Skip to main content

Can the OWL be used as a WiFi extender? - Knowledgebase / Products / OWL - Belden Support Center

Can the OWL be used as a WiFi extender?


Some OWL variants support WLAN and can be configured to use both WLAN Cient and Access Point functionality at the same time.

So the question might come up whether the OWL products can be used to extend an existing WLAN SSID.

Application:

  • OWL connects to SSID "Example" as STA/Client
  • OWL opens up an Access Point with SSID "Example"
  • Now the user (Laptop) can connect either to the existing SSID or the extended SSID from the OWL

This application is possible, but NOT RECOMMENDED, because:

  • The OWL Client and AccessPoint always operate on the same channel
  • This channel is statically configured from the Access Point on the OWL, not the Client

This has the following disadvantages:

  • If there is no existing SSID on the channel that is configured for the Access Point on the OWL, then
    • the Client of the OWL can't connect to the existing SSID
    • the Access Point of the OWL still operates, but the connecting Laptop does not have access to the backend
  • The Access Point and Client operate in different Layer 3 IP subnets