chaining routers: need a fixed IP?

Hi I have the following equipment:

dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
\---- wired computers

[Long description if my diagram is not clear: the first modem/router (a
Zyxel 600) receives the dsl signal from the phone jack; connected to this
first router, there is a second router (USR, wireless) and some wired
computers; other computer are unwired and connect through the second
router.]


My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can it
be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel modem?

Thanks.

Belga <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:42276b38$0$30178$(E-Mail Removed):

> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or
> can it be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the
> zyxel modem?
>

Yes, it can be cofigured for DHCP. Any particular reason you're using two
routers? You should be able to setup the USR Router as a pure AP.

--
Lucas Tam ((E-Mail Removed))
Please delete "REMOVE" from the e-mail address when replying.
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/coolspot18/

"Belga" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:42276b38$0$30178$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi I have the following equipment:
>
> dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
> \---- wired computers
>
> [Long description if my diagram is not clear: the first modem/router (a
> Zyxel 600) receives the dsl signal from the phone jack; connected to this
> first router, there is a second router (USR, wireless) and some wired
> computers; other computer are unwired and connect through the second
> router.]

You missed some vital information: is the USR router connected to the Zyxel
one via the USR's WAN port or one of the LAN ports? Unless you have a good
reason to do otherwise, it would probably be better to use a LAN port.

Also, what is the IP address and subnet mask of the Zyxel router?

> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can
> it be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel
> modem?

If it's connected by the WAN port, the WAN-side address can be assigned by
DHCP. If it's connected by a LAN port, the WAN-side address is irrelevant.
The LAN-side address can probably only be a fixed address in either case,
but it needs to be a fixed address.

Alex

On 03/03/2005 Belga wrote:

> Hi I have the following equipment:
>
> dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
> \---- wired computers
>
> [Long description if my diagram is not clear: the first modem/router
> (a Zyxel 600) receives the dsl signal from the phone jack; connected
> to this first router, there is a second router (USR, wireless) and
> some wired computers; other computer are unwired and connect through
> the second router.]
>
>
> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or
> can it be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the
> zyxel modem?
>
> Thanks.


I had a setup like this with 2 x Linksys routers. I set a fixed address
of 192.168.1.1 on the first (the Zyxel for you) and 192.168.1.2 on the
second (your USR). I had DHCP on for the first (i.e. Zyxel) and off for
the second (i.e. USR).

Apart from anything else it makes the admin of the routers easier if
their IP addresses are fixed.

--
Jeff Gaines

Alex Fraser wrote:

> "Belga" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:42276b38$0$30178$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hi I have the following equipment:
>>
>> dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
>> \---- wired computers
>>
>> [Long description if my diagram is not clear: the first modem/router (a
>> Zyxel 600) receives the dsl signal from the phone jack; connected to this
>> first router, there is a second router (USR, wireless) and some wired
>> computers; other computer are unwired and connect through the second
>> router.]
>
> You missed some vital information: is the USR router connected to the
> Zyxel one via the USR's WAN port or one of the LAN ports? Unless you have
> a good reason to do otherwise, it would probably be better to use a LAN
> port.
>
> Also, what is the IP address and subnet mask of the Zyxel router?
>
>> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can
>> it be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel
>> modem?
>
> If it's connected by the WAN port, the WAN-side address can be assigned by
> DHCP. If it's connected by a LAN port, the WAN-side address is irrelevant.
> The LAN-side address can probably only be a fixed address in either case,
> but it needs to be a fixed address.
>
> Alex


OK thanks for the reply. I'm using the USR's WAN connexion, I don't see why
using the LAN would be better. I can't reply to the IP address/mask
question now, I'm not at my office and I don't remember that.

"Belga" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:42277ea6$0$28071$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Alex Fraser wrote:
> > "Belga" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:42276b38$0$30178$(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> Hi I have the following equipment:
> >>
> >> dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
> >> \---- wired computers
[snip]
> > You missed some vital information: is the USR router connected to the
> > Zyxel one via the USR's WAN port or one of the LAN ports? Unless you
> > have a good reason to do otherwise, it would probably be better to use
> > a LAN port.
> >
> > Also, what is the IP address and subnet mask of the Zyxel router?
[snip]
> OK thanks for the reply. I'm using the USR's WAN connexion, I don't see
> why using the LAN would be better.

If you connect the two routers together by their LAN ports, then wired and
wireless machines will all be part of the same network. Assuming the Zyxel
router has four LAN ports (I know the USR does), what you end up with is
virtually equivalent to a 6-port wireless router (one LAN port on each
router is taken up by the connection between them).

If you connect the USR's WAN port to one of the Zyxel's LAN ports, computers
attached to the Zyxel will not be able to access computers "attached" (wired
or wireless) to the USR, and computers attached to the USR may have problems
accessing computers attached to the Zyxel. (Also, the USR's LAN-side
interface and DHCP server must be configured with different addresses to the
Zyxel's.)

I'll assume the former is preferable for you, and that the router's LAN-side
address and subnet mask are 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0. What you need to do
is is match Jeff Gaines' description: turn off the DHCP server on the USR
and give it a LAN-side address in the same range as (but different to) the
Zyxel, eg 192.168.1.2. You will probably find it easiest to do this using a
computer wired to the USR, with the USR not connected to anything else at
the time.

You may need a cross-over cable to go between the two routers (you can buy
adapters to make normal cables into cross-over and vice-versa). Most routers
these days automatically detect the cable type, so this may not matter.
Check the manuals for the routers.

Ideally you should also configure the DHCP server on the Zyxel so that it
will never offer the address of the USR router. In practice you will
probably have no problems even if you don't bother.

HTH,
Alex

> HTH

It helped a lot Alex, thanks for the explanations.

Belga wrote:

> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can it
> be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel modem?

I have a Zyxel 624r and this is able to provide dhcp to hosts on the
LAN, no prob. Have you looked at the Zyxel site for your router's
reference manual?

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 22:51:59 GMT, in alt.internet.wireless , Nig
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Belga wrote:
>
>> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can it
>> be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel modem?
>
>I have a Zyxel 624r and this is able to provide dhcp to hosts on the
>LAN, no prob. Have you looked at the Zyxel site for your router's
>reference manual?

not very many routers can be DHCP clients on the LAN side. I'm not sure it
makes much sense - typically you want your routers to have well-known
addresses.

--
Mark McIntyre
CLC FAQ <http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html>
CLC readme: <http://www.ungerhu.com/jxh/clc.welcome.txt>

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In article <42276b38$0$30178$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Belga"
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> Hi I have the following equipment:
>
> dsl --- zyxel modem/router ---- usr8054 router -.-.-.- computers
> \---- wired computers
>
> [Long description if my diagram is not clear: the first modem/router (a
> Zyxel 600) receives the dsl signal from the phone jack; connected to this
> first router, there is a second router (USR, wireless) and some wired
> computers; other computer are unwired and connect through the second
> router.]
>
>
> My question: does the usr8054 modem need to have fixed ip address, or can it
> be configured to receive an ip address through DHCP from the zyxel modem?
>
It shouldn't make much difference. What will cause problems is if
both routers try to use the same network address on the LAN side,
e.g. the Zyxel sets its address to 192.168.0.1 and gives the USR a
WAN address of 192.168.0.2 when the USR wants to give itself
192.168.0.1 on its LAN side too. So you should make sure that
they're using different network addresses, e.g. 10.0.0.0 vs
192.168.0.0, or 192.168.0.0. vs 192.168.1.0