WRT300N as client bridge

Question

A local high school lab teacher purchased a WRT300N to connect his wireless lab to the school network. I want to stop it from distributing IP addresses and act as a client bridge instead. I want the wireless clients to get an IP address from the district DHCP server. Is this possible?

Answer 1

It sounds like you want the WRT300N to be converted to a WAP (wireless access point).   This is possible, assuming that your district DHCP server will be handing out addresses that use the 255.255.255.0 subnet mask.  The WRT300N was designed to be a home router, so all its addresses must use this subnet mask.
To convert the WRT300N to a WAP, do the following:
Power down the WRT300N and disconnect it from everything.
Connect one computer, by wire, to any numbered LAN port (not the Internet port) on the WRT300N.
Login to the WRT300N.
Set the "Local IP Address" to a fixed LAN IP address.  You can use any address that will be recognized by the district DHCP router as a fixed LAN IP address.
Set the "DHCP server" to "disabled".
Save your settings.
Exit your browser.
Power down the WRT300N and your computer.
Using an ethernet cable, connect any LAN port from the district router to any numbered LAN port on the WRT300N.  Do not use the "Internet" port on the WRT300N.  Power up your system.
The district router will control your router settings (firewall, DHCP server, port forwarding, etc.). The WRT300N will only control your wireless settings.   Optionally, you can use the WRT300N's LAN ports to connect additional wired devices to your network.