Multiple APs (one of which is "software") under control of one FreeBSD system / hostapd — how to?

[Lev Serebryakov]

Hello Freebsd-wireless,

  Now I'm have custom-build WiFi/Ethernet router which runs FreeBSD. It is
 rather typical: two ethernet NICs (one for IS, second for my home wired
 network, plugged into switch), one WiFi NIC (ath) which works in AP  mode
 (single SSID, nothing fancy) with hostapd and provide WiFi in my home.
  This box runs DNS, dhcpd, firewall, NAT to ISP, IPv6 tunnel, VPN to my work
 office, etc. Typical small-scale router which uses a lot of FreeBSD networking
 features.

  One detail which is important for my question: I don't use bridge between
 wlan and internal wired interface, they have different IPv4 and IPv6
 networks and box routes between them (with some firewalling).

  I'm using WPA2-PSK security on wlan interface, with help of hostapd
 (no RADIUS).

  I want to add second physical AP to this config. Not VAP on existing wlan
 card, or second wlan card to router, but separate "dumb" off-the-shelf WiFi
 AP to improve WiFi reception on other end of my home. I want it to be
 connected by wire (to the same switch as my wired network), not in wireless
 repeater mode, as repeater mode consume too much bandwidth.

  But I want to have only one WiFi network, with transparent "roaming"
 between APs and I don't want to configure security twice (in hostpad and
 separate "hardware" AP) and I want my router to see WiFi network as one
 interface, no matter which AP client uses (in same way as wired interface
 in router doesn't bother which switch port is used by wired client).

  Is it possible to achieve this goal with FreeBSD and hostapd, not with
 Cisco Wireless LAN Controller? :)

  I could put external AP to separate VLAN (my switch supports this). Is it
 enough to bridge router's wlan interface (AP) and VLAN with external
 (physical) AP and run hostpad (and all other services, like dhcpd) on this
 bridge interface? Will it work? Or should I do something more specific?

  I could not find any documentation about such config (Linux or FreeBSD,
 doesn't matter), all "multiple APs" how-tos are about multiple SSIDs on one
 interface.

   Maybe, this question is not completely FreeBSD-specific, but as I'm using
 FreeBSD, I think this list is appropriate enough for it.


-- 
Best regards,
 Lev                          mailto:lev at FreeBSD.org
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