Setting up a wireless home network with two routers

[tropostropos]

Hello All,

I'm not sure of the best way to configure my home wireless network. I
already have CAT5 ethernet through most of the house, but I want
complete wireless coverage as well. I have a Netgear ADSL
modem/wireless/router/firewall in one corner of the house, but it
doesn't cover quite everywhere for wireless, so I want to add another
wireless router (which isn't a modem) as a 2nd access point; but I'm
not sure how it should be configured. I imagine the second router will
be plugged into the ethernet, but what is the relation of the 2nd
router's range of addresses to the first router's range? Separate
subnets, or overlapping address range? Does the 2nd router have to get
a DHCP address from the first router? How do the computers decide
which wireless network to connect to?


The internet
|
| [ADSL phone line into my house]
|
modem/wireless/router/firewall ---------- laptop(s) on wireless
|
| [ethernet]
|
|-----------------------computers (on ethernet)
|
| [ethernet]
|
2nd router (on ethernet)
|
| [wireless connections]
|
laptop(s) on wireless connection to 2nd router



Thanks

Tropos

 

[Chuck]

Hello All,

I'm not sure of the best way to configure my home wireless network. I
already have CAT5 ethernet through most of the house, but I want
complete wireless coverage as well. I have a Netgear ADSL
modem/wireless/router/firewall in one corner of the house, but it
doesn't cover quite everywhere for wireless, so I want to add another
wireless router (which isn't a modem) as a 2nd access point; but I'm
not sure how it should be configured. I imagine the second router will
be plugged into the ethernet, but what is the relation of the 2nd
router's range of addresses to the first router's range? Separate
subnets, or overlapping address range? Does the 2nd router have to get
a DHCP address from the first router? How do the computers decide
which wireless network to connect to?


The internet
|
| [ADSL phone line into my house]
|
modem/wireless/router/firewall ---------- laptop(s) on wireless
|
| [ethernet]
|
|-----------------------computers (on ethernet)
|
| [ethernet]
|
2nd router (on ethernet)
|
| [wireless connections]
|
laptop(s) on wireless connection to 2nd router



Thanks

Tropos

If you are connecting the second router by Ethernet, I'd make it an Access
Point, and disable router functionality.
# Don't connect the WAN on Router 2 to anything. Connect a LAN port on Router 1,
to a LAN port on Router 2.
# Change the LAN on Router 2 to something like 192.168.0.254.
# Disable the DHCP server on Router 2.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html

 

[tropostropos]

What's the difference between an Access Point and a router? What
functionality of a router am I disabling if I make it behave like an
access point?

If Router 2 doesn't provide a DHCP server, how do the laptops that
connect to it (wireless) acquire an IP address?

I thought a router just connects one network to another. What do you
mean by the WAN on router 2? It doesn't contain a ISDN modem!

Thanks

Tropos

 

[Chuck]

What's the difference between an Access Point and a router? What
functionality of a router am I disabling if I make it behave like an
access point?

If Router 2 doesn't provide a DHCP server, how do the laptops that
connect to it (wireless) acquire an IP address?

I thought a router just connects one network to another. What do you
mean by the WAN on router 2? It doesn't contain a ISDN modem!

Thanks

Tropos

Tropos,

See if my article helps any:
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/02/set-of-simple-network-components.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/02/set-of-simple-network-components.html

A WiFi router is a wired router with a radio attached to the LAN. A WiFi Access
Point is just a switch with a radio attached.

The LAN side of any NAT router is just a switch, so the LAN side of a WiFi
router is a switch with a radio. If you connect Router 2 by its LAN, you will
be using Router 2 as an Access Point. That's all you need. Router 1 provides
the Internet service, and DHCP service. Router 2 becomes just an Access Point.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html

Be sure to setup Router 1 and 2 WiFi with same SSID and security settings, just
use different channels. Remember 802.11g has just 3 non overlapping channels -
1, 6, 11. Same SSID and different channels will let any WiFi client roam from
one to the other.