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.

Well, I'd definitely try to avoid using the WAN port, but beyond that, I'm not really sure how to proceed. Plug into the LAN port and set the address on that to the same network as your other network, perhaps? Then you can set a bogus address on the WAN port if it's desperate for it.

Murph, if I understand your application correctly, you basically want to extend your LAN with a wireless switch?

If that is so, all you have to do is connect everything on the LAN-side (do not touch the WWAN). Assign an unused static IP address so that you can always talk to the switch and turn off DHCP.

The Ethernet switch is independant from the router. If you disable DHCP, the clients will receive addresses and default gateway information from your primary router.

Agreed. Turn off DHCP on the 2nd switch. Let the first one assign the addresses. On some routers this mode is called bridge mode.

1) Turn of DHCP on the 2nd router.

2) Change local IP address of the 2nd router. I would say to 192.168.1.254 to make it easy. If you don't do this, after you turn off DHCP, you'll have no way of managing the router.

3) Change Wireless settings

Voila, done. Everything will be on the same, happy network. You can even turn on wireless downstairs. Just name one downstairs and one upstairs, it will work just fine.

Edit: You may need to unplug both routers and plug them back in for all the network changes to take place. Sometimes they will hold on to IP addresses and assign the same IP address based on a stored MAC address. In this case, you definitely don't want that. Unplugging both units for at least 30 seconds will do the trick. I would turn on Router 1 first, then Router 2.

And you guys aren't even getting paid for this!

Murph, I'll PM you my address. I demand beer.

I think you might have already lost your negotiating leverage, Dan

No, I don't think so. Dan hit it square on the head. Last night I had it set up as per all the above posts but could not get it to work. The key was refreshing the ARP tables by simply shutting off both routers. I had Router 2 off many times, of course, as I continually changed cables and configs but I never took the time to go turn off router one to force it into a refresh.

You know at one point I even considered it might be an ARP issue but after reading manuals on the Internet I figured they must auto-refresh somehow because there was no way to activate into a terminal prompt in order to type an arp clear command.

As I always do, I overcomplicated and forgot the simplest thing of all.

I am now typing this post via my laptop while listening to some Alice in Chains from my Squeezebox.

Thanks Dan! I don't think beer will make it past customs but every student who just finished exams around here comes to the Island to kick back. If you do the same, the beers on me.

I've done the same thing when I was in florida...we were living in a place temporarily where furnishings were supplied, including internet. In the current setup the really, really, really stupid D-link router would do things like kick me off wireless if I browsed google maps with Firefox, but not with Internet Explorer. Only way to fix it? restart the router. Idiotic. Drove me insane.

Anyways, the DSL modem actually was a router as well...had its own DHCP. I wanted to use both the D-link and the Linksys to let everyone else in the other unit be able to connect to the D-link, but have the linksys network be separate...and I ran into the same problem that Murph did when I did some of the setup. Forgot to turn everything on and off. Spent several hours at it too.

Feels good when a technology puzzle is...SOLVED!

BTW, this is how a REAL home network looks like, Murph!

What? No microwave relay points?
Slacker!

Not only "what it looks like" but "how it is documented".

I hesitate to write stuff down in that level of detail for two important reasons. First, and foremost, I'm a lazy bastard. Second, if I get hit by a bus or kicked to the curb, I don't want my wife's next husband to be able to make any sense of it.

There's an angle I never thought of Tom. This forum is useful every day.

Fred, what are you using for a squeezebox controller?