Wireless security with 2 routers on same network

I have a working ADSL wireless router and need to extend it to a bigger
network. I have installed a second broadband wireless router with 4
ethernet ports and used one of these ports to take input from my other
router. Everything works fine but I can't access the new router's
configuration pages to change any settings.
If I disconnect the first router, the new one shows with an address of
192.168.1.1 and I can enter this address into IE6 to access the
options. When linked to the first router, the 192.168.1.1 address
cannot be found anymore. I can still access the first router by typing
its address of 10.0.0.2.
Can anyone advise how to set up my second router (it's a Linksys
WRT54G) so that it can co-exist with the other one?
Thanks in advance.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com
> I have a working ADSL wireless router and need to extend
> it to a bigger network. I have installed a second
> broadband wireless router with 4 ethernet ports and used
> one of these ports to take input from my other router.
> Everything works fine but I can't access the new router's
> configuration pages to change any settings.
> If I disconnect the first router, the new one shows with
> an address of 192.168.1.1 and I can enter this address
> into IE6 to access the options. When linked to the first
> router, the 192.168.1.1 address cannot be found anymore.
> I can still access the first router by typing its address
> of 10.0.0.2.
> Can anyone advise how to set up my second router (it's a
> Linksys WRT54G) so that it can co-exist with the other
> one?
> Thanks in advance.

Why are you trying to use 2 routers..? If all you want is more ethernet
ports then use a switch.

Ivor

On 1 May 2006 , "Ivor Jones" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Why are you trying to use 2 routers..?

ummm... he did say.... to extend wireless coverage.

I'd say it needs a diagram to identify what's connected to what.

A quick diagram:

---------'B' wireless point (Poor
coverage)
|
PHONE LINE ---> MODEM/ROUTER 1 -----Ethernet cables----> PC1, PC2 & PC3
|
|
|_________Ethernet cable---->
ROUTER 2 ----'G' wireless point

|

|___Ether net cables__PC4

So, my broadband connection goes into router 1.
An ethernet cable goes from router 1 to an ethernet port on router 2.
Router 2 doesn't have a built-in modem but router 1 does.
I only really need a router for router 2 but, since I've got a
broadband router I'm using that, I just haven't connected abything to
its internet port.

The wireless capabilities of router 1 don't give great coverage
throughout our house but by adding our second router downstairs we now
get great coverage.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
(E-Mail Removed) <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> A quick diagram:
>
> ---------'B' wireless point (Poor
> coverage)
> |
> PHONE LINE ---> MODEM/ROUTER 1 -----Ethernet cables----> PC1, PC2 &
> PC3 |
> |
> |_________Ethernet cable---->
> ROUTER 2 ----'G' wireless point
>
> |
>
> |___Ether net cables__PC4
>
> So, my broadband connection goes into router 1.
> An ethernet cable goes from router 1 to an ethernet port on router 2.
> Router 2 doesn't have a built-in modem but router 1 does.
> I only really need a router for router 2 but, since I've got a
> broadband router I'm using that, I just haven't connected abything to
> its internet port.
>
> The wireless capabilities of router 1 don't give great coverage
> throughout our house but by adding our second router downstairs we now
> get great coverage.

As an aside, you're using the second router simply as an additional wireless
access point - not as a router per se.

If you are to access the setup menus on both routers from the same PC, both
routers need to be in the same subnet - i.e. need to have IP addresses in
the same range. My guess is that your PCs are set up to 'obtain an IP
address automatically' - and the routers are configured (which they will be
by default) as DHCP servers. So, when only Router 2 is on, your PC will pick
up a 192.168.x.x IP address from it, and will talk to it ok. But when Router
1 is on, the PC will pick up a 10.0.x.x address from that - and will be
unable to 'see' anything with a 192.168.x.x address.

The routers should have a menu which allows you to change their own IP
address, and the range of addresses which DHCP server dishes out. You could
adopt a scheme something like this:

Give one router an IP address of 192.168.1.1 and let it dish out addresses
192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.10 (say)

Give the other router an IP address of 192.168.1.11 and let it dish out
addresses of 192.168.1.12 to 192.168.1.20

You can vary this if you like but, assuming you're using a subnet mask of
255.255.255.0, the important thing is that all the addresses must be unique,
but the differences must be in the final octet - the first 3 octets of the
address (192.168.1 or whatever) must be identical.

You should then be able to see *both* routers from *any* connected PC.

Make sure that when you are configuring the routers, the PC you are using is
connected by a *wired* rather than wireless link!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
>I have a working ADSL wireless router and need to extend it to a bigger
> network. I have installed a second broadband wireless router with 4
> ethernet ports and used one of these ports to take input from my other
> router. Everything works fine but I can't access the new router's
> configuration pages to change any settings.
> If I disconnect the first router, the new one shows with an address of
> 192.168.1.1 and I can enter this address into IE6 to access the
> options. When linked to the first router, the 192.168.1.1 address
> cannot be found anymore. I can still access the first router by typing
> its address of 10.0.0.2.
> Can anyone advise how to set up my second router (it's a Linksys
> WRT54G) so that it can co-exist with the other one?
> Thanks in advance.
>


If I were doing this I would

Configure router 2 to disable its DHCP server.
Give it a LAN address of 192.168.1.200 (or similar *unused* address from
router one's address range).
Ignore the WAN port settings and connection.

Then connect it to the first router using a *LAN* port at each end.

It will now act as an access point rather than a router.

The first router will do the routing and DHCP work for the whole network.

Remember to set them up with the same SSID, keys and different channels so
that you can roam between the APs easily.

On 1 May 2006 05:16:02 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>I have a working ADSL wireless router and need to extend it to a bigger
>network. I have installed a second broadband wireless router with 4
>ethernet ports and used one of these ports to take input from my other
>router. Everything works fine but I can't access the new router's
>configuration pages to change any settings.
>If I disconnect the first router, the new one shows with an address of
>192.168.1.1 and I can enter this address into IE6 to access the
>options. When linked to the first router, the 192.168.1.1 address
>cannot be found anymore. I can still access the first router by typing
>its address of 10.0.0.2.
>Can anyone advise how to set up my second router (it's a Linksys
>WRT54G) so that it can co-exist with the other one?
>Thanks in advance.

Connect router 2 via its switch port and plug it into router 1, switch
off the DHCP server inside router 2 and set its IP address to be in
the same subnet as router 1 - eg, if router 1 IP address is
192.168.1.1, set it to 192.168.1.2.

Should then work.
Andrew.
--
Andrew Hodgson in Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK.
My Email: use <andrew at hodgsonfamily dot org>.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice - it now works perfectly.
In case anyone lese has a similar set up, here's what I ended up doing:

One router has its address set to 10.0.0.2 and the other to 10.0.0.15.
DHCP is enabled on the first but not the second. Both routers have the
same SSID but use different channels. When I connect a PC via wireless
it chooses the strongest signal and connects via that router. Both
routers have the saem wireless security settings.

Roger Mills wrote:
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> (E-Mail Removed) <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> A quick diagram:
>>
>> ---------'B' wireless point
>> (Poor coverage)
>> |
>> PHONE LINE ---> MODEM/ROUTER 1 -----Ethernet cables----> PC1, PC2 &
>> PC3 |
>> |
>> |_________Ethernet cable---->
>> ROUTER 2 ----'G' wireless point
>>
>> |
>>
>> |___Ether net cables__PC4
>>
>> So, my broadband connection goes into router 1.
>> An ethernet cable goes from router 1 to an ethernet port on router
>> 2. Router 2 doesn't have a built-in modem but router 1 does.
>> I only really need a router for router 2 but, since I've got a
>> broadband router I'm using that, I just haven't connected abything
>> to its internet port.
>>
>> The wireless capabilities of router 1 don't give great coverage
>> throughout our house but by adding our second router downstairs we
>> now get great coverage.
>
> As an aside, you're using the second router simply as an additional
> wireless access point - not as a router per se.
>
> If you are to access the setup menus on both routers from the same
> PC, both routers need to be in the same subnet - i.e. need to have
> IP addresses in the same range. My guess is that your PCs are set
> up to 'obtain an IP address automatically' - and the routers are
> configured (which they will be by default) as DHCP servers. So,
> when only Router 2 is on, your PC will pick up a 192.168.x.x IP
> address from it, and will talk to it ok. But when Router 1 is on,
> the PC will pick up a 10.0.x.x address from that - and will be
> unable to 'see' anything with a 192.168.x.x address.
> The routers should have a menu which allows you to change their own
> IP address, and the range of addresses which DHCP server dishes
> out. You could adopt a scheme something like this:
>
> Give one router an IP address of 192.168.1.1 and let it dish out
> addresses 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.10 (say)
>
> Give the other router an IP address of 192.168.1.11 and let it dish
> out addresses of 192.168.1.12 to 192.168.1.20
>
> You can vary this if you like but, assuming you're using a subnet
> mask of 255.255.255.0, the important thing is that all the
> addresses must be unique, but the differences must be in the final
> octet - the first 3 octets of the address (192.168.1 or whatever)
> must be identical.
> You should then be able to see *both* routers from *any* connected
> PC.
> Make sure that when you are configuring the routers, the PC you are
> using is connected by a *wired* rather than wireless link!

Wouldn't it just be far easier to use a wireless access point (& if
neccesary set to relay/repeater mode), it's cheaper as well as being
simpler

"kráftéé" <kraftee@dontspamkrafteeunless you know what'sgoodforu.pus.com>
wrote in message news:445683d0$0$9243$(E-Mail Removed)...

> Wouldn't it just be far easier to use a wireless access point (& if
> neccesary set to relay/repeater mode), it's cheaper as well as being
> simpler

A wireless router is just a router with an access point.
It works the same from the LAN ports.
They are often cheaper than access points as they are a more popular item.

You can use the built in router to make the wireless side more secure if it
is a case of adding wireless to an existing wired network rather than
extending a wireless network.
The only time I think it would be worth buying an access point is if its for
wireless distribution or bridging which wireless routers tend not to do ATM.