MikroTik SXTsq 5ax + TP-Link VX230v Setup Guide

RouterOS General
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MikroTik SXTsq 5ax + TP-Link VX230v Setup Guide

Wireless Bridge to Second Building — Solved After 5 Hours

Use case: Extend internet from a main router/modem (in our case a Telstra modem + WiFi extender) to a second building using a MikroTik SXTsq 5ax as a wireless bridge, then distributing WiFi inside via a TP-Link VX230v.

Network topology:

Telstra Modem → WiFi Extender → (WiFi) → MikroTik SXTsq 5ax → (Ethernet) → TP-Link VX230v → WiFi/LAN clients

Equipment

  • MikroTik SXTsq 5ax (RouterOS 7.18.2)

  • TP-Link VX230v (AX1800 VDSL/ADSL Modem Router)

  • Winbox 4.1 (for MikroTik configuration)

Part 1 — MikroTik SXTsq Configuration (via Winbox Terminal)

Connect to the SXTsq via Winbox, open New Terminal and run these commands in order:

Step 1 — Set WiFi to station-bridge mode

/interface wifi set wifi1 configuration.mode=station-bridge

Step 2 — Add ether1 to the bridge

/interface bridge port add interface=ether1 bridge=bridgeLocal

Step 3 — Remove old DHCP client and add new one on bridgeLocal

/ip dhcp-client remove 0
/ip dhcp-client add interface=bridgeLocal use-peer-dns=yes add-default-route=yes

Step 4 — Set ether1 IP address to match TP-Link subnet

/ip address set 0 address=192.168.2.2/24 network=192.168.2.0

Step 5 — Set DHCP pool to 192.168.2.x range

/ip pool set 0 ranges=192.168.2.100-192.168.2.199

Step 6 — Move DHCP server to bridgeLocal

/ip dhcp-server set 0 interface=bridgeLocal

Step 7 — Set DNS to Google

/ip dns set servers=8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4 allow-remote-requests=yes

Step 8 — Set NAT masquerade rule

/ip firewall nat add chain=srcnat action=masquerade out-interface=bridgeLocal

Step 9 — Verify internet on SXTsq

/ping 8.8.8.8 count=4

You should get 4 replies with 0% packet loss. If so, the SXTsq has internet :white_check_mark:

Part 2 — TP-Link VX230v Configuration

Connect your computer to a LAN port on the TP-Link and go to http://192.168.1.1 in your browser.

Step 1 — Change LAN IP

Go to Advanced → Network → LAN Settings

  • IP Address: 192.168.2.1

  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

  • DHCP Pool: 192.168.2.100 — 192.168.2.199

  • Click Save (router will reboot — access via 192.168.2.1 after reboot)

Step 2 — Set WAN to EWAN Dynamic IP

Go to Advanced → Network → EWAN

  • WAN Priority: EWAN

  • Click the edit icon on the connection

  • Internet Connection Type: Dynamic IP

  • VLAN ID: unchecked

  • Click Save

Step 3 — Connect ethernet cable

Plug the ethernet cable from the SXTsq ether1 port into the WAN port on the TP-Link.

Step 4 — Reboot TP-Link

After reboot, the TP-Link should get an IP in the 192.168.2.x range from the SXTsq and internet should flow through to all connected devices.

Key Things That Tripped Us Up

  1. WiFi must be in station-bridge mode — regular station mode doesn't support bridging properly in RouterOS 7

  2. DHCP client must be on bridgeLocal — not wifi1 (which is a slave interface)

  3. DHCP server must be on bridgeLocal — not ether1 (also a slave interface)

  4. TP-Link LAN must be on a different subnet to the SXTsq's upstream network — we used 192.168.2.x

  5. TP-Link must be set to EWAN mode — not DSL — since it's receiving internet via ethernet not a phone line

  6. Cable goes into WAN port on the TP-Link when using EWAN mode

Verification

Once complete, run this in Winbox terminal to confirm everything is working:

/ip dhcp-server lease print

You should see the TP-Link (VX230) listed with a 192.168.2.x IP address and status bound.

Guide written based on real-world troubleshooting — ...., May 2026

2 Likes
2

Stop it with the AI slop topics!
In what world any of the crap mentioned makes sense?

3

And have it NOT work with a non-Mikrotik AP ...

(only station-pseudobridge will work properly, but still not exactly the same as "real" station-mode, only possible if both wifi devices are Mikrotik)

4

I'VE NEVER READ SO MUCH BULLSHIT IN ONE POST.
:face_vomiting:

2 Likes
5

Have you noticed that when you downvote a post, it shows up in "most liked by" when you visit the author's profile page? I am not sure if that's a bug or an intentional feature?

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What wifi-extender did you use? Was it the Telstra Smart Wi-Fi Booster ?

These aren't advertised as being compatible with the MiktoTik SXTsq, so what you claim to be doing isn't in the "supported" category.

Your post is the only thing I can find on the internet that claims this works.

You are getting a lot of negative feedback because your post highly appears to have been generated by an LLM, yet you make no reference to using any LLM, and claim this was based on real-world troubleshooting, yet you provide no supporting output from the devices.

7

It's not bullshit, took me many many hours to make this happen, I gave up and then came back to it I wasn't smart enough to make it happen on my own and use the assistance of a Claude using Terminal in one box and took up a lot of trial and error, even with Claude. I only thought I'd share it out there and post it. Try and help others in the same situation, not to get blasted by arrogant, beheaded members.

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"Thanks for the feedback. To clarify a few things:

The WiFi extender used was a Telstra supplied unit broadcasting on 5GHz. You're correct that MikroTik doesn't officially list compatibility with consumer extenders this was real-world trial and error, not a supported configuration.

Regarding the AI comment yes, I used Claude (Anthropic) to assist with troubleshooting and to help write up the guide clearly. I should have disclosed that upfront and I apologise for the omission. The troubleshooting session was real and took several hours to solve. The AI assisted in diagnosing issues via terminal commands and helped document the solution.

For supporting output I can provide screenshots of the terminal commands and results if that would help validate the guide. Happy to share those.

The goal was simply to help others who might be attempting the same setup. If the guide needs corrections or additional detail to be more useful, I'm open to that feedback."

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AI = Almost Intelligent.

Good luck with your future endeavors!

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@Novarover
Still, it represents partially wrong information.

Again, Mikrotik (like many other network devices manufacturers) use a proprietary protocol to have 4 address exchange for station-bridge mode (L2).

Station-bridge is NOT part of any standard, so each manufacturer developed its own way, unlike "normal" L3 connections that are standard.

An access point and a client (station) can work properly in station-bridge ONLY if both devices are from the same manufacturer.

Allow me to doubt that Telstra and Mikrotik are using the same proprietary protocol.

The mode (on Mikrotik) that can be used with other manufacturer AP's is station-pseudobridge, which uses some trick to almost (pseudo) emulate a bridge, some people call it L2.5.

It is possible to fully emulate a station-bridge using a tunnel (that would be sort of encapsulated L2).