# Solved: Connect 2 routers together?



## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Sorry. Figured it out.


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## bassetman (Jun 7, 2001)

Care to share for others?


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Sure! Sorry I just got a walkthrough from a different site and wanted to try that first so that I wont bother you guys with something I could've found off the net.

Heres the walkthrough I found.

Connecting Two WRT54G Routers Together

Product Class: 
WRT54G

Operating System:
N/A

Q U E S T I O N

How do I setup a WRT54G behind another WRT54G?

A N S W E R

WRT54G (first) ----------> WRT54G (second)
During this article, the two routers will be referred to as the "first" router (the main router), and the "second" router (the router that you are connecting to the first). The information assumes that both routers are Linksys WRT54G routers both with default factory settings to start; however, if you are familiar with the steps, they can apply to other routers and other manufacturer routers as well. Please contact the appropriate manufacturer for assistance.

Note: Having a "Dual Router Network" can potentially cause unexpected problems during the troubleshooting process if you were to ever have a problem. Be sure to record and remember any settings that are changed during this setup process. Settings that are changed are summarized at the end of this article.

Configuring the "second" router

1. With the "second" router powered on, and nothing plugged into any of its network ports, hold in the Reset button on the unit for about 30 seconds.

2. Connect one computer (it does not matter which one) into one of the numbered ports on the back of the "second" router, then restart or turn on that computer.

3. Verify that you are getting a Link light that matches the port to which you plugged the computer into. For example, if the computer was plugged into port 2, then the Link light on the front of the router for the number 2 port should be lit.

4. When the computer finishes its start up, open a web browser.

5. In the "Address Bar" type http://192.168.1.1 and press the [Enter] key on your keyboard

6. A box should appear asking for a "User Name" and "Password". Leave the "User Name" field empty and type your WRT54G's password into the "Password" field (The default "Password" is admin) and click the OK button.

7. The router "Setup" page should load.

8. You need to change two options on this page.

Local IP Address: change to 192.168.1.2

DHCP Server: set to Disable

9. Click on the Save Settings button toward the bottom of the page to save changes, and then close your web browser.

Physically connecting the two routers

10. Unplug the power to both "first" and "second" routers.

11. Take a straight-through network Ethernet patch cable and connect it to a free numbered port of the "first" router (1, 2, 3, or 4), and plug the other end of the cable into port 4 of the "second" router.

12. Plug the power cord first the "first" router, and then the "second" router.

13. At this point, the two routers are now connected and on the same network. Ports 1, 2, and 3 on the "second" router along with the remaining open ports on the "first" router are now available for other devices to plug into. You also have another wireless access point on the "second" router. Be sure to change the wireless SSID and channel on the "second" router so that they do not conflict with the "first" router.

To recap the settings of both routers:

"First" router: (default factory settings)
Local IP address: 192.168.1.1

DHCP Server: Enable

"Second" router
Local IP address: 192.168.1.2

DHCP Server: Disable

The "second" router can now be easily referred to as a Wireless 3-port switch.

If any of the steps do not work, or if you are having other difficulties, please contact Linksys Technical Support for further assistance.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

What I like about this the most is that I can use the second router as an access point. So I can have signal strength throughout the house. Im going to try this as soon as I get home tonight and let you guys know how it worked out.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Just remember that the steps assume that the primary (first) router has LAN IP 192.168.1.1 and that 192.168.1.2 is NOT in its DHCP address range. You may have to make adjustments depending on your router.

If you want a concise version, do an Advanced Search in this forum for "connect two SOHO" and you will find JohnWill's oft-posted, oft-used instructions.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Oh good. If these instructions dont work Ill definitely do that.
Thanks!


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ok a little help here guys. 

I tried getting this to work and it didnt work. When I try connecting both routers together via ethernet cable, port 3 which is the port i used to connect the 2 routers, does not light up.
I am connecting from port 3 in the new router to port "Uplink" in the old router. (i also tried port 4 in the old router and get the same results)

Here are some of my configs

Router 1
ip 192.168.1.1
DHCP: Enabled

Router 2
ip 192.168.1.254
DHCP: Disabled
(i have tried 192.168.1.2 as well and get the same results)

Any help would be appreciated.
Are there anything else I shuold make sure is checked off on either one of the routers? anything like that?

PS. I also looked at JohnWill's "connect two SOHO" but that didnt help me either.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Are you using a known good cable? Patch or cross-over cable?

Is "old router" same as " Router 2"?

Have you tried a different port in "new router"?


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

TerryNet said:


> Are you using a known good cable? Patch or cross-over cable?


Yes i am using a long cable RJ45-RJ45 not sure if its patch or cross-over. I do know the cable works though because I use it to connect to this pc from the new router. I can tell you is that the cable that I have from the old router to PC #2 which is in port 1 in the old router is a patch cable. (I just bought it and didnt realize there was a difference)



TerryNet said:


> Is "old router" same as " Router 2"?


Yes from now on new router is router 1 and old router router 2.



TerryNet said:


> Have you tried a different port in "new router"?


Yes I have tried different ports in "new router" and get the same results in each. However if I try to put the cable in the old router in port 2 or 3 I get the 100, Full/Col, and Link/Act buttons flashing on and off.

Now with the first setup, sometimes I receive a limited or no connectivity error. and when trying to repair it cant renew the ip address.
Maybe im getting a little closer now? One more thing, I also noticed that when I disable the DHCP in the old router i can no longer go back in to the http://192.168.... window. Is this suppose to happen?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Connecting two SOHO broadband routers together.

Configure the IP address of the secondary router to be in the same subnet as the primary router, but out of the range of the DHCP server in the primary router. For instance DHCP server addresses 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.100, I'd assign the secondary router 192.168.0.254 as it's IP address.

Disable the DHCP server in the secondary router.

Setup the wireless section just the way you would if it was the primary router.

Connect from the primary router's LAN port to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. If there is no uplink port and neither of the routers have auto-sensing ports, use a cross-over cable. Leave the WAN port unconnected!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

The key to getting this to work is the wiring. The uplink port should basically create a crossover cable out of a standard cable for you thus negating one of the available ports. Don't confuse the internet port with an uplink port. You can buy or make a crossover cable as well. if you want to make one for a 100mb network, you only need a cat5 cable with two pairs. it would be something like this:

One side of the cable would be (pin1 blue, pin2 blue/white, pin3 orange, pin6 orange/white)
You would use that same configuration on the other end for a normal cable but for the cross over, switch the pairs on the other end like this:
(pin1 orange, pin2 orange/white, pin3 blue, pin6 blue/white)


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

I tried that and connected the primary router to the uplink port in the secondary router and run a patch cable from 2nd PC to port 1 in the secondary router and get no connection.

I do received a limited or no connectivity error.

These are my configs

Primary Router
IP 192.168.2.1
DHCP Enabled

Secondary Router
IP 192.168.2.2
DHCP Disabled

Also, once I wire it together I cant log in to the 192.168.2.2... interface from the 2nd computer.

I hope im not confusing you guys. The second computer is connected to router 2 via ethernet cable as well.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

what brand/models of routers are you using?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

What is the range of the DHCP pool in the primary router? If 192.168.2.1 is in the DHCP pool range, you need to move the second router or change the DHCP pool starting address.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Apparently you are using a patch or regular cable to connect the routers, so you have to use the uplink port on router 2. On some routers, I understand, when you use the uplink port you cannot use one of the other ports for anything. Have you checked the User Guide to make sure that, if this is the case with yours, you are not trying to use that other port.

And, as rolandk10 already stated, the uplink port is NOT the WAN/Internet/Modem port.

Oh, and after you disable Dhcp on router 2, a computer connected to it will not get assigned an IP configuration if the router 1 to router 2 connection is not working. Also, a computer connected to router 1 will, of course, not be able to communicate with router 2 until the link is working.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Not sure how to look at the range. I think is this.

This is from the primary router.

DHCP Server: Enabled
Starting IP Address: 192.168.2.100
Maximum Number of DHCP Users: 50

Is that right? If this is the range do i still need to change the secondary router ip address?


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Also under security I have checked Block Anonymous Internet Requests, Filter Mulitcast, ands Filter IDENT(Port 113). Not sure if any of these should be clear? They are checked in the primary router.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

You have a typo (I hope it's a typo!) in one of your posts, so I'm not sure what the 3rd number in the router 1 LAN IP is. I'll use n. Router 1 has LAN 192.168.n.1, and a Dhcp address range, or pool, of 192.168.n.100 through 192.168.n.149.

So, for router 2 you can use anything 192.168.n.2 through 192.168.n.99 and 192.168.n.150 through 192.168.n.254.

I suggest you don't make "security" settings that you don't understand until you get this outfit working.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

the error you get that states limited connectivity means that the pc has a link to something (in this case the second router) but none of the dns or gateway or ip information cna be found. Basically, the operatring system assigns a default temporary system ip for you. From this, I would diagnose that you have no connection to your dhcp.

I was inquiring about the model of the routers so I could look them up and verify that the uplink port you mentioned was a true uplink. If it isn't, you will have to change the cable to a x-pin.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

no not a typo... I used that netcheck to configure the primary router and thats the ip address it gave me. And the security settings im not going to mess with them. These were checked by default jsut making sure they're not conflicting with anything.



TerryNet said:


> Apparently you are using a patch or regular cable to connect the routers, so you have to use the uplink port on router 2. On some routers, I understand, when you use the uplink port you cannot use one of the other ports for anything. Have you checked the User Guide to make sure that, if this is the case with yours, you are not trying to use that other port.


The only thing I found in the user manual regarding this is that Port 4 might not work if Im using uplink. So that shouldnt be a problem since PC#2 is connected to port 1 in the secondary router.

no not a typo... I used that netcheck to configure the primary router and thats the ip address it gave me. And the security settings im not going to mess with them. These were checked by default jsut making sure they're not conflicting with anything.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

rolandk10 said:


> the error you get that states limited connectivity means that the pc has a link to something (in this case the second router) but none of the dns or gateway information cna be found. From this, I would diagnose that you have no connection to your dhcp.
> 
> I was inquiring about the model of the routers so I could look them up and verify that the uplink port you mentioned was a true uplink. If it isn't, you will have to change the cable to a x-pin.


The Primary Router is a WRT54G and the Secondary router is also a linksys BEW11S4 ver3.2. The secondary router does have a true uplink as i can see that it says uplink in the port.  you can also goto linksys.com and download the user guide for these models and it tells you that it has a uplink port. (The BEW11S4 does)

And it makes sense that I would get this error from PC#2 since I have disabled DHCP in my secondary router. I know im being redundant but so that theres no confusion PC#2 is connected to my secondary router via ethernet cable to port 1.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

My mistake on the "typo" accusation; I was looking at your post #7 and had not noticed that you had changed things in post #12.

I'm about ready to claim that the uplink port on router 2 is not working. But first, check that cable one more time between router 1 and a computer just to make sure that it is STILL working, please.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

So in router one, you plug into the uplink port, and in router two you plug into port 3. Do you see a link light on either router when you do this? If not, I don't think any amount of configuring of the routers is going to get you anywhere. I looked at the manual to see if there was a soft switch for the uplink port but it appears automatic. We need to get the routers linked first. Just for giggles, did you try a different cable? Perhaps the one that came with the router. Even if you have to move it to the other room for testing purposes.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

The WRT54G has auto-sensing ports. So any CAT5 cable should work between these two routers. Doesn't matter whether you use the uplink port or not. There is something wrong with your cable, I think.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

TerryNet said:


> My mistake on the "typo" accusation; I was looking at your post #7 and had not noticed that you had changed things in post #12.
> 
> I'm about ready to claim that the uplink port on router 2 is not working. But first, check that cable one more time between router 1 and a computer just to make sure that it is STILL working, please.


I am positive the cable works since this is the cable im using right now. Right now i have this cable connected from my primary router to my PC#2. From time to time I switch it up to come online and check the posts then I disconnect the cable redo everything again and put it back in to my secondary router. So The problem here is definitely connecting the routers together. Every time i do so i receive the limited connectivity thingy.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

According to the manual for the wrt54g, you have to change the setting under the Setup tab->advanced routing to router if there is another router on the network.

Still reading through it but this is the first thing I came accross.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Keep reading, rolandk10! This is baffling.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

okay, that was the only thing I found that seemed relavant but it makes sense. When you were hooked up to the point you got the limited conectivity message, you should be able to log onto the second router but not the first. try setting the second router the way described in #26 above and see if that allows the router to receive it's info from the dhcp.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

rolandk10 said:


> According to the manual for the wrt54g, you have to change the setting under the Setup tab->advanced routing to router if there is another router on the network.
> 
> Still reading through it but this is the first thing I came accross.


As soon as I set the advanced routing to router I lost connection with my primary router.
So i changed it back to gateway. Let me go try to change the secondary router's settings see if this might do anything.

Again, thanks alot for all your help guys. I hope I can get this sorted out tonight!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

I Re-read back a little. You said that if you plug into port 2 or 3 on the first router, you get a link. This is most likely due to the autosensing ports that TerryNet referred to. If you get a link in this configuration, I would start there. TAt that point you should be able to access both your routers via their specific IP from any pc. then configure from there.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

I see it like this,

Router 1
dhcp enable
192.168.2.1
cable in port 2 ->router 2

Router 2
Port 1->cable in from router 1
dhcp disabled
192.168.2.2
routing set to router (according to manual this has to be set for dynamic routing. Even if dhcp is off, it's still a router. Is there a setting in the list by any chance that says none? if so, try that setting)

The few times I've set this up, I turn off routing finctions on the second router so it just turned the router into an access point


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

rolandk10 said:


> I Re-read back a little. You said that if you plug into port 2 or 3 on the first router, you get a link. This is most likely due to the autosensing ports that TerryNet referred to. If you get a link in this configuration, I would start there. TAt that point you should be able to access both your routers via their specific IP from any pc. then configure from there.


Well what i get is it flashes on and off continuosly. Like hazard lights on a car 
Its suppose to stay lid with the occasional flash so im not sure if this can work. but ill try regardless.



rolandk10 said:


> I see it like this,
> 
> Router 1
> dhcp enable
> ...


thats almost how i have except i have in Router 2 Port Uplink -> cable in from router 1. and with routing set to router it made no difference. I will check with dynamic routing now.

One more thing that has happened the last few times i've unplugged. When I take the cable from from router 2 to plug it straight to PC#2 so I can check these posts, I am also getting the limited connectivity and its not letting me connect so I have to set up manually. Since its working this way, what if i try setting it up manually when I have router 2 connected?

Im not sure what the default gateway or the dns should be.

Router 2 
192.168.2.2

Ill get back to you guys let me go try the other suggestions.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

With the routers connected, from a PC connected to router 1 do a ping 192.168.2.2.

If replies, we know that the routers are successfully connected.

I'll be back tomorrow. Don't forget to get some sleep if you're working tomorrow!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

I too need to sign off for tonight but will be back tomorrow.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

TerryNet said:


> With the routers connected, from a PC connected to router 1 do a ping 192.168.2.2.
> 
> If replies, we know that the routers are successfully connected.


Well I tried that and from PC#1 which is directly connected to the primary router i pinged 192.168.2.2 and got a request timed out. So the issue is definitely getting the routers to connect. Tomorrow I will do more testings and maybe get the routers next to each other so I can play with them better and reset/restart them as needed.



TerryNet said:


> I'll be back tomorrow. Don't forget to get some sleep if you're working tomorrow!


Yeah your right.  
Lets continue this tomorrow. I hope we can get it to work tomorrow.

Rolandk10 good night to you. I still havent tried with the latest settings you said so first thing tomorrow after work Ill try this. We still have hope!

Night all!


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

I couldn't help but pass up this thread on connecting two routers together on a home network since I too once forced myself to go through that very dilemma. Some background and on then to the explaination!
This happened just because I didn't want the hassle of running long cables for my laptop when I went to a friend's house. So armed with my laptop, my own wired/wireless router and an ounce of determination I went at it for a few hours. I can't retell my delight enough when I finally connected my router to his and successfully surfed the net from my laptop wirelessly! Happily enough the method I used came up later in my Cisco class a few days later. So enough of that tale I will try to retell how I succeeded as best I can despite the two year time-lapse.

My laptop ran windows XP Home edition, my friend had a wired only linksys router which was common back in 2004 and a little earlier. My router was a Blitzz wired/wireless Super 108 G. What I had to keep in mind was that between devices like routers there exists a separate subnet, there is no denying it you will be dealing with at least two of them! One will exist between your routers (and any computers will be on that which are directly connected to existing router (1)). The second will exist on the other side of the wired/wireless (2 in your case) router, where you connect most of your computers. The physical layout was as follows, router 1 was plugged into the cable modem through the wan port and my friend's computer was connected wired into port 1 of that router. I then used a *crossover* cable between my router and his router. This is because the routers are same layer devices and in most cases this will be needed. My laptop was wirelessly connected to my router. The details here get a little fuzzy but I will try my best to remember. My router had an external address via WAN port (although I'm not sure if this was set by me or by the other router's DHCP, either is possible if mine was set to accept one). Its address was on the 192.168.1.0 network. My laptop was configured to accept an address via DHCP from my router on the 192.168.2.0 network. Now the next part is *very* important. What was needed now was a way to communicate between the networks. This can be done by routing protocols (complex at times) or static routes (configured by an administrator (you!)). These are much simpler but can be tedious for larger networks with many networks and subnets. I used a static route on my router to forward all traffic headed for the ISP's address to go to 192.168.1.1 (router 1). I had no need to really communicate with his computer but I'm sure a static route could have been made to forward all data destined for the 192.168.1.0 network to go to 192.168.1.1 (router 1). This is half of the communication they need a way to get back, although I don't remember doing this my hind sight says that router 1 will need a static route to access network 192.168.2.0 by forwarding traffic to 192.168.1.2 (or whatever router 2's IP address is on the 192.168.1.0 network). I may also have statically set my laptop's gateway to that of the ISP, I don't remember. Appologies for the lengthy post, hope all this helps!


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

Suggested setup in a snap:

Router1 connected to ISP via WAN port as it has always been
enable DHCP (suggest disabled on the IP address that you expect router 2 to use)
static route to 192.168.2.0 via router 2's IP address

Connect Router 1 to Router 2 with a crossover cable (straight-thru if it doesn't work) from a number port on router 1 to a WAN port on router 2.

Router 2 static IP for the WAN side on the 192.168.1.0 network
DHCP enabled for 192.168.2.0 network
Static route to ISP address via router 1
Static route to 192.168.1.0 via router 1
*OR*
If a default route option is available use that with the destination as router 1 to skip the two previous static routes

Connect your computers to the appropriate routers using DHCP to aquire all needed setup info.

If this doesn't work let us know what happened so we can get closer to the solution


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Thank you guys. I am at work now but will let you know as soon as I get home.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Usually you can daisy chain routers per Torquin's post, but you don't really want to do that. You can get internet access that way, but you don't get full file sharing among all computers.

I think that it's important you do Rolandk10's suggestion to connect the two routers with your newly bought ethernet cable. My prediction is that the LEDs will act nice, and you will be able to ping router 2 from PC#1. If you can't get a connection with this cable, maybe it's time to trash router 2. If you do get a connection, buy a new cable of whatever length you need.

You'll be able to disprove my current theory easily, but here it is.

Theory:
Your long cable is Cat 4 (max. 16Mbps) or old Cat 5 that has degraded to where it no longer supports 100Mbps. When you connect the two routers, both of which have 10/100 ports, they quickly decide they can play at 100Mbps but the cable can not support this. I don't know if the flashing LEDs indicate confusion or swearing.

Why does PC#2 work with the cable, you are no doubt asking. The other part of my theory is that PC#2 has a 10Mbps ethernet adapter, or it is software set to 10. Look in Device Manager for the exact name of the adapter (or controller). If it has '100' or 'gig' in the name, it's not 10Mbps only. You may have to search the web to try to find specs. Also, right click on the adapter, select Properties. If there is an Advanced tab, see if the speed is set to 10 Mb full duplex or 10 Mb half duplex.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Here is the setup I currently have and my reasoning for wanting the second router. Maybe by explaining myself better I can get a different way of doing this.

PC#1 is in one room and is connected to primary router.
from the primary router I have one cable about 50 ft long which i use to connect to PC#2.

PC#2 is in another room and is connected to the primary router as well in port 2 by the 50ft long cable. 

I also have 2 laptops which connect wireless to PC#1.

What I want to do is put my secondary router next to PC#2 so that I can use it as another access point for my wireless laptops so that when Im in that part of the house. 

I was using the 50ft cable (which i know it works since thats how i normally connect to PC#2) to connect the two routers together. I also bought a 7" patch cable to connect from the secondary router to PC#2. 

So this is where Im stuck. I only need my secondary router to function as an access point for my laptops and to connect it to PC#2 since im using the cable which connected primary router to PC#2. (the 50ft cable)

Also, i know my secondary router works ok because this is the router i was using a couple of days ago before i bought the new one.

My primary router is
WRT54G
192.168.2.1
DHCP enabled

My Secondary router is
BEFWS114 ver 3.2
192.168.2.2
DHCP Disabled

Ok. Sorry for the long post but just making sure everyone is sure of what Im trying to accomplish. Maybe there is an easier to way to set this up?
Thanks.

PS and once again, im still at work so I wont be able to try anything until I get home


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Good summary! You have set it up properly for what you want to accomplish. For some reason that 50' cable is not doing the job. Please see my post #39. It will take you mere minutes to test connecting the two routers with the new cable. If that test (good idea, Rolandk10!) doesn't give us the answer, it'll at least give some good information


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ok. As soon as I get home i will bring the routers together and connect them together with the 7" patch cable that i just bought last night. Ill let you know what happens...
Thanks


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

Granted its a bit unusual a setup, I believe the additional static routes between router 1 and 2 will clear up any issues with file-sharing. The routes serve as street signs telling the data where to go when it is headed for another network/subnet.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yeah I guess it is but I didnt know any other way to do it.  
I still havent tried the way you said. I will try that as well with the static ip to see how that works out.

Ill be home around 5:30 pm so I'll let you guys know what happens then.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Torquin said:


> Granted its a bit unusual a setup, I believe the additional static routes between router 1 and 2 will clear up any issues with file-sharing. The routes serve as street signs telling the data where to go when it is headed for another network/subnet.


But why would you go to all that trouble?


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Well we've been going to alot of trouble as it is... lol.

I cant get this to work! Well finally ill be home in 30 minutes!!! Ill try all the solutions we talked about today and get back to you guys.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ok so I just got home and connected both routers together with the new cable. I got the same results. If I connect the cable to port 1 in the secondary router. I get all the lights lid up in the secondary router. (I also get this if I use the 50 ft cable which I forgot to mention  .) Maybe this is the port i should be using??? If i connect it to port 2 in the secondary router I get the lights flashing on and off again just like with the long cable. And in the 3, 4, and Uplink ports i get no lights lid up.

Now the problem, I think, is that by connecting the cable to port 1 in the secondary router, although I get all the lights lid up, when I connect the other cable to go straight to PC#2, it doesnt light up in any of the remaining ports.

hmm...so what now?


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

JohnWill said:


> But why would you go to all that trouble?


Because I like to accomplish what all others would shudder to do 

If you were dealing with a cisco router (and linksys is a division of cisco so you may be here as well) you would have a separate subnet between the routers since they are layer 3 (network layer) devices. Much like a bridge/switch separates collision domains so too does a router with broadcast domains (subnets). This is also likely the reason most of those cables aren't working. If you can get your hands on a crossover cable I would highly suggest using it between the routers. It can't be that complicated however, keep in mind I figured it out in only 2 hours or so of mucking around w/ the configs. Now with a bit of instruction behind me that still seems like the best method. Otherwise you have to try to make one of the routers act like a layer 1 or 2 device ie: accesspoint which is really isn't. In any case that is my opinion, I'll still be just as happy if you succeed through some other method.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ok..before I go ahead with different solutions i think im on to something.

I have connected the cables again and reset everything and re did the configs. This time I plugged the cable from the primary router to port 1 (NOT WAN) in the secondary cable. Now, from the primary computer I am getting replies when i ping 192.168.2.2 (which is the second router)
So I think they are connected right. However, I cant see the signal in the laptop. I chnaged the channel and changed the SSID but i cant seem to see the secondary router.

Any suggestions?


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

You may need to statically assign your laptop an IP address if you aren't enabling the wireless DHCP from the secondary router. Other than that make sure all the settings such as channel and security are consistant between the two.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Well I enabled DHCP on the secondary router so that I wont have to statically assign it and I still cant see it. I still have connections between both routers and i can go into each interface from the primary computer so I think everything else is ok.

Any other suggestions? 
Primary router 
SSID: Nick1
SSID Broadcast: Enable
Channel: 1

Secondary Router
SSID: Nick 2
SSID Broadcast: Enable
Channel: 11


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

Have you been able to see that router before using that laptop? Also do any other networks show up when you search for wireless networks (ie: router 1)? I'm not sure how your setup is now (physically) but you will most likely benefit from having the routers and 2 computers in the same room so you can test things better. Once they are working you need only move them back but retain the settings.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yeah thats how i have them now. I am able to see the primary router when i search for wireless routers. i was able to see the secondary router prior to using it as a secondary router. Right now, i have everything in one room and i see all the lights lid up and everything. Not sure what the problem is now.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

The last time I did this was about two months ago. Both routers were linksys, although I don't know the models off hand. One was non-wireless which was located in the equipment room and fed all the rooms which were home run with hard wires back to there. 

The second one was a wireless in a central location. I plugged it into the wall jack that fed back to the main router. I used cross pin but since you seem to have your cabling down, don't worry about that part.

As for the settings. I left the first router the way it was with dhcp enabled. On the second one, I shut off all the routing functions. I can't remember if there was a setting that said none. Also, no dhcp. Since the wireless router is just acting as an access point now, any pc connected to the wireless, was assigned an ip by the first router.

I did set a new ssid and wpa security key for accessing the AP. 

For your setup, the first thing that comes to mind is to make sure your wireless setting is dual (set to accept 802.11b and g). Although I think you should still be able to see a g network from a b card just not access it, I may be wrong and you may have a b card in the laptop. Of course this is your equipment so you may know off hand whether it's b or g.

Ya know, I live like right across the ally. If you can't get this to work, I'm going to come and have a talk with your network!!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

Nick8539 said:


> i was able to see the secondary router prior to using it as a secondary router.


You said you reset everything. The default for that router probably sets it to G only. Check that b/g setting.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

"Now, from the primary computer I am getting replies when i ping 192.168.2.2 (which is the second router)"

OK, sounds like you've got them connected. Good! With Dhcp enabled in both routers, you will get some random results, but it won't stop connections from happening.

You still can't connect PC#2 to router 2's LAN port 2, 3 or 4?

"i cant seem to see the secondary router."

You 'view' or 'scan' for available networks and see Nick1 but not Nick 2? That sounds like router 2's wireless signal is not enabled. Double check.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Nope my primary router is still set to Mixed.

However, on my secondary router (BEFW11S4 ver 3.2) I cant see where to choose from g or mixed.... Cant find it.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

I GIVE UP!!!! 

STUPID STUPID COMPUTERS


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Wow Im frustrated. Ok i dont give up....



> "i cant seem to see the secondary router."
> 
> You 'view' or 'scan' for available networks and see Nick1 but
> not Nick 2? That sounds like router 2's wireless signal is not
> enabled. Double check.


Thats right, I see Nick1 just fine and can connect and everything. I cant see router 2 and i still cant plug secondary router to PC#2 via cable. That doesnt seem to work either but for now all i care about is getting the access point. So i am getting connections from both now i dont knwo what else to do...


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

Okay, I think I found why you can't see the wireless. (maybe, hehe). I was thinking it was set to g only but after looking in the manual agai, the specs say that it is 802.11b only. If your nic is a g, this may be why you can't see it.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

although the primary router is compatible with b thechnology, you may want to think about getting a g routher for the access point.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

And DUH! I don't know why I didn't think of this before, try setting the wireless CARD to mixed mode.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Most, if not all, 'g' adapters can see and connect to 'b' networks. And these laptops until recently were connecting to router 2's wireless, right?

Make sure the wireless is enabled. Does router 2 have a WLAN LED to indicate the wireless is on.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

I dont think thats the issue because its the same card i use to use to log in to this router. It worked before fine. I am also trying to connect with a NDS lite and through wifi and cant see it either. I can see Nick1 though.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yes these laptops were connecting to router 2 before with no problems. also, the lights lid up in router 2 are Power, WLAN Link, and then from port 1 100, Full/Col, and Link/Act. thats it


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

You're right terry. I was kinda thinking out loud I suppose. 

Just to verify, the ssid broadcast is set to enable right?


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

yes on both routers.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

This is copied from your manual:

Channel: Select the appropriate channel for your network from the list provided.
All wireless points in your network must use the same channel in
order to function properly.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

This too which I find a little surprising:

SSID: The SSID is a unique name for your wireless network. It is case sensitive
and must not exceed 32 characters. The default SSID is "linksys " but
you should change this to a personal wireless network name. *All wireless
points in your network must use the same SSID.*


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

Thinking about this, I think they are refering to all wireless points that are trying to connect to the acces point. It doesn't make sense that all access points would be the same name. so dis reguard that part


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Nope...tried setting it to the same channel and still didnt work.

Oh ok...disregarded, changed it back


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

"All wireless points in your network must use the same channel in
order to function properly."

I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply here. In fact, with same channel they'd be interfering with each other, especially with one 'g' and one 'b.'

Even if the manual is correct, the laptops should be at least detecting the signal.

I know I've been bouncing back and forth between blaming the cable and the router, but now that you've crushed my cable theory, I gotta admit I think you got a new router just in time.

Maybe time to take a step back. Reset router 2 to factory default settings. Then w/o touching a thing, or physically connecting anything but the power cord, you should be able to detect its default SSID on its default channel, right? If not, take the router and a hammer outside and vent your frustrations!

If you detect its default signal, then disable the Dhcp server, set the LAN IP address, and connect the two routers again. If still good, then configure the wireless as desired.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

this may be useful though. After configuring the wireless on the second router:

6. If you haven&#8217;t already done so, click the Apply button to save the settings.
7. Reset the power on your cable or DSL modem and restart your computers.
They will now obtain the Router's new settings.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

I know what you mean terry, at this point I am just reading the manual see if there is anything simple that may have been missed. I hate letting technology beat me! I must win! LOL


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

Reading this now...may be helpful

http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin...3V0ZXIgYXMgYWNjZXNzIHBvaW50&p_li=&p_topview=1


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Hmmm...that just reminded me. When im looking at available networks i also see a "linksys" name along with nick1. But i dont think this is my router since i get no signal strength when i try to connect to it. However, the default SSID for my secondary router is "linksys" as well. So im gonna try to put it back to default like you said and just change the lan ip and see if maybe it is the same one. Wish me luck!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

From linksys:

If The WLAN Monitor does not see your SSID

If nothing shows up, please try power cycling your Wireless Access Point or Wireless Router.
if power cycling does not help, try changing the channel on your Wireless Access Point or Wireless Router. You can find information on changing the channel on your Wireless Access Point or Wireless Routers documentation


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

You can also unplug the power from the second router and refresh the network list and then power it back up and refresh. If it pops in and out with the power cycling, it is the one


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ok I tried doing the power cycle and nada. I also reset the configurations and re did it again this time putting router 2 with ip 192.168.2.254 which i got from the site from post 74 or 75.

Same thing. I left the default ssid and channel and the linksys router that i see is not mine. I hate this...!


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

change the ssid to Nick2 and the channel to 11. be sure to hit apply to save changes. 

under the status tab of the second wireless routers web utility, what are the lan and wan ip adresses listed?


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Unless the default for that router is to have the wireless disabled (highly unlikely), you have a dead router.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

ok ok ok....guys Im just going to go buy a new WRT54G router. Im not messing with this thing no more. If it still doesnt work with the new router I can always return it.  
You guys have been amazing! Thank you all for all the help...
I'll buy the new router on wednesday or thursday and I'll post back with the results.
If you guys have any other ideas I will gladly try them but if you dont its ok. 

Again, thanks all!


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

You'll get it all set up in about 10 minutes maximum.  Good luck and good night.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

The only thing I have left is where did we end up with the dynamic routing after you reset? Did you try switching it to router again?

If that doesn't work, I'm at a loss.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

yep i tried that as well. I noticed though that as soon as I would set the secondary router to routing I wouldnt be able to go back to the interface. (192.168.2.254)
Still didnt work though. 
But oh well, Great learning experience! lol. Im pretty sure with the new one I'll set it up pretty quick just like terry said. Ill post it here once thats done.

Thanks for the help, and goodnite!


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

UPDATE!!!

I got it working! lol. Interesting, all I did was change the routers around and it worked. Have no idea why but it did. Good thing I didnt buy that new router. 

Anyways, thanks all for the help!


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

"all I did was change the routers around and it worked"

What????? After not being able to connect to ports 2, 3 or 4! After not being able to "see" the wireless signal!

Makes zero sense to me (not that there is a law that says it has to make sense) unless the old router was unplugged and resting for awhile and now is going to work for an indeterminate period. Hope it holds up for you!

Are you really sure you didn't do something else--like threaten violence or torture to the router?


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## Torquin (Aug 27, 2003)

TerryNet said:


> Are you really sure you didn't do something else--like threaten violence or torture to the router?


I've heard that's really effective these days, a friend of mine had a problem with a computer that would never go away, so he threw it out of a 2nd story window and he never had the problem again! Oddly the computer survived the incident too!


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

LOL!!! Nope I didnt do anything else.

I went home yesterday and I said to myself, before I buy the new router let me make sure that this router is dead. So I uninstalled my new router and used the old router as my primary. To my surprise, the router worked just fine and I was even able to see the access point for it and connected to it through my laptop. So since that worked fine, I went ahead and plugged the 50ft cable from this router (port 2) to my now secondary router (port 1). Changed the SSID and channel and I left DHCP enabled. That worked fine as well! I was able to see Nick1 and Nick2. I was even able to connect PC#2 to Port2 in my secondary router and that worked too. lol.

So yeah, lets just wait and see how long its gonna work!


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

If you have DHCP enabled on both routers, it's only a matter of time before it bites you in the butt.


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## Nick8539 (Jul 12, 2006)

The thing is if I disable it in my second router I cant connect my nintendo ds lite to it. It says access point connected but cant connect to server. Any suggestions?

And I LOVE MY MARIO! 

edit: And also if I disable it when I try to connect PC#2 to the second router it doesnt work. If I disable what Ip address should they have?
Primary router
192.168.2.1
Secondary router
192.168.2.2


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Please check my summary for correctness:
Primary router is the old one; Dhcp server is enabled;
Secondary router is the new one;
Routers connected LAN port to LAN port; WAN port of secondary router unused.
PC#1 connected to primary router;
PC#2 connected to secondary router.
-------------------------------------------------------
If above is correct, please post an ipconfig /all for PC#1 and PC#2 with Secondary router's Dhcp enabled.

And ipconfig /all for PC#2 with Secondary router's Dhcp disabled.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

The reason they devices don't work is because the dhcp from the first server isn't getting throuhg the second one to the hardware connected to it. the dynamic routing feature on that router should allow router two to share the IP table from router 1. If you set it to router that is. I guess in this configureation you can leave the second one on dhcp but it will check the first one's table before assigning an ip to make sure there are no conflicts.

I'm not 100% about that feature but it sounds to me like that's how it's supposed to work.

Anyways, if the way you have it set is working all around, you could just leave it that way and just be aware that if you run into an IP conflict, you know where the problem is.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

rolandk10 said:


> The reason they devices don't work is because the dhcp from the first server isn't getting throuhg the second one to the hardware connected to it.


Nope, this is not an issue. Since he's connecting only to the LAN side of the router, all it really acts like is a switch, and optionally it has wireless capability.

I've connected a number of folks this way, including my own setup here. Trust me, it works just fine.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> Nope, this is not an issue. Since he's connecting only to the LAN side of the router, all it really acts like is a switch, and optionally it has wireless capability.
> 
> I've connected a number of folks this way, including my own setup here. Trust me, it works just fine.


I was refering to his comment that when he turns off the dhcp on the second router, the devices that are attached to it can't see the server. I am assuming that the main dhcp isn't passing ip's through to devices hooked to the second router.

And even if the second router at that point is acting as a switch, the pc's still need an IP. if they are set for dynamic, where are they getting their ip's from?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The DHCP requests will transparently pass through the switch section of the second router, this is not an issue.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

"The DHCP requests will transparently pass through the switch section of the second router, this is not an issue."

Unless Nick8539 accidentally connected the primary router to the secondary router's WAN port. All Nick's current symptoms are consistent with this mistake having been made. Please double check your connections, Nick8539.


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## rolandk10 (Oct 17, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> The DHCP requests will transparently pass through the switch section of the second router, this is not an issue.


I know that's how it's supposed to work but it appears that it's not. A listing of ip's with dhcp of router 2 on and off would be helpful.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I think something else is going on here. Terry is probably on to the issue, it may be a simple wiring mistake.


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## MBrys330 (Mar 8, 2008)

Router 1
ip 192.168.1.1
DHCP: Enabled

Do not plug both routers in and try to configure it that way
keep the main router as it and plug the straight cable into port 2

Router 2 do not plug the straight through cable to (intenet or wam)
plug a different cord into router port 1 and into the computer and turn on the router 

change the ip address and click save 
Disabled DHCP on the secound router 

straight through cable from one router to the other router


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