Home TCP/IP Networking with two routers 1

[strdotmatt]

Hi All,

OK... this is probably the stupidest question ever, but I'm not that good with networking.

I've got my home network setup this way:

Cable Modem to Router A with Internal IP of: 192.168.0.1 to Router B with Internal IP of 192.168.15.1.

Router A is set up with a DHCP range of 192.168.0.100 - 150.
Router B is set up with a DHCP range of 192.168.15.100 - 150.

How do I get computers on Router A to talk with computers on Router B? And vice versus?

As a temporary fix, I've got dual NICs in one computer and it runs on both, but I know thats lame and I should be able to do this without it. I need the two seperate routers, so, removing one, or removing the seperate DHCP ranges is not possible for me right now.

Any Ideas? I'm running XP on all the PCs.

 

[jimbopalmer]

Any home router is designed to seperate 'your' network from everyone else. So two routers is a inherently bad plan. Why do you need two routers?

1) the second router is a wireless router. In this case you can usually configure it to JUST be a wireless access point. Change its IP to be in the IP range of the first router (in your case 192.168.0.2 would be fine) but outside the DHCP range, so no PC ever gets the same IP. Then turn off DHCP on the second router, and connect them usuly the LAN ports, leaving the WAN port empty on the second router.

2) the second router is also wired, then all you needed was a switch, much cheaper, but if you already have the second router you can make it a switch by the abocve rules


I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[strdotmatt]

i was thinking something similar, but have never gotten the properties on the routers to work right...

router a is my wireless router, and i have one PC on it... its in my living room...

router b is a hardwired router, connected to router a, and it is also required because this is my VOIP router.

So, with this information does that help me get any closer to my objective?

 

[Frank4d]

Set up one router with an IP of 192.168.0.1 and a DHCP range of 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.200. Set up the other router with an IP of 192.168.0.2 (same subnet as the other router), set it's gateway as 192.168.0.1 (the other router), and turn off DHCP so all computers get their IP from one router. Connect the LAN ports of both routers together using a straight cable.
Here is a diagram for my home network:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/Frank4d/frank4dnetwork.jpg

 

[strdotmatt]

okay Frank4d... that looks good, my only questions now are:

why not put the cable from Router A into the WAN port on Router B?

 

[Frank4d]

I haven't tried it. I have been told on other forums that it won't work though.

 

[strdotmatt]

OK... I'm at a loss.. for some reason, I can't seem to get this to work properly... Maybe its my router(s)...

I've got a Wireless DLink Router D514 for my "Router A" (Attached to cable modem)...

I've then attached my Linksys RT31P2 to the LAN port on Router A via the Ethernet/LAN port on this one.

Then, I also connect my laptop to a LAN port on the Linksys. Sometimes I get an IP address but most of the time I do not.

Likewise, if I just have my Linksys router plugged into my laptop (LAN port on router), and then turn off DHCP, I never am able to again connect to the router....

Any ideas? If someone could provide me with a slightly more exhaustive step-by-step (do this, then this, then this)... maybe we can get this working?

Thanks very much!

 

[MarkhP]

May I suggest you try a slight variation.

Connect the modem to the Linksys and have that router as your gateway router.

Have the linksys assign DHCP addresses.

You should configure the Dlink with a static LAN IP in the same range as the Linksys. Dont setup DHCP on the Dlink.

Connect one of the LAN ports on the DLink to one of the LAN ports on the Linksys. If you need to, set the WAN address of the Dlink to DHCP assigned (as it isnt going to be used).

When you connect from a pc to the Dlink with Wireless, the DHCP details should be assigned from the Linksys. The Dlink is just being your connection to the network, nothing else.

Hope that is of some help

 

[CiscoGuy33]

strdotmatt,

I have -

Verizon FIOS connected to WAN port of D-Link 624
LAN port 192.168.0.1 is doing DHCP 192.168.0.100-199 Wireless clients have gateway of 192.168.0.1

D-Link LAN port is connected to Linksys WAN port 192.168.0.2

The Linksys has a gateway of 192.168.0.1, its LAN is 192.168.1.1 and is doing DHCP 192.168.1.100-199 - the clients attached have a gateway of 192.168.1.1

Everything can talk but what you have to do is go into the 2 routers under "Advanced Routing" and turn on RIP so that the 2 routers can talk to each other and exchange "routes" to the different networks.

You also will need to go into the Linksys and turn off any firewall settings on the WAN port.

Works great with several wireless laptops able to talk to 7 different computers attached to a switch plugged into the Linksys LAN.

The Linksys and D-Link will act like real routers if you turn the advanced settings on and let them "talk" to each other!

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +