Hi everybody,
I already use a Mikrotik router as the main access point for my wifi network at home.
I would also like to connect a LAN printer to the network. Unfortunately, the printer lays far from the router and therefore i guess i need a second router to be connected to the LAN port of the printer.
Is it possible? Which is the cheapest solution?
Are other non Mikrotik routers compatible with my Mikrotik AP? Would you suggest one in particular?
Many questions, I know…
Thank you in advice.
M.
I have not experimented enough to check.. but I am 99% sure that you can use one network on two mikrotiks connected with their wifi’s..
I’m not sure what you have to do, but if you manage to bridge LAN network main router and its Wifi connection to the other router.. as well as to bridge wifi connection on the other router and it’s LAN ports, or just the port you’ll be using your printer with, then you shouldn’t have any problems. I suppose you need a WDS bridge or something, idk if station bridge itself will work. I hope someone more knowledgeable answers so I could know the right answer on how to make 2 Mikrotik routers have a one network as well : )
Thank you so much for you answer.
What you describe is exactly what I intended to do! 
I guess we’ll just have to wait for someone who already managed to play that trick…
Did anybody?
Use this https://mikrotik.com/product/RBmAPL-2nD.
The MAP lite recommended by BartoszP can be powered directly from USB
port of your printer (if you have USB port), this is really a plus, no additional power supply needed.
MapLite will work as a universal Wifi dongle and can be re-used for much more later on…
To use it is quit simple. Use quick-set, put into CPE device mode, scan for SSID and provide password and selecet
bridged instead of router mode.
Thank you all for your suggestions!
In the end, I decided to try with a mAP 2n, just to connect an external HD as well, by using the usb port.
I’ll let you know, guys!
Cheers!
If you talk about connecting to USB port of MAP a storage device, better double check.
The MAP family has USB port only to supply power as far as I know.
Hi everybody, still need your help… ;(
My mAP 2nD just arrived and I’m trying to configure it. Checking the USB connection with an external HD will be my second step…
As for now, I’m just trying to have internet connection through the LAN port, by catching the signal from the wifi of the main AP.
This what I’m looking for, in order to be able to connect my printer to the network through the mAP, right???
I’ll try to describe every step I followed…
- I connected the mAP to the Mac with the LAN cable and started WinBox v3.18 by using Wine
- I selected the mAP MAC address and connected to it
- I followed WeWiNet instructions (thanks!!!) step by step: “Use quick-set, put into CPE device mode, scan for SSID and provide password and select
bridged instead of router mode.” - I connected to the SSID
Ok, this is what I get:
[…]
Status: connected to the ess
[…]
Signal to noise: 41 dB
[…]
Mode: Bridge
Address Acquisition: Automatic
Address Source: Any
Router Identity: MyNewmAP (different from AP’s)
Password: newpwd (different from AP’s)
[…]
By applying this settings, what I get is that the mAP disappears from the list of the MAC addresses seen by Winbox. Moreover, the wifi icon in the OSX menu bar tells me I’m still connected with my access point but I cannot access any webpage with my browser anymore. This happens also by switching off the wifi and trying to get the signal from the LAN port.
Things turn to be ok again only by unplugging the mAP from the LAN cable…
Any suggestion?
I’m so sorry, but I really think I’ll need a very accurate step by step procedure…
Cheers!
M.
Hi,
My instructions were for MAP lite (only one Eth port).
In that case all is set and you would connect the printer to the LAN port after doing that.
(You choose the Map normal version with 3 ETH ports (one WAN, 2 LAN).)
When you switch to CPE, your MAP is no more an AP but a client, you will not be able to connect to it via Wifi.
So you must only be connected to it from the beginning via cable to a MAP LAN port (not WAN port).
Then make sure you really click in Winbox on the MAC address to connect, not the IP address.
In CPE bridged mode, the device has no more IP address, only MAC address can be used to connect to it.
Let me know if this helps
Quick add on.
Have you checked the “bridge all LAN ports together” when using bridged mode? You need to do that.
And last one, select Address source: WLAN
I followed step by step what you’re suggesting, but it still doesn’t work: I turned off the wifi on the mac and tried to open a web page just with the LAN connection to the mAP. Nothing happens, no matters which on of the 2 LAN ports I choose.
By reading here https://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Default_Configurations
it seems to me that the mAP cannot be configured as a CPE… Is that true?
Default config doesn’t matter, you can configure any device in any way you want (maybe not using QuickSet).
For what you want, connect client to AP, set its wlan mode to “station-bridge”, then bridge everything (ethernets + wlan) together and that should be it.
Are you using WINBOX Or Webfig?
Have you been able to connect to the device with WINBOC via MAC address in “neighbours” once before?
(even on Apple you need to have firewall accept the MAC connections when you first launched WINBOX).
As intermediate step use still CPE but on LAN setup use “router” instead of bridged. with Address automatic , DHCP, NAT etc.
Then at least you should be able to connect and take it from there.