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[EOC2611P]

Hi all, i recently installed PFSense but i can't manage to make it work as it should, basically when i try to connect to the open wireless connection, i can only access the local network but not the internet, this is what i can see:
IP Address: 192.168.5.7
Subnet Mask:  255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.5.100
DNS: 192.168.5.7   ( but on the LAN it show a complitely different dns)

I get my internet connection using IPStar (connected with a dish to a satellite)

The Ipstar then goes to a network switch.

The switch connect to a Dell pc with Intel Celeron running XP on which i installed PFSense running from a USB stick

The Dell pc have 2 network cards, one for the LAN (192.168.5.5) and the second for the WAN (192.168.5.20), this last one is connected to a wi-fi access point from Senao, the Engenius EOC2611P, the Default Gateway for both is set to 192.168.5.100.

I am wondering what i am doing wrong, several times the connection is lost before a proper IP Address is assigned, showing an IP starting with 169 and the Subnet Mask as 255.255.0.0, but by restarting everything again i get a proper local IP but the DNS is the same as the IP.....

My final aim, is to be able to share -for free- the internet connection i am paying for, with whoever is in this area, not looking for any money for it but i would like to show a page(NOT commercial, only something of interest to the local community, socially orientated) to whoever want to use it first.
I have been sharing the connection for a couple of years already, but i would like to add something to it, as a captive portal, did some extensive and time consuming research but all i could find are veeeery expansives dedicated softwares (paying over the top to give away something for free is out of discussion), or programs not compatibles with Windows, or again some alternative firmwares which might well just make the current access point unusable, so, PFSense seems to fit the bill...if it works 
Thanks for any help/suggestion in advance!

[ptt]

The Dell pc have 2 network cards, one for the LAN (192.168.5.5) and the second for the WAN (192.168.5.20), this last one is connected to a wi-fi access point from Senao, the Engenius EOC2611P, the Default Gateway for both is set to 192.168.5.100.

You shouldn't use the same subnet for WAN & LAN

[EOC2611P]

Thanks PTT, i am going to try that tomorrow and report back, i got to go out tonight, i have seen in the forum that other members are having problem with the Atheros or whatever else was his name, apparently that's just what's inside my Engenius, i just hope that my problem doesn't depends from an hardware incompatibility....

[EOC2611P]

I knew i shouldn't have been back home, this thing is driving me insane 
I have been playing with the settings, modifing, swapping, rebooting...nothing to do
I did read around that some users are using 3 network cards in their setup instead of 2 (that's what i got, only fxp0,fxp1 but no Optional), maybe that's why i can't use the wi-fi?
From my understanding the 2 cards should suffice to my needs but maybe i am wrong...
When i can connect to the access point, i am still unable to browse the internet, i remember in the past i had this problem to make the wi-fi usable, what i did was just to copy the default gateway used by the LAN to the wi-fi, i added a picture as for now i am still stuck with the same problem

[wallabybob]

I'm not clear about a couple of aspects of your configuration:

I get my internet connection using IPStar (connected with a dish to a satellite)

The Ipstar then goes to a network switch.

The switch connect to a Dell pc with Intel Celeron running XP on which i installed PFSense running from a USB stick

You are running pfSense in a virtual machine under Windows XP? or you replaced WinXP by pfSense?

The switch connects to which pfSense interface?

The Dell pc have 2 network cards, one for the LAN (192.168.5.5) and the second for the WAN (192.168.5.20), this last one is connected to a wi-fi access point from Senao, the Engenius EOC2611P, the Default Gateway for both is set to 192.168.5.100.

The WiFi AP is connected to the pfSense WAN interface?

I don't know what functions are in the Engenius EOC2611P, maybe http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Use_an_existing_wireless_router_with_pfSense will be helpful.

[EOC2611P]

I'm not clear about a couple of aspects of your configuration:

I get my internet connection using IPStar (connected with a dish to a satellite)

The Ipstar then goes to a network switch.

The switch connect to a Dell pc with Intel Celeron running XP on which i installed PFSense running from a USB stick

You are running pfSense in a virtual machine under Windows XP? or you replaced WinXP by pfSense?

The switch connects to which pfSense interface?

Basically i keep the USB stick with the PFSense inside, connected to the PC, so when i boot the PC PFSense loads up automatically.
PFSense detects the internet connection coming from the switch (which is itself connected with another cable to the IPStar Router).

The Dell pc have 2 network cards, one for the LAN (192.168.5.5) and the second for the WAN (192.168.5.20), this last one is connected to a wi-fi access point from Senao, the Engenius EOC2611P, the Default Gateway for both is set to 192.168.5.100.

The WiFi AP is connected to the pfSense WAN interface?

I don't know what functions are in the Engenius EOC2611P, maybe http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Use_an_existing_wireless_router_with_pfSense will be helpful.

Yes


Ok, maybe i hold part of the solution of what i am making wrong, i made a mistake in assuming that "WAN" stand for "wireless area network" when a quick Googling came up with "wide area network"....so, it starts to make sense now, in fact there is been one occasion during my many attempts, when i finally manage to connect through the wi-fi, then i did try to go back to the web interface of PFSense with a third computer connected via LAN, but i realize that the web interface wouldn't load anymore so i could not get access to the many options to configure it as i wanted.
My conclusion is that i must either manage to get this configuration back and then try to access the web interface by wi-fi instead of the LAN, or, get a third network card and connect a computer to control the web interface there, as the first network card is occupied by the internet connection coming in, the second card goes to the access point and the third would be needed to control them....
Maybe i am making some other mistakes, but i hope to find a solution to make this thing work somehow 

[EOC2611P]

Ok, this issue has been solved, i am now going to try to understand how the captive portal thing works, thank you all for your time