NWA90AX as a bridge to a cellphone acting as a WiFi hotspot

TimSTL

I've just bought a NWA90AX in the hope that I could set it up as a bridge from my Android cellphone acting as a WiFi Internet hotspot to my wired intranet (a role that's presently being filled by my laptop), but can't find a way to do it. The NWA90AX won't even detect other WiFi devices in the vicinity. Can it do what I want, or have I just bought a brick?

TimSTL

Just to wrap up this thread, my solution was a Mikrotik hAP AX2, which did the job I wanted. It's nominally a Wifi router, but a very capable and versatile one with many features. However, getting it to do any one thing therefore takes a lot of intricate configuration, and is full of pitfalls.

Zyxel_Melen

Hi @TimSTL,

This requirement is not completable since:

1. The cellphone cannot set WDS profile. To use WiFi to connect Zyxel access points, you will use the WDS mesh. It needs to create WDS profile, setup root ap and repeater ap, and apply the WDS profile to the SSID.
2. NWA90AX does not have a feature to bridge the wireless uplink with the LAN port. Which means the wireless uplink cannot share the internet with the LAN port.

It is recommended to purchase a mobile router to share the cellular network with your wired intranet. You can visit our website to find a suitable product for you.

https://www.zyxel.com/global/en/products/mobile-broadband

TimSTL

Hi Melen

Thanks for your swift response.

I can still find a use for the unit I bought as an AP so it won't be a total waste, but the alternatives from the Zyxel range you suggest are all 4G/5G/LTE routers which require a SIM fitted internally and separate access to a network. That's not what I'm looking for since my SIM will stay in my phone.

Thanks for your help

TimSTL

Just to wrap up this thread, my solution was a Mikrotik hAP AX2, which did the job I wanted. It's nominally a Wifi router, but a very capable and versatile one with many features. However, getting it to do any one thing therefore takes a lot of intricate configuration, and is full of pitfalls.

Zyxel_Melen

Hi @TimSTL,

Thanks for your feedback. I would like to mention the Mikrotik hAP AX2 is a wireless router that uses different wireless bridge technology with access points.

In addition, the access point wireless bridge feature needs:

1. Needs to create a WDS profile, set up root ap and repeater ap, and apply the WDS profile to the SSID.
2. Support a feature to bridge the wireless uplink with the LAN port.