Setting up Home network : Using spare adsl router as switch

TonyA

TonyA

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Capri, South Pennisula, Cape Town
Hi, I would appreciate some help from the experts please. I have a 3 story town house with concrete reinforced floors between levels. I have been using wireless to connect 3 Desktops and a laptop to the internet (4mb line with Mweb uncapped), this has worked relatively well but I have now cabled the rooms together with Cat 5e and am using that two connect 2 desktops on level 2 and a laptop on level 3 all by wire, I have turned the wireless off on the adsl modem which is on level 3. The modem in use is a Billion 7402G with wireless and 4 ethernet ports. I have a spare Billion 7300G which also has wireless and 4 ethernet ports. I was thinking of placing this router on level 2 to act as an ethernet switch. Thiswould allow more PC's to connect directly to the switch and thought that this would give kids the opportunity to play inhouse Lan ganes, not too concernced about internet at this stage. Long story but my question is : Do I have to configure the spare router in any way eg switch of wireless, switch of auto allocation of addresses or do I just plug it in and go?
 
TonyA said:
OK I've done the wireless, firewall etc. Do I need to disable the DHCP server function as well ?
Click to expand...

If you don't need DHCP on the network then go ahead and disable it. I know there is such a way that if there is already a DHCP client on the network you can enable DHCP pass-through so the machines connected to the router will get DHCP from the existing DHCP server on the network.

I am not 100% sure about this but I'm sure you just changed the default gateway on the router to the IP address of the DHCP server, unless the router has configs in it for DHCP pass-through.
 
Yes, you don't want two devices issuing IP addresses, can only cause problems.
 
ponder said:
Yes, you don't want two devices issuing IP addresses, can only cause problems.
Click to expand...

Had this problem originally. Very complicated setup I had in the end.

Laptop connected to router via WiFi with internet.
Laptop enabled ICS and had lan cable to 2nd router, enabled DHCP on ICS.
Setup 2nd router to pass-through DHCP to computer and Xbox 360.
In the end -> Internet on 2 machines far away from 1st router with internet and no WiFi
 
Having some problems in getting this setup to work. DHCP disabled on 2nd Router (so should only be a switch), can access Lan but not Internet. Then reboot both routers and get access for a while then lose it. Begining to suspect cable problem, although points work when connected to Router 1, problem only arises when I couple router 2 into Network. Ah Well time for a beer and some serious thinking:)
 
TonyA said:
Having some problems in getting this setup to work. DHCP disabled on 2nd Router (so should only be a switch), can access Lan but not Internet. Then reboot both routers and get access for a while then lose it. Begining to suspect cable problem, although points work when connected to Router 1, problem only arises when I couple router 2 into Network. Ah Well time for a beer and some serious thinking:)
Click to expand...

Just make sure your default gateway on the pcs connected to router 2 is the IP address of the router providing internet
 
Internet router set to auto, so surely all PCs connected shoud get IP automatically.

Set up looks like this :


I----------------Wireless to whatever PC/Cellphone needs it
Internet Router-------Laptop
I----------------Cable to Level 2 (via conduit) Room 1---Desktop
I----------------Cable to Level 2 (via conduit) Room 2---Spare Router----Desk Top
I-------Cable (via conduit) to Room 3-----Desktop

Can access all PCs via setup but cannot access Internet. I'm convinced there must be some setting I need to change on Spare Router
Many thanks for your help and suggestions so far!
 
Hi, just some feedback. Managed to get spare router working as a switch by disabling DHCP server and working fine. Only problem now is wireless relay, not sure what I have to change here or weather I use same details as upstairs router, all I want id to relay the signal on Level 2 but the router here remains wired, it merely offers wireless access to level 2. I think I have to give it a new SSID and change the radio channel it broadcasts on. Will try that later.
 
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