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Vonets WiFi Bridge to Ethernet Setup Guide

This guide covers setting up a Vonets 2.4GHz WiFi bridge/repeater (VAP11G-300 or similar) for use as a portable WiFi-to-Ethernet adapter on Linux and OS/2 Warp, with easy reconfiguration for different networks.

Hardware Overview

The Vonets bridge operates in WISP (Wireless ISP) mode: it connects to an upstream WiFi network and provides a wired Ethernet port to your device. Your machine sees a standard Ethernet connection regardless of which WiFi the Vonets is bridging.

Default device settings:

Factory Reset (Vonets 2.4GHz Models)

Perform a factory reset before initial setup or when switching to a new deployment.

  1. Power on the device and wait ~30 seconds for it to fully boot.
  2. Locate the RESET pinhole on the device body.
  3. With the device powered on, insert a straightened paperclip or pin into the RESET hole.
  4. Hold for 10 seconds until the status LED flashes rapidly, then release.
  5. The device will reboot. Wait ~60 seconds for it to fully restart.
  6. The device is now restored to factory defaults (192.168.254.254, admin/admin).

Note: Some Vonets models (VAP11N, VAR11N-300) use a side button instead of a pinhole. Hold it for 10 seconds with the device powered on.

Connecting to a New WiFi Network (Reconfiguration)

Each time you want to bridge a different WiFi network, repeat this process.

Step 1 — Access the Web UI

Connect your computer to the Vonets device via Ethernet cable.

On Linux:

# Find your Ethernet interface name
ip link show

# Assign a temporary static IP in the Vonets subnet
sudo ip addr add 192.168.254.100/24 dev eth0   # replace eth0 with your interface
sudo ip link set eth0 up

On OS/2 Warp:

Open a command prompt and run:

ifconfig lan0 192.168.254.100 netmask 255.255.255.0

If using IBM TCP/IP for OS/2, you can also set this in the TCP/IP Configuration notebook in the System Setup folder.

Step 2 — Log in to the Web Interface

Open a web browser and navigate to:

http://192.168.254.254

Log in with:

Step 3 — Configure the WiFi Uplink

  1. Click WISP or WiFi Repeater from the menu (exact label varies by firmware).
  2. Click Scan to list available WiFi networks.
  3. Select your target network from the list.
  4. Enter the WiFi password when prompted.
  5. Click Save or Apply.
  6. The device will reboot and connect to the new network (allow ~60 seconds).

Step 4 — Verify Connection

After reboot, the device's WAN/Internet LED should be solid. Test connectivity:

Linux:

# Remove the static IP assigned earlier
sudo ip addr del 192.168.254.100/24 dev eth0

# Let DHCP take over (the Vonets will now provide an address from the upstream router)
sudo dhclient eth0
# or with systemd-networkd / NetworkManager:
nmcli device connect eth0

OS/2 Warp:

In the TCP/IP Configuration notebook, switch the LAN adapter back to DHCP (if it was set to static for setup). Then restart the TCP/IP stack:

[C:\] stop tcpip
[C:\] start tcpip

Or reboot. The Vonets will hand off a DHCP lease from the upstream WiFi network.

Linux — Full Setup Notes

Persistent Network Configuration

To avoid manually reconfiguring the Ethernet interface each time, configure your network manager to use DHCP on the wired interface. When the Vonets is connected and bridging a network, it will serve DHCP automatically.

NetworkManager (most desktop distros):

# Ensure the wired connection is set to DHCP
nmcli connection modify "Wired connection 1" ipv4.method auto
nmcli connection up "Wired connection 1"

systemd-networkd:

Create /etc/systemd/network/20-wired.network:

[Match]
Name=eth0

[Network]
DHCP=yes

Then:

sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-networkd

Reconfiguring Without a GUI Browser

Use curl to access the Vonets web UI from the command line during setup:

# Authenticate and trigger a WiFi scan (exact paths vary by firmware version)
curl -u admin:admin http://192.168.254.254/goform/WifiBasicSet \
  -d "ssid=YourNetworkName&key=YourPassword&enc=3"

For reliable scripting, use a browser with the web UI — the form field names differ across Vonets firmware versions.

OS/2 Warp — Full Setup Notes

Requirements

Initial TCP/IP Configuration

  1. Open System Setup folder on the Desktop.
  2. Open TCP/IP Configuration.
  3. Select your LAN adapter (e.g., IBMTOK0, SLIPLINK0, or LAN0 depending on your NIC driver).
  4. Set IP Address to 192.168.254.100 and Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 for initial Vonets setup access.
  5. Save and restart the TCP/IP stack or reboot.

Browser for the Web UI

OS/2 Warp includes WebExplorer (Warp 3) or Netscape Navigator (Warp 4 bonus pack). Either can access the Vonets web UI at http://192.168.254.254.

Switching Back to DHCP After Setup

Once the Vonets is configured and bridging your WiFi network:

  1. Open TCP/IP Configuration again.
  2. For your LAN adapter, check Obtain IP address automatically (DHCP).
  3. Save and restart TCP/IP or reboot.

The Vonets will forward a DHCP lease from the upstream WiFi router to your OS/2 machine.

Command-line alternative (TCP/IP for OS/2):

ifconfig lan0 dhcp

Or edit \MPTN\ETC\SETUP.CMD and set DHCP=YES for your adapter, then restart.

Troubleshooting on OS/2

Quick-Reference: Changing Networks in the Field

  1. Plug the Vonets into power and wait 60 seconds.
  2. Connect Ethernet from Vonets to your machine.
  3. Set your machine's IP to 192.168.254.100/24 (static).
  4. Browse to http://192.168.254.254, log in as admin/admin.
  5. Go to WISP settings, scan, select network, enter password, save.
  6. Wait for reboot (~60 seconds). Set your machine back to DHCP.
  7. Done — the Vonets bridges to the new WiFi and your machine gets internet over Ethernet.

Tips