Chaining Routers

On Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:50:54 -0800 (PST), Ben Myers
wrote:

On Nov 28, 1:58*pm, Boris wrote:
Christopher Muto wrote et:









On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher *wrote in
et:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. *Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? *Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or wireless
to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless from router 2
then you would put a network cable between a lan port on router 1
and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp active on both. *if you
want to extend the range of your wireless, and want all the
computers to be able to share the same set of resources (network
printers, shared folders on particular machines, etc) then you want
them to be part of the same network address group so you want just
one dhcp server and you will want to disable dhcp on router 2 and
connect a network cable from a lan port on router 1 to a lan port on
router 2 (and you can decide if you want to enable the wireless on
router 2 or not, which can have the same ssid and password as router
1 and potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. *I have two identical four port wireless routers. *I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. *My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some are
wired and some are wireless. *I will place router 1 upstairs, and
router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). *I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. *I connect a lan port of router 1 to a
lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call itself
SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something else?). *I will
disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that they
can connect to both? *If each router has the same SSID, then I can
only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless connection
to all the wireless devices. *This setup works very well. *I'm sort
of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and leave it where it
is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem location), connect it
to the modem, and then connect this new upstairs router 1 to a lan
port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered by
googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. *open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100 for
50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless' or
whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1 (nothing
to change, just confirm the address. *192.168.1.1 is the default for
most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2. *open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as you
will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical as
upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with wpa2
encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so it
has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when they are
later connected together). *after you apply this setting you will not
longer be connected to the router unless you pointing your browser to
the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but there is no need to
do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on upstairs
or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that device
about the house.

you are done.

-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish configuring
downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step 6d),
which I hadn't even considered. *I won't be able to attack until this
weekend, but will report back when set up.

It all comes back to me now.

The trick I have used with 2 or more routers or 2 or more DHCP servers
is a very simple one, both in concept and in practice. The router (or
ISP DHCP server, cable modem, DSL modem, etc) closest to the internet
is the only one that serves DHCP. For the 2nd router, I disable DHCP,
then connect the Ethernet cable from the first router (or DHCP server)
to a normal Ethernet port, not the WAN port. This turns the 2nd
router into a simple switch, not a router, with a wireless access
point.

If there are two or more routers with wifi, make sure they have the
same SSID and channel. As Christopher says, allows roaming from
router/access point to router/access point... Ben Myers
What happens if the connection is encrypted?

Can I start copying a file while going though one router and move
to an area covered by the other router without the copy getting
messed up?

Boris wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher Muto wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or wireless
to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless from router 2
then you would put a network cable between a lan port on router 1
and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp active on both. if you
want to extend the range of your wireless, and want all the
computers to be able to share the same set of resources (network
printers, shared folders on particular machines, etc) then you want
them to be part of the same network address group so you want just
one dhcp server and you will want to disable dhcp on router 2 and
connect a network cable from a lan port on router 1 to a lan port on
router 2 (and you can decide if you want to enable the wireless on
router 2 or not, which can have the same ssid and password as router
1 and potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some are
wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs, and
router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to a
lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call itself
SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something else?). I will
disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that they
can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then I can
only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless connection
to all the wireless devices. This setup works very well. I'm sort
of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and leave it where it
is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem location), connect it
to the modem, and then connect this new upstairs router 1 to a lan
port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered by
googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100 for
50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless' or
whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1 (nothing
to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the default for
most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as you
will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical as
upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with wpa2
encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so it
has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when they are
later connected together). after you apply this setting you will not
longer be connected to the router unless you pointing your browser to
the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but there is no need to
do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on upstairs
or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that device
about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish configuring
downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step 6d),
which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack until this
weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup pages/settings.
Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router 2 also allowed for
Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for years, has always been
configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit encryption, HEX Key, with a 10
numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA (there is no WPA2 option), the
setup screen reverts to Radius Server settings. So, I left it as is, and
configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than maybe
using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting of the
SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

On 12/4/2011 11:27 PM, Boris wrote:
wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or wireless
to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless from router 2
then you would put a network cable between a lan port on router 1
and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp active on both. if you
want to extend the range of your wireless, and want all the
computers to be able to share the same set of resources (network
printers, shared folders on particular machines, etc) then you want
them to be part of the same network address group so you want just
one dhcp server and you will want to disable dhcp on router 2 and
connect a network cable from a lan port on router 1 to a lan port on
router 2 (and you can decide if you want to enable the wireless on
router 2 or not, which can have the same ssid and password as router
1 and potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some are
wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs, and
router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to a
lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call itself
SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something else?). I will
disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that they
can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then I can
only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless connection
to all the wireless devices. This setup works very well. I'm sort
of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and leave it where it
is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem location), connect it
to the modem, and then connect this new upstairs router 1 to a lan
port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered by
googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100 for
50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless' or
whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1 (nothing
to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the default for
most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as you
will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical as
upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with wpa2
encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so it
has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when they are
later connected together). after you apply this setting you will not
longer be connected to the router unless you pointing your browser to
the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but there is no need to
do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on upstairs
or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that device
about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish configuring
downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step 6d),
which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack until this
weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup pages/settings.
Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router 2 also allowed for
Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for years, has always been
configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit encryption, HEX Key, with a 10
numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA (there is no WPA2 option), the
setup screen reverts to Radius Server settings. So, I left it as is, and
configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than maybe
using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting of the
SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

good to hear that it worked. i suspect that the model number is di-524
(not dL-524). if that is correct then why not download the latest
firmware and apply it to each router? but note that there were several
versions that had the same model number including the original with no
revision number, then revision c, revision d, and revision e. the
revision is detailed on the bar code sticker next to 'h/w ver" rec c and
above offer wpa2 with a firmware update. anybody with a netbook and the
right software can get into range of your wep encrypted signal and
figure out the password in a half hour. not that it is likely, but it
is entirely possible. not broadcasting the ssid only gives a false
sense of security as it is actually still broadcasted.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DI-524

Christopher Muto wrote in
:

On 12/4/2011 11:27 PM, Boris wrote:
wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or
wireless to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless
from router 2 then you would put a network cable between a lan
port on router 1 and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp
active on both. if you want to extend the range of your
wireless, and want all the computers to be able to share the same
set of resources (network printers, shared folders on particular
machines, etc) then you want them to be part of the same network
address group so you want just one dhcp server and you will want
to disable dhcp on router 2 and connect a network cable from a
lan port on router 1 to a lan port on router 2 (and you can
decide if you want to enable the wireless on router 2 or not,
which can have the same ssid and password as router 1 and
potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some
are wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs,
and router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to
a lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call
itself SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something
else?). I will disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that
they can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then
I can only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless
connection to all the wireless devices. This setup works very
well. I'm sort of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and
leave it where it is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem
location), connect it to the modem, and then connect this new
upstairs router 1 to a lan port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered
by googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100
for 50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless'
or whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1
(nothing to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the
default for most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2.
open internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as
you will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical
as upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with
wpa2 encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so
it has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when
they are later connected together). after you apply this setting
you will not longer be connected to the router unless you pointing
your browser to the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but
there is no need to do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on
upstairs or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that
device about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish
configuring downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step
6d), which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack
until this weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup
pages/settings. Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router
2 also allowed for Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for
years, has always been configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit
encryption, HEX Key, with a 10 numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA
(there is no WPA2 option), the setup screen reverts to Radius Server
settings. So, I left it as is, and configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than
maybe using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting
of the SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

good to hear that it worked. i suspect that the model number is
di-524 (not dL-524). if that is correct then why not download the
latest firmware and apply it to each router? but note that there were
several versions that had the same model number including the original
with no revision number, then revision c, revision d, and revision e.
the revision is detailed on the bar code sticker next to 'h/w ver" rec
c and above offer wpa2 with a firmware update. anybody with a netbook
and the right software can get into range of your wep encrypted signal
and figure out the password in a half hour. not that it is likely,
but it is entirely possible. not broadcasting the ssid only gives a
false sense of security as it is actually still broadcasted.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DI-524



Router 1 is HW ver C1, FW ver 3.02. I can update to FW 3.23 (7/2/06).
FW 3.20 is described as adding WPA2 (9/1/05). I would go straight to FW
3.23.

Router 2 is HW ver E1, FW ver 5.0 (no WPA2). I can update to FW 5.10
(1/11/06), described as "shipping firmware". It doesn't say, but I
suspect it would add WPA2.

I've always stayed away from updating firmware (or BIOS) unless the fix
is a useful one. Maybe I will in this case.

Yep, the routers are DI-524s.

Thanks again.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup pages/settings.
Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router 2 also allowed for
Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for years, has always been
configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit encryption, HEX Key, with a 10
numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA (there is no WPA2 option), the
setup screen reverts to Radius Server settings. So, I left it as is, and
configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than maybe
using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting of the
SSID, which is the same on both routers.

I'd switch to WPA rather than WEP. It's more secure.

http://www.openxtra.co.uk/articles/wpa-vs-wep

http://forum.notebookreview.com/netw...ifference.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wpa-vs-wep.html

The list goes on and on.

Tom Lake

"Tom Lake" wrote in news:jbhpmb$62q$1
@speranza.aioe.org:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wpa-vs-wep.html

Point taken.

(one question about handoff added near end)
On Mon, 5 Dec 2011 04:27:39 +0000 (UTC), Boris
wrote:

Boris wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher Muto wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or wireless
to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless from router 2
then you would put a network cable between a lan port on router 1
and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp active on both. if you
want to extend the range of your wireless, and want all the
computers to be able to share the same set of resources (network
printers, shared folders on particular machines, etc) then you want
them to be part of the same network address group so you want just
one dhcp server and you will want to disable dhcp on router 2 and
connect a network cable from a lan port on router 1 to a lan port on
router 2 (and you can decide if you want to enable the wireless on
router 2 or not, which can have the same ssid and password as router
1 and potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some are
wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs, and
router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to a
lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call itself
SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something else?). I will
disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that they
can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then I can
only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless connection
to all the wireless devices. This setup works very well. I'm sort
of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and leave it where it
is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem location), connect it
to the modem, and then connect this new upstairs router 1 to a lan
port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered by
googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100 for
50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless' or
whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1 (nothing
to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the default for
most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as you
will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical as
upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with wpa2
encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so it
has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when they are
later connected together). after you apply this setting you will not
longer be connected to the router unless you pointing your browser to
the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but there is no need to
do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan port
on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on upstairs
or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that device
about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish configuring
downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step 6d),
which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack until this
weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup pages/settings.
Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router 2 also allowed for
Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for years, has always been
configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit encryption, HEX Key, with a 10
numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA (there is no WPA2 option), the
setup screen reverts to Radius Server settings. So, I left it as is, and
configured Router 2 the same.
Can you move from a spot covered by one Wireless Access Point to
a spot covered by the other WAP without the connection breaking?

For example, can you start a copy operation for a large file in
one room and move to the other room without the copy breaking?

Another test is to start an HTTPS transaction in one room and
see if you can finish it in the other.)

Note that you might be able to stream a video without noticing any
problems but not be able to copy a file.

The issue that I am concerned with is that switching WAP should break
any secure connections unless there is a mechanism for linking them
properly. I think things work with WAP's that are connected
wirelessly (which is what you have), but some WAPs don't work together
when connected by wire only.

(Note that with a HTTPS connection there a
1. the (fixed) key for the network, which typically is provided
automatically each time a WAP is connected to.
2. for encrypted wireless, the automatically generated one time
key for the "login"
3. the automatically generated key for the connection to the
remote site using HTTPS.)



I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than maybe
using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting of the
SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

Christopher Muto wrote in
:

On 12/4/2011 11:27 PM, Boris wrote:
wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or
wireless to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless
from router 2 then you would put a network cable between a lan
port on router 1 and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp
active on both. if you want to extend the range of your
wireless, and want all the computers to be able to share the same
set of resources (network printers, shared folders on particular
machines, etc) then you want them to be part of the same network
address group so you want just one dhcp server and you will want
to disable dhcp on router 2 and connect a network cable from a
lan port on router 1 to a lan port on router 2 (and you can
decide if you want to enable the wireless on router 2 or not,
which can have the same ssid and password as router 1 and
potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some
are wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs,
and router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to
a lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call
itself SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something
else?). I will disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that
they can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then
I can only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless
connection to all the wireless devices. This setup works very
well. I'm sort of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and
leave it where it is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem
location), connect it to the modem, and then connect this new
upstairs router 1 to a lan port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered
by googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100
for 50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless'
or whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1
(nothing to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the
default for most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2.
open internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as
you will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical
as upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with
wpa2 encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so
it has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when
they are later connected together). after you apply this setting
you will not longer be connected to the router unless you pointing
your browser to the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but
there is no need to do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on
upstairs or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that
device about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish
configuring downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step
6d), which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack
until this weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup
pages/settings. Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router
2 also allowed for Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for
years, has always been configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit
encryption, HEX Key, with a 10 numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA
(there is no WPA2 option), the setup screen reverts to Radius Server
settings. So, I left it as is, and configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than
maybe using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting
of the SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

good to hear that it worked. i suspect that the model number is
di-524 (not dL-524). if that is correct then why not download the
latest firmware and apply it to each router? but note that there were
several versions that had the same model number including the original
with no revision number, then revision c, revision d, and revision e.
the revision is detailed on the bar code sticker next to 'h/w ver" rec
c and above offer wpa2 with a firmware update. anybody with a netbook
and the right software can get into range of your wep encrypted signal
and figure out the password in a half hour. not that it is likely,
but it is entirely possible. not broadcasting the ssid only gives a
false sense of security as it is actually still broadcasted.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DI-524



It's been a while, and things are still working fine.

But, I was messing around, and discovered that when hooked up as above,
IE reports the 192.168.0.2 router (now an access point (AP) with DHCP
disabled) as DHCP enabled, and FFox reports it as DHCP disabled. Wonder
why.

Also, if I plug either my wireless laptop or wired desktop into a LAN
port of the 192.168.0.2 router (AP), with the AP still connected to the
first router, I can log into both the 192.168.0.1 router and the
192.168.0.2 AP, but as soon as I disconnect the AP from the router, I can
no longer log in the AP (or the router) from the laptop or desktop. I
was trying this because I wondered what if I wanted to take the AP over
to a friend's house, and reconfigure it. This has got me stumped.

I do have another wireless, and wired router, that I could turn into an
AP and see how they react. Could be the current AP is just somewhat
flakey.

On Sun, 4 Mar 2012 17:38:04 +0000 (UTC), Boris
wrote:

Christopher Muto wrote in
t:

On 12/4/2011 11:27 PM, Boris wrote:
wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or
wireless to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless
from router 2 then you would put a network cable between a lan
port on router 1 and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp
active on both. if you want to extend the range of your
wireless, and want all the computers to be able to share the same
set of resources (network printers, shared folders on particular
machines, etc) then you want them to be part of the same network
address group so you want just one dhcp server and you will want
to disable dhcp on router 2 and connect a network cable from a
lan port on router 1 to a lan port on router 2 (and you can
decide if you want to enable the wireless on router 2 or not,
which can have the same ssid and password as router 1 and
potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some
are wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs,
and router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to
a lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call
itself SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something
else?). I will disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that
they can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then
I can only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless
connection to all the wireless devices. This setup works very
well. I'm sort of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and
leave it where it is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem
location), connect it to the modem, and then connect this new
upstairs router 1 to a lan port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered
by googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100
for 50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless'
or whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1
(nothing to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the
default for most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2.
open internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as
you will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical
as upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with
wpa2 encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so
it has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when
they are later connected together). after you apply this setting
you will not longer be connected to the router unless you pointing
your browser to the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but
there is no need to do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on
upstairs or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that
device about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish
configuring downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step
6d), which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack
until this weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup
pages/settings. Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router
2 also allowed for Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for
years, has always been configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit
encryption, HEX Key, with a 10 numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA
(there is no WPA2 option), the setup screen reverts to Radius Server
settings. So, I left it as is, and configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than
maybe using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting
of the SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

good to hear that it worked. i suspect that the model number is
di-524 (not dL-524). if that is correct then why not download the
latest firmware and apply it to each router? but note that there were
several versions that had the same model number including the original
with no revision number, then revision c, revision d, and revision e.
the revision is detailed on the bar code sticker next to 'h/w ver" rec
c and above offer wpa2 with a firmware update. anybody with a netbook
and the right software can get into range of your wep encrypted signal
and figure out the password in a half hour. not that it is likely,
but it is entirely possible. not broadcasting the ssid only gives a
false sense of security as it is actually still broadcasted.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DI-524



It's been a while, and things are still working fine.

But, I was messing around, and discovered that when hooked up as above,
IE reports the 192.168.0.2 router (now an access point (AP) with DHCP
disabled) as DHCP enabled, and FFox reports it as DHCP disabled. Wonder
why.

Also, if I plug either my wireless laptop or wired desktop into a LAN
port of the 192.168.0.2 router (AP), with the AP still connected to the
first router, I can log into both the 192.168.0.1 router and the
192.168.0.2 AP, but as soon as I disconnect the AP from the router, I can
no longer log in the AP (or the router) from the laptop or desktop. I
was trying this because I wondered what if I wanted to take the AP over
to a friend's house, and reconfigure it. This has got me stumped.

I do have another wireless, and wired router, that I could turn into an
AP and see how they react. Could be the current AP is just somewhat
flakey.


Interesting. Remember IE is a product of MS so I wouldn't put a lot
of faith in its reporting. That said I guess if I were in your
shoes, I'd run some common network commands at the command level to
see what goes on. Here's a link to what I mean....
http://ezinearticles.com/?Network-Tr...ands&id=646839

Remember sometimes firewalls can screw things up so usually they
advise you to take them down temporarily when you are running these
network commands. To be honest I don't use these commands but maybe
once every 2 or 3 years and sometimes I am and am not successful at
first. When I'm not, it takes weeks for me to troubleshoot but
I'm no network guru so YMMV.

On 3/4/2012 12:38 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 12/4/2011 11:27 PM, Boris wrote:
wrote in news:Xns9FAB6FA56D48blahblahcom@
88.198.244.100:

Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 11:55 PM, Boris wrote:
Christopher wrote in
:

On 11/27/2011 3:41 PM, Boris wrote:
I'm going to daisy chain two routers. Why are you supposed to
disable DHCP on the secondary (downstream) router? Is this
mandatory?

Thanks.

it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
if you want to isolate the computers connected via wire or
wireless to router 1 from those connected via wire or wireless
from router 2 then you would put a network cable between a lan
port on router 1 and the wan port on router 2 and leave dhcp
active on both. if you want to extend the range of your
wireless, and want all the computers to be able to share the same
set of resources (network printers, shared folders on particular
machines, etc) then you want them to be part of the same network
address group so you want just one dhcp server and you will want
to disable dhcp on router 2 and connect a network cable from a
lan port on router 1 to a lan port on router 2 (and you can
decide if you want to enable the wireless on router 2 or not,
which can have the same ssid and password as router 1 and
potentially extend the rage of the wireless coverage).

Ok. I have two identical four port wireless routers. I want all
computers in the house to be on the same network so they can 'see'
each other and share wired and wireless printers. My
computers/printers are on different floors of the house, and some
are wired and some are wireless. I will place router 1 upstairs,
and router 2 downstairs.

I connect the modem to the wan port of router 1 (SSID_1). I will
enable DHCP on this router 1. I connect a lan port of router 1 to
a lan port of router 2 (will this router 2 automatically call
itself SSID_1 also, or will it allow me to name it something
else?). I will disable DHCP on this router 2.

Will router 2 be on a different subnet than router 1?

If each router has a different SSID, should I setup the wireless
devices (computers and printers, and some smart phones) so that
they can connect to both? If each router has the same SSID, then
I can only connect to that unique home network SSID.

I currently have my four port wireless router on downstairs,
connected to the modem upstairs, via ethernet running through the
walls, feeding four wired devices and providing wireless
connection to all the wireless devices. This setup works very
well. I'm sort of thinking that I'll just make this router 2 and
leave it where it is, and put the other router 1 upstairs (modem
location), connect it to the modem, and then connect this new
upstairs router 1 to a lan port of the downstairs router 2

Sorry for all the questions, but I haven't found them all answered
by googling.

TIA.

1) connect upstairs modem to wan port on upstairs router 1

2) connect a wired computer to lan port on upstairs router 1. open
internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

3) using the connected computer, configure upstairs router 1 as
follows: 3a) wan settings for internet (if dsl you need ppoe and
userid/password, if cable you set it to 'automatically obtain').
3b) configure dhcp for upstairs router 1 to start at 192.168.1.100
for 50 address (192.168.1.100-150)
3c) configure wireless ssid for upstairs router 1 to 'mywireless'
or whatever with wpa2 encryption and password
3d) configure lan address of upstairs router 1 as 192.168.1.1
(nothing to change, just confirm the address. 192.168.1.1 is the
default for most routers these days)

4) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on upstairs router 1

5) connect a wired computer to lan port on downstairs router 2.
open internet browser and point it to 192.168.1.1 and log in with
username/password admin/admin or admin/password (for most routers)

6) using the connected computer, configure downstairs router 2 as
follows: 6a) wan settings are irrlevant in downstairs router 2 as
you will not use the wan port on downstairs router 2
6b) configure dhcp for downstairs router 2 by disabling dhcp.
6c) configure wireless ssid for downstairs router 2 to be identical
as upstairs router 1, namely ssid of 'mywireless' or whatever with
wpa2 encryption and password that is same as upstairs router 1
6d) configure lan address of downstairs router 2 as 192.168.1.2 (so
it has an address that is unique from the upstairs router 1 when
they are later connected together). after you apply this setting
you will not longer be connected to the router unless you pointing
your browser to the new address 192.168.1.2 and log in again, but
there is no need to do it.

7) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet cable to lan
port on downstairs router 2

8) restart the computer connected to downstairs router 2.

9) connect whatever wired computers to available lan ports on
upstairs or downstairs routers

10) connect whatever wireless computers to 'mywireless' network and
the device should select the strongest signel as you move that
device about the house.

you are done.



-you will (later) connect in wall (upstairs to downstairs) ethernet
cable to lan port on downstairs router 2 after you finish
configuring downstairs router 2.
-connect a computer directly to a lan port

Thanks, Christopher, for going into such detail, especially step
6d), which I hadn't even considered. I won't be able to attack
until this weekend, but will report back when set up.



I'm reporting back. It worked fine.

I chained two (nearly, it turns out, identical) wireless routers
together. Router 1 was connected to my cable modem and set as a DHCP
server, and router 2 was connected, lan to lan, to act as an access
point. No problems. Thanks.

Both routers were D-link Dl-524 wireless routers, but with different
firmware, and they had slightly different wireless setup
pages/settings. Both allowed for only WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA. Router
2 also allowed for Shared Key. Router 1, which has been in use for
years, has always been configured Open System, WEP, 64-bit
encryption, HEX Key, with a 10 numeric Key. If I tried to enable WPA
(there is no WPA2 option), the setup screen reverts to Radius Server
settings. So, I left it as is, and configured Router 2 the same.

I'm not sure if this is the best security I can have, other than
maybe using 128-bit encrytion, and maybe disabling the broadcasting
of the SSID, which is the same on both routers.

My next step is to add printer drivers (wired and wireless) to all
computers, and to share printers and files as needed. There are many
OSs, so this may be tougher.

Thanks again.

good to hear that it worked. i suspect that the model number is
di-524 (not dL-524). if that is correct then why not download the
latest firmware and apply it to each router? but note that there were
several versions that had the same model number including the original
with no revision number, then revision c, revision d, and revision e.
the revision is detailed on the bar code sticker next to 'h/w ver" rec
c and above offer wpa2 with a firmware update. anybody with a netbook
and the right software can get into range of your wep encrypted signal
and figure out the password in a half hour. not that it is likely,
but it is entirely possible. not broadcasting the ssid only gives a
false sense of security as it is actually still broadcasted.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=DI-524



It's been a while, and things are still working fine.

But, I was messing around, and discovered that when hooked up as above,
IE reports the 192.168.0.2 router (now an access point (AP) with DHCP
disabled) as DHCP enabled, and FFox reports it as DHCP disabled. Wonder
why.

Also, if I plug either my wireless laptop or wired desktop into a LAN
port of the 192.168.0.2 router (AP), with the AP still connected to the
first router, I can log into both the 192.168.0.1 router and the
192.168.0.2 AP, but as soon as I disconnect the AP from the router, I can
no longer log in the AP (or the router) from the laptop or desktop. I
was trying this because I wondered what if I wanted to take the AP over
to a friend's house, and reconfigure it. This has got me stumped.

I do have another wireless, and wired router, that I could turn into an
AP and see how they react. Could be the current AP is just somewhat
flakey.


when connected to the access point the workstation sees the access point
as the gateway with 192.168.0.2 and the workstation sees that this
access point issues ip address via dhcp - even though technically the
access point is not dhcp enabled, it effectively is from the perspective
of the workstation as the access point passes the dhcp request back to
the primary router/dhcp server.