cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Botched up a home network and it's working!

PeterLoftus
Pro
Posts: 2,599
Thanks: 182
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎27-05-2011

Botched up a home network and it's working!

hi guys!
everything is working but not optimally hope you can give me some tips.
I received my brand spanking new TG585 v 8 and followed the guidance so am online no problems.
Di (my wife) however doesnt want ugly cables and techno boxes with flashing lights in the hallway so it is consigned to the third floor where we have quiet a reasonable office set-up. I have a desktop running XP with two HP inkjet printers one USB cable and the other Wifi (all working).
The problem is the signal strength from the Thompson. In the family we have three laptops, an IPod touch and a Kindle which wouldn't work in the ground and middle floors. So I had this D Link DI-624 router lying around. I connected this to the Thompson via ethernet cable, located it on the middle floor and now i have two access points!. And we can use laptops etc on the lounge and bedrooms.
But I cant call it a home network both routers are jus looking at the internet as far as they are concerned and dont give me any worthwhile information on what else is connected. The two routers dont see each other. The Thompson sees Unknown-00-90-f5-24-80-59 which is the D Link but nothing connected to it.
I cant locate any printers connected through the D Link and even have problems with the Thompson. I have a laptop running Vista and installed the wifi printer the other day but when I went back it had disappeared.
I would like a home network with all components indicated on it with access for all laptops IPad etc to printers. Is it possible? is there a bit of free software out there to do it for me?
Regards
Peter
To do is to be - Neitzsche
To be is to do - Kant
do be do be do - Sinatra
6 REPLIES 6
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

I guess you're using the DI-624 in its default configuration and connecting its WAN port to the Thomson via ethernet ?
What you need to do is use it as a switch and wireless access point rather than a router.
Configure it with a static IP for its LAN interface which is in the same subnet as the Thomson, but outside the Thomson's DHCP range ( 192.168.1.60 should be suitable ), and also disable DHCP on the DI-624 ( pages 17&18 of the manual ). Then connect the DI-624 to the Thomson using one of its LAN ports. You should now have a network where everything works since all the devices on it will be getting their IP addresses from the Thomson which will see all the devices.
Hope that helps.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

penfold
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 2,280
Thanks: 25
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

Will probably also need the same wireless SSID and password on the dlink as the thompson.
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

Shouldn't really matter as its not a WDS system, in some ways it might actually be better to put the Dlink on a completely different channel and SSID to stop interference between the two networks. Maybe even turn the wireless off on the TG585 if you're not using it.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

PeterLoftus
Pro
Posts: 2,599
Thanks: 182
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎27-05-2011

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

Thanks Lads!
I have got my DLink working as a switch and if I access the Thompson all the connected computers are there now. The DLink isnt and the components connected though it are shown as being on the Ethernet socket which I know I connected it to.
Also the printers appear in my printers option in the control panel and HP solutions centre.
Two questions however. Its not convenient to go int the Thompson menues to get details on the network and the Vista Network and Sharing Centre is clumsy and the XP network locations info is very inconvenient. Isnt there anything wich emulates the info that the Thompson has inside it? Also I have a home network called Home but I cant see any reference to it.
Thanks again
Peter  Cheesy
To do is to be - Neitzsche
To be is to do - Kant
do be do be do - Sinatra
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

Quote
The DLink isnt and the components connected though it are shown as being on the Ethernet socket which I know I connected it to.

That figures, the DLink internal IP ( 192.168.1.60 ) is static and won't have been requested of the TG585(by DHCP) therefore the TG doesn't really know about it. All the other components connected via the Dlink have got their IP's from the TG and via the ethernet socket to which the Dlink is connected.
Quote
Isnt there anything wich emulates the info that the Thompson has inside it?

That's basically the DHCP allocated IP list I guess, so only the DHCP server(the TG585) is going to know about it.
There may be some windows tools that could display something similar but I'm a Linux man myself so don't know of any.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

PeterLoftus
Pro
Posts: 2,599
Thanks: 182
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎27-05-2011

Re: Botched up a home network and it's working!

MisterW et al
I'm just playing now I think I've got what MS want to give me but its not very user friendly or convenient  Undecided
on the 585v8 webpage all the computers on the system plus the D Link router (switch) and the WiFi printer are all shown. The printer connected to my desktop by USB cable does not appear.
On my desktop running XP everything is there but you have to hunt to find it. computers are in the workgroups, printers are under printers and I can get to both  routers from explorer by entering their IP addresses
On my laptop running Vista the computers, routers and the WIFI printer are all there on the network map and clickable to get access to their workings but the printer attached to the desktop by USB cable is only reached through the by clicking on the desktop (computer).
Other family members have access to internet but don't want me to connect their laptops to the workgroup so I cant click on them (no password)
I suppose all this is as MS have provided as standard but it could be better.
my wish list
better presentation for XP with a network map.
to see the USB printer on the network on Vista
Best regards
Peter
Roll_eyes
To do is to be - Neitzsche
To be is to do - Kant
do be do be do - Sinatra