Network configuration assistance needed

stroebs

stroebs

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Hi MyBBers,

I have recently decided it's about time to sort my home network out. It has been chopped and changed a lot and what with moving into a new house it is proving impossible to get a fully functional network up and running. There are some very specific things I need in my network which needs to be dynamic because I do a lot of different downloading, but also needs to remain static enough for my parents to open their laptops and use their internet and networked printers.

Here's my current layout:
stroebs-net.jpg


I've labelled what I can, but here's some more info:
  • Stroebs-1 [Surecom 9410SX-g Wireless ADSL2+ router + RouterTech F/W] is in the office on the right, and connected to the internet in half-bridged mode serving as the gateway, a switch and a wireless AP.
  • Stroebs-2 [TP-Link 1043ND Wireless-N Gigabit Router + DD-WRT F/W] is in the lounge serving as a switch and wireless AP.
  • The Laptops [Laptop1 & Laptop2 - My parents' laptops] roam around the house which is why I have the TP-Link in the lounge to get the best coverage for outside in the bar when Laptop2 is moved there for music purposes. There is a third laptop [Stroebs-Work] which doesn't come into play because it'll fall under the existing/new config.

The reason I need new config:
Due to affordability purposes, I have a capped Cybersmart account which runs at 7Mb for my parents and an Mweb Uncapped 1Mb for myself, as well as a prepaid WA account for Steam downloads. I require two separate PPPoE connections to be made within the network, with a possibility of two separate gateways - one for me, one for the laptops. I mainly want to do this because my dad complains at 1Mb speeds because he is used to using a Cell C dongle.

I thought I could use the TP-Link as my second gateway by making it dial a PPPoE connection, making my PC static and setting the gateway to it's IP address and leaving the Surecom to handle DHCP for everything else. This is when I ran into a problem as I can't dial a PPPoE from the TP-Link unless it's plugged into the WAN port, thereby cutting it off from my entire network. Maybe I am just being noob and I don't know how to configure the bridging correctly in DD-WRT, maybe not.

I would have no problem dialing all the PPPoE's from my PC but if one of the connections drops, it will start sapping the Cybersmart bandwidth from the Surecom, or I won't be able to access my PC remotely if it can't find another connection.

Please give me some advice for my network config? I am happy to buy the necessary hardware, just need to keep costs as low as possible of course.
 
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You don't say whether your dad connects via wired or wirelessly. If wired, I'd take the following approach, requiring the minimum of purchases:

1. Buy a cheap ADSL modem+4 port switch (e.g. DSL-2540B, DI-604, TP-Link equivalent, whatever)

2. configure the ADSL modem in bridged mode.

3. Connect your father directly to the ADSL modem, and configure his computer to establish a PPPoE connection itself, to the CyberSmart account. Keep in mind that his Personal Firewall must then be properly configured, as he will be directly exposed to the internet.

4. Use the TP-Link as your primary gateway, with its WAN port connected to the ADSL modem. Configure it to connect to both MWeb and WA, and set up appropriate routing rules such that Steam traffic goes via WA, and the rest via MWeb.

5. Use the SureCom as your range extender.

If one of the connections on the TP-Link drops, you would either end up using Mweb to access Steam (WA drops), or hammer your prepaid WA account with all your downloads (MWeb drops). You can probably mitigate the latter by using very specific routing rules for the WA account. I believe that the DD-WRT FW should allow that.

Either way, you never hit the CyberSmart account, since it is only configured on your fathers computer.

Downside: You can't reach your father's computer from your network. If this is important, then you might need another approach.
 
Thanks for your response. I've edited OP to reflect that my parents both connect via wireless.

I might have done just this in my old network scenario as I didn't need more range on the wireless and my dad's PC being split from the network wasn't a problem. Now, however, we have a new laser printer which doesn't want to work through the TP-Link and both my parents need access to it. This means that All the PCs mentioned need connectivity to the network.

I see a way around this though. I could do the setup that you proposed, only with a wireless ADSL router instead of wired. If it's a Mikrotik it'd be simple, but DD-WRT can do it too. I connect my dad's laptop via LAN (It hardly ever moves because of its battery health or lack thereof), and via wireless. The LAN gives him WAN access and the LAN gives him access to everything else in the house.
 
Doesn't sound like you need a wireless adsl router then. Your dad will connected via wired as above, and wireless to your network. To print he connects wirelessly, and to get internet, he goes over the wired connection.

and if he doesn't dial up, worst case is he uses your mweb uncapped, and just bleats about how slow it is :-P
 
I'm not worried about having a wireless ADSL router. I was thinking of turning off the AP and switching it into pure bridging mode.

Just asked my boss and he reckons I should just use a teeny LAN cable to physically bridge the connection between the WAN port and LAN port on the TP-Link.

Another idea I came up with was to buy a Mikrotik Wireless router and make it masquerade to the ADSL router which will be in full bridged mode, then I can setup some advanced routing stuff for the several accounts.
 
I've been using TrafficSplitter to split my traffic and did intend on using DD-WRT to split my traffic but that only comes after I've setup my network to the correct configuration.

My manual bridging didn't work, so I am going to buy two Mikrotik routers and use them to dial my PPPoE connections and everything else I need.

Also found out that at about 10:50 every single day, my internet stops working for 15 minutes... I wish I could explain this phenomenon to my dad who rages at me every time it happens.
 
Fair enough.. The microtik routers are pretty awesome.
As for the 15 min interruption does this also happen if you manually setup the ppoe connection?
if so it is your connection or modem/adsl2+ router.
otherwise it is your ddwrt router maybe setup some traceroutes at that time to see where the pings stop.
 
It is the strangest thing actually.

I am unable to dial PPPoE connections out, my ADSL router stops working, I can't connect to the DD-WRT router and if I reset the ADSL router, I can't dial PPPoE connections until magically it reconnects itself at 11:05
 
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