randylo]

Thank you very much! I went ahead and ordered Vilo this afternoon.