Utilising a 2nd router for IoT devices

[hellfire]

Need some advice for setup in the following scenario:
I signed up for Afrihost fibre via Vuma a couple years ago and received a D-Link DIR 825 router. I've used that and am pretty happy with it, but sometimes get weird connectivity issues where my work issued laptop connects to WiFi but won't recognize the internet connection.

Last month I switched to Openserve (still on Afrihost) and received a new Huawei WS5200 router. I'd like to use the new router, but I have a lot of IoT devices (mainly Echos and Sonoff switches) and it would be a time consuming ball ache to change the WiFi access on each device.

So what I'd like to do is use the new router for my phones, laptops and TVs which all have quick-change WiFi settings options, and use my old router for my IoT devices.

How do I connect my old D-Link router to my new Huawei router such that the internet connection is shared, but I have 2 distinct WiFi networks?

PS Not doing this for security reasons, or to prevent hacked IoT devices from breaching my primary network so I'm not too worried if the 2nd network has some access to the first network.

 

[yogidabear]

1. Configure Dlink as an AP only, removing all NAT and DHCP
2. Plug Dlink in to Huawei LAN port
3. Configure Huawei as a router
4. Make Huawei 2nd SSID different to Dlink and also the channels!
5. Connect laptop and phones to new SSID

 

[Speedster]

Why not simply set the new router to the SSID and password of the old router?

 

[powermzii]

Why not simply set the new router to the SSID and password of the old router?

This ^

I swiyched from an Airties mesh to Unifi APs and all. I did was set the ssids the same. Devices migrated over themselves (except for thrr Sonoff door contacts....)

 

[yogidabear]

Why not simply set the new router to the SSID and password of the old router?

He asked for 2 separate wireless networks. So suppose he could position the Dlink advantageously for the IoT and Huawei for others, and know everything on SSID1 is IoT and everything on SSID2 is others. There could be benefits to doing it the way he wants, like IoT is normally 2,4 and he can take that burden away. Its a free AP so maybe its worth trying.

 

[powermzii]

He asked for 2 separate wireless networks. So suppose he could position the Dlink advantageously for the IoT and Huawei for others, and know everything on SSID1 is IoT and everything on SSID2 is others. There could be benefits to doing it the way he wants, like IoT is normally 2,4 and he can take that burden away. Its a free AP so maybe its worth trying.

True, no harm in trying but it does add an additional failure point amd complexity. OP let us know what you end up doing, there are many ways to skin a cat

 

[Speedster]

He asked for 2 separate wireless networks. So suppose he could position the Dlink advantageously for the IoT and Huawei for others, and know everything on SSID1 is IoT and everything on SSID2 is others. There could be benefits to doing it the way he wants, like IoT is normally 2,4 and he can take that burden away. Its a free AP so maybe its worth trying.

Yes, yours isn't a bad suggestion at all but his initial situation was he didn't want to reconfigure the IoT devices. Simply replacing the router he doesn't have to. Should he wish to split the WiFi then your suggestion is a way to go.

 

[yogidabear]

True, no harm in trying but it does add an additional failure point amd complexity. OP let us know what you end up doing, there are many ways to skin a cat

Agreed and let him try. You and I would like to say take them both out and get 2 Unifis, but its like whenever my buddies ask how to fix their KTM, and I say buy a Yamaha, its not the answer they were looking for!

 

[Rickster]

Need some advice for setup in the following scenario:
I signed up for Afrihost fibre via Vuma a couple years ago and received a D-Link DIR 825 router. I've used that and am pretty happy with it, but sometimes get weird connectivity issues where my work issued laptop connects to WiFi but won't recognize the internet connection.

Last month I switched to Openserve (still on Afrihost) and received a new Huawei WS5200 router. I'd like to use the new router, but I have a lot of IoT devices (mainly Echos and Sonoff switches) and it would be a time consuming ball ache to change the WiFi access on each device.

So what I'd like to do is use the new router for my phones, laptops and TVs which all have quick-change WiFi settings options, and use my old router for my IoT devices.

How do I connect my old D-Link router to my new Huawei router such that the internet connection is shared, but I have 2 distinct WiFi networks?

PS Not doing this for security reasons, or to prevent hacked IoT devices from breaching my primary network so I'm not too worried if the 2nd network has some access to the first network.

That D-Link DIR 825 is plagued with issues, i would not recommend using it at all.

Get another WAN router, set it up as AP, give it a static ip on the same range as your WS5200, turn off DHCP. Setup Wifi exactly as your DIR825. Plug into LAN port on WS5200 from the LAN port of new router. (sometimes you must use the WAN port not LAN on AP)