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How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

thedyes0
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Registered: ‎29-04-2015

How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Hi guys,
I've setup a second router to act as a switch and Wi-Fi extender but I having some problems, basically any device reset connects to the second router must have a default gateway the same as the first router and must have a static IP...
How do I make it so the second router uses the first router for DCHP or how do I have two dchp servers on the same network without changing other settings that will stop the use of chromecast, dlna, sky+ connector... Etc
Thanks.
10 REPLIES 10
twocvbloke
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Most routers will have an option somewhere in it's main menus which gives the option to turn it into an access point (therefore turning off it's DHCP server and relying on the primary router's server), which turns it into, well, an access point allowing access to the devices connected to the other router, and if it's to be a wifi extender (presumably wired to the main router by a bit of Cat5e or Cat6 cable, otherwise things get a bit complicated), set it's SSID and password to the same as the primary router and your devices will switch between them depending on signal strength... Smiley
thedyes0
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

I had disabled DCHP but that results with devices that connect to the second router to just sit there "Obtaining IP address..." all the time.
Here's a video of my second router: http://screencast.com/t/udqabsHS, in the video AP isolation is ticked as I was trying it but that didn't work either.
twocvbloke
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: thedyes0
I had disabled DCHP

Disabling DHCP alone doesn't turn it into an access point, it has to be set up as an access point to work as one...
Probably be disliked for linking to a talktalk site, but this thread on their forum shows how to do it on a Huawei HG533:
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/t5/Computers-Gaming/Huawei-HG533-as-Wireless-Access-Point-Mystery-Sol...
Read the thread in full as there's some suggestions which need to be applied...
pwatson
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: thedyes0
I had disabled DCHP but that results with devices that connect to the second router to just sit there "Obtaining IP address..." all the time.

This sounds to me that you plugged the second router (AP) to the first router using the WAN port...
General instructions:
Set the management IP address of the AP to an address outside the range of the DHCP server in the router eg 192.168.1.250
Disable the DHCP server in the AP
Plug a LAN port on the AP to a LAN port on the router
If you want to use the wireless functionality of both devices:
Set the SSID and encryption details to be the same
Experiment with different/identical wireless channel for best results (I find running on them different channels sometimes leads to devices connecting to the weaker signal so I run mine on the same channel.  Try it and see what works for you!)
thedyes0
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

@twocvbloke
- I've tried all that with the exception of port binding which appears to have worked, although I did make one other change but I don't think this is what fixed it, see my reply to pwatson.
- I also didn't try putting the access point on 192.168.2.1 because the problem with this is that it interferes with both Chromecast and Sky+ because they think the connection is on a different network and you can't cross-networks with them.
@pwatson
- That is my exact setup with the exception of doing it outside of the dchp range, the way I had it setup was:
- Router 1 was set to 192.168.1.1
- Router 1 had a static IP rule setup for Access point, giving it 192.168.1.2
- Access point had it's IP set to 192.168.1.2
Other than that it was identical, not sure what option out of yours or twocvblokes has worked... although it might not have worked, we'll have to wait until the dchp lease refreshes,
Anotherone
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: twocvbloke
Probably be disliked for linking to a talktalk site .............

Not at all, it's just a shame that the "solution" there was deficient for reasons highlighted in reply #5 and the poster hadn't tested whether he could access the AP with his browser when on the main router. But then for someone that likes 2CVs I would have expected a 2CV solution  Tongue  b..boom  Grin only joking, just taking the mick.
Quote from: thedyes0
- That is my exact setup with the exception of doing it outside of the dchp range, the way I had it setup was:
- Router 1 was set to 192.168.1.1
- Router 1 had a static IP rule setup for Access point, giving it 192.168.1.2
- Access point had it's IP set to 192.168.1.2

That's precisely the way I would have suggested. It's a solution that should work with any router. I'm not at all convinced as to why the suggestion of setting the AP's IP address up outside the DHCP range should ever be necessary, it won't work on some routers, and giving it a fixed IP solves any conflict issues.
pwatson
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: Anotherone
I'm not at all convinced as to why the suggestion of setting the AP's IP address up outside the DHCP range should ever be necessary, it won't work on some routers, and giving it a fixed IP solves any conflict issues.

For the reasons given when we've discussed this in a previous thread...  (Have you tested it yet by the way? ;)) The AP IP address has to be set manually in the device as it will not get an IP address via DHCP from the router.  Setting the IP address outside the DHCP range makes sure that there will be no address duplication.
Many routers won't let you easily setup a reservation for a device that the DHCP server hasn't 'seen' ie the MAC address is known, so setting IP address of the AP outside the DHCP scope means you don't need to delve into manually entering MAC addresses etc.
Anotherone
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: pwatson
(Have you tested it yet by the way? ;))

As I said at the time, I had before, but I haven't re-tested yet. I now have a list of things in my roundtuit Roll_eyes
Quote from: pwatson
Setting the IP address outside the DHCP range makes sure that there will be no address duplication.

Don't disagree, but some routers won't allow addresses like that in the same way that -
Quote from: pwatson
Many routers won't let you easily setup a reservation for a device that the DHCP server hasn't 'seen' ie the MAC address is known, so setting IP address of the AP outside the DHCP scope means you don't need to delve into manually entering MAC addresses etc.

but then again, some will always require the MAC address, whichever method Wink
I'll post back on this tricky subject when I have some new info  Smiley
twocvbloke
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

Quote from: Anotherone
But then for someone that likes 2CVs I would have expected a 2CV solution  Tongue  b..boom  Grin only joking, just taking the mick.

Well my solution to the problem would be to use a router that you just tick the Access Point option box on it and it works, but, people don't like it when they're told to buy new hardware to solve an issue that should never have existed if the manufacturers paid attention to how they programmed their devices... Grin
Before I was with Plusnet I had to use the same technijunk TG582n ADSL modem-router that PN supply, and its wifi was useless compared to the D-Link's (poor range, dropped out a lot, etc.) so set up my D-link DIR-615 as an access point (one tick of a box, done!!) and I could access the D-link interface AND the technijunk interface, aswell as have networked devices on both routers communicate happily between each other on different routers... Smiley
nanotm
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Re: How do I correctly setup two routers, one to act as an access port?

you have to use one of the 4 Ethernet ports on the slave router as well as disabling dhcp ..... connecting it any other way will not perform the results you want /
just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you