My Netgear Wireless Access Point died Tue and I've been trying to MacGuiver a solution with a Linksys router borrowed from work before guests arrive.
While it's been a long while since I actually had to work with router configs (consumer or telco grade,) I still can't help but feel defeated when I can't set something up at home. Hoping someone here can help so I don't have to admit defeat to my co-workers. Of course, every wireless router is different so it's a shot in the dark as this is an unusual setup requirement and involves a particular model.
I also posted this on the Linksys sight. Here is the link for those totally bored enough to check on its responses.
Long, boring post Cut and pasted version is below.
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Hi folks,
First post is a question but I hope I can contribute in the future.
I realize what i really want is a Wireless Access Point but I was in a rush and none are available locally. My need is to provide wireless internet on my upper floor where the DSL connected router in the basement will not reach. Wireless is disabled on DSL Router1 and not required there. I have currently succeeded in this by connecting a second router (WRT110) via ethernet on my top floor and configuring it to provide a seperate subnet. It aquires an address on it's WAN port from Router1 via DHCP and feeds wireless divices on the new subnet with DHCP provided addresses of it's own. NAT is enabled.
--Works fine for accessing Internet.
However,
I need to run a Squeezebox (Ethernet or wireless) from Router2. It has to talk to it's server on Router1's subnet. It succesfully receives an address from R2 but will not connect to the server on the other subnet.
Short question is Can I make this Work and How?
Random thoughts.
Ideally, I wanted to have the WRT110 "existing on" and "providing wireless access to" the same subnet as Router1. I was told it could be done and it makes some sense if I connect them via LAN ports on both and address accordingly, disable NAT, etc... but I can't quiet figure it out. Even when I tell the WRT110 that I want to assign it a static IP from the first subnet, it asks for both a WAN and LAN address. If somebody can describe and how to configure it to simply exist on subnet #1, it would be most ideal.
Otherwise if keeping two routed subnets
I see a route in my routing table for the two subnets to talk but is NAT still occuring on the packets travelling through the WRT110, even when just trying to access the other local subnet? If so, that boggles my mind on the routing statement requirements.
I tried enabling port forwarding (totally demiliterized it) for the server's IP on Router2 but I'm now thinking I should have done it on R1 as thats where the server exists, but would that only aply to traffic out R1's WAN port? Is this even required at all?
Tried to ponder combinations of NAT off & static or enhanced routing but haven't devised a combination that makes sense or works.
If I ping the server from a laptop running from the second subnet, I get destination host unreachable vs. a time out. So it knows it's out there (kinda sorta) but can't talk at IP level? This only tells me that 'maybe' it's possible if I get it the routing set right.
I won't write every combo I tried, hoping that by now you see what I am trying to accomplish and can tell me the best way to do it or that it's not worth the effort.
P.S.
Yes, I have considered a cheap switch just ahead of R2 so that I could keep the Squeezebox on the old subnet where it's happy and also feed the WRT110 to let it happily route mywireless internet traffic.
I also considered returning the WRT110 and ordering a Wireless Access Point via the Internet but I need to provide service for some guests by tomorrow night. Hope someone here can help.
Thanks in advance.
