How to Open the Wi-Fi Router (Crouch WiFi Extender 2.4G 300Mbps) Firewall

Submitted by freakyit on

How to Open the Wi-Fi Router (Crouch WiFi Extender 2.4G 300Mbps) Firewall for External Access

Issue Overview

If you have the Wi-Fi router Crouch WiFi Extender 2.4G 300Mbps and it is being used as a subnetwork within your main network, you might encounter issues where devices in the main network cannot access devices connected to the Wi-Fi router. However, devices within the Wi-Fi network may still be able to access the main network. This suggests that the router's firewall settings are restricting traffic from the main network to the Wi-Fi subnetwork.

Identifying the Problem

A common sign of this issue is:

  • Devices in the main network cannot ping or access devices in the Wi-Fi subnetwork.
  • Devices in the Wi-Fi network can successfully communicate with the main network.

This behavior typically occurs due to firewall settings that block forwarding from the WAN (Wide Area Network) to the LAN (Local Area Network) interface.

Solution: Modifying the Firewall Configuration

To resolve this, you need to modify the firewall settings on your Wi-Fi router by adjusting the /etc/config/firewall file. Follow these steps:

  1. Access the Router Configuration
    • Log in to your router using SSH or a terminal session.
    • Use the following command to open the firewall configuration file:
      vi /etc/config/firewall
  2. Edit the Firewall Rules
    • Check the existing settings in the firewall configuration file.
    • If missing, add a forwarding rule that allows traffic from the WAN to the LAN interface. Example configuration:
      config forwarding   
            option src 'wan'
            option dest 'lan'
  3. Save and Restart the Firewall
    • Save the file after making the changes.
    • Restart the firewall service to apply the new settings:
      /etc/init.d/firewall restart

Conclusion

After applying these changes, you should be able to access devices in the Wi-Fi subnetwork from your main network. Ensuring proper firewall rules are configured is essential when setting up a router as a subnetwork to allow seamless communication between both networks.