how to connect SmartAX MT882 and WRT54GC

RJK · Sep 2, 2009

Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

Not sure what the blue rj45/"Internet" port on the rear of the WRT54GC is
for ? ...instruction manual says it's for DSL or Cable !
....have only ever seen a rj11 port for adsl/broadband signal, on "home
gateway" units such as my WAG354G.
Anyhow, seeing as there seems to be no adsl modem in this WRT54GC unit, and
will have to connect it to SmartAX MT882, to get internet into main PC and
off to a wifi enabled ADVENT 6651 laptop - I have several hundred questions,
.....having never really understood how gateway and ip addresses relate to
each other. I know, I know, it's simple if you know how but, I've never
been able to grasp what goes where !

Does DHCP have to be switched off in one of the units, if so which ?
.... bearing in mind that the Huwei only has one rj45 port which will have to
be connected to one of the four yellow rj45 ports on the rear of the WRT54GC
? ...didn't get anywhere connecting Huwei rj45 port to Linksys blue
"Internet" rj45 port !
i.e. Can the Huwei's DHCP dish up IP addresses for PC's connected to the
Linksys's 4 (well....3 available), rj45 ports ?

Does UPNP need to be switched on ?
Does the DHCP address range have to not overlap, even if DHCP is switched
off in one of the units ?

Which mode does the WRT54GC need to be in ?

Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
....and since reflashing it "HeartBeat" ? !!!!

....any help hugely appreciated

TIA

regards, Richard

Paul · Sep 2, 2009

RJK said:
Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

Not sure what the blue rj45/"Internet" port on the rear of the WRT54GC is
for ? ...instruction manual says it's for DSL or Cable !
...have only ever seen a rj11 port for adsl/broadband signal, on "home
gateway" units such as my WAG354G.
Anyhow, seeing as there seems to be no adsl modem in this WRT54GC unit, and
will have to connect it to SmartAX MT882, to get internet into main PC and
off to a wifi enabled ADVENT 6651 laptop - I have several hundred questions,
....having never really understood how gateway and ip addresses relate to
each other. I know, I know, it's simple if you know how but, I've never
been able to grasp what goes where !

Does DHCP have to be switched off in one of the units, if so which ?
... bearing in mind that the Huwei only has one rj45 port which will have to
be connected to one of the four yellow rj45 ports on the rear of the WRT54GC
? ...didn't get anywhere connecting Huwei rj45 port to Linksys blue
"Internet" rj45 port !
i.e. Can the Huwei's DHCP dish up IP addresses for PC's connected to the
Linksys's 4 (well....3 available), rj45 ports ?

Does UPNP need to be switched on ?
Does the DHCP address range have to not overlap, even if DHCP is switched
off in one of the units ?

Which mode does the WRT54GC need to be in ?

Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
...and since reflashing it "HeartBeat" ? !!!!

...any help hugely appreciated

TIA

regards, Richard

You've likely already got the manual for the WRT54G.

http://downloads.linksysbycisco.com/downloads/WRT54GC-EU_V30_UG_NC-WEB.pdf

There is a manual for the MT882 here. The manufacturer doesn't
support users directly.

http://members.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php?driverid=503416

SmartAX_MT882_V200R002C01B021_User_Manual.pdf , 111 pages, File size 2,345,146 bytes.

The MT882 is a combined ADSL modem and router. The LAN side of the
router consists of an Ethernet connector and a USB connector, for
a total of two computers.

You don't have to use the router in the MT882. There are also
some bridged modes of operation. It is possible, if you
selected the "pure bridged" mode, that the WRT54GC could deal
with the PPPOE from the LAN side of the MT882.

I would start, by verifying that the MT882 works with TalkTalk first.
In this setup, the talktalk account and password, are stored in the
MT882. This would prove the ADSL is setup and enabled at
the telco.

"Setting up your Huawei SmartAX MT882 modem/router"

http://www.talktalk.co.uk/help/questions/NET_01_07

If you attempt to connect the MT882 to the WRT54GC, and
run the MT882 in bridged mode, then the TalkTalk account
and password would be stored in the WRT54GC. You could
connect a computer to one of the four wired LAN ports on the
WRT54GC and use the web interface on the WRT54GC, to set up
the PPPOE details.

The only other tiny detail, is whether a straight thru or
crossover Ethernet cable, is needed between the MT882 and
WRT54GC. My suspicion is a crossover cable may be needed.
The cable provided by TalkTalk, for use in their expected
mode of operation, could be a straight-thru cable, as they're
expecting a computer to be connected to the Ethernet port on
the MT882.

<<< wireless
/
---- RJ11 --- MT882 --- Ethernet ----- (Blue=WAN_port) WRT54GC ------ LAN1
(Crossover ------ LAN2
cable ?) ------ LAN3
------ LAN4

Anyway, you've probably got this all running by now. There
are likely some forums, closer to home, that can help out.

http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=342550&forumid=1

Paul

Paul · Sep 2, 2009

RJK said:
Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

Not sure what the blue rj45/"Internet" port on the rear of the WRT54GC is
for ? ...instruction manual says it's for DSL or Cable !
...have only ever seen a rj11 port for adsl/broadband signal, on "home
gateway" units such as my WAG354G.
Anyhow, seeing as there seems to be no adsl modem in this WRT54GC unit, and
will have to connect it to SmartAX MT882, to get internet into main PC and
off to a wifi enabled ADVENT 6651 laptop - I have several hundred questions,
....having never really understood how gateway and ip addresses relate to
each other. I know, I know, it's simple if you know how but, I've never
been able to grasp what goes where !

Does DHCP have to be switched off in one of the units, if so which ?
... bearing in mind that the Huwei only has one rj45 port which will have to
be connected to one of the four yellow rj45 ports on the rear of the WRT54GC
? ...didn't get anywhere connecting Huwei rj45 port to Linksys blue
"Internet" rj45 port !
i.e. Can the Huwei's DHCP dish up IP addresses for PC's connected to the
Linksys's 4 (well....3 available), rj45 ports ?

Does UPNP need to be switched on ?
Does the DHCP address range have to not overlap, even if DHCP is switched
off in one of the units ?

Which mode does the WRT54GC need to be in ?

Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
...and since reflashing it "HeartBeat" ? !!!!

...any help hugely appreciated

TIA

regards, Richard

(Re-sent. The other server doesn't connect to Microsoft.)

*******

You've likely already got the manual for the WRT54G.

http://downloads.linksysbycisco.com/downloads/WRT54GC-EU_V30_UG_NC-WEB.pdf

There is a manual for the MT882 here. The manufacturer doesn't
support users directly.

http://members.driverguide.com/driver/detail.php?driverid=503416

SmartAX_MT882_V200R002C01B021_User_Manual.pdf , 111 pages, File size 2,345,146 bytes.

The MT882 is a combined ADSL modem and router. The LAN side of the
router consists of an Ethernet connector and a USB connector, for
a total of two computers.

You don't have to use the router in the MT882. There are also
some bridged modes of operation. It is possible, if you
selected the "pure bridged" mode, that the WRT54GC could deal
with the PPPOE from the LAN side of the MT882.

I would start, by verifying that the MT882 works with TalkTalk first.
In this setup, the talktalk account and password, are stored in the
MT882. This would prove the ADSL is setup and enabled at
the telco.

"Setting up your Huawei SmartAX MT882 modem/router"

http://www.talktalk.co.uk/help/questions/NET_01_07

If you attempt to connect the MT882 to the WRT54GC, and
run the MT882 in bridged mode, then the TalkTalk account
and password would be stored in the WRT54GC. You could
connect a computer to one of the four wired LAN ports on the
WRT54GC and use the web interface on the WRT54GC, to set up
the PPPOE details.

The only other tiny detail, is whether a straight thru or
crossover Ethernet cable, is needed between the MT882 and
WRT54GC. My suspicion is a crossover cable may be needed.
The cable provided by TalkTalk, for use in their expected
mode of operation, could be a straight-thru cable, as they're
expecting a computer to be connected to the Ethernet port on
the MT882.

<<< wireless
/
---- RJ11 --- MT882 --- Ethernet ----- (Blue=WAN_port) WRT54GC ------ LAN1
(Crossover ------ LAN2
cable ?) ------ LAN3
------ LAN4

Anyway, you've probably got this all running by now. There
are likely some forums, closer to home, that can help out.

http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=342550&forumid=1

Paul

Lem · Sep 2, 2009

RJK said:
Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

Not sure what the blue rj45/"Internet" port on the rear of the WRT54GC is
for ? ...instruction manual says it's for DSL or Cable !
...have only ever seen a rj11 port for adsl/broadband signal, on "home
gateway" units such as my WAG354G.
Anyhow, seeing as there seems to be no adsl modem in this WRT54GC unit, and
will have to connect it to SmartAX MT882, to get internet into main PC and
off to a wifi enabled ADVENT 6651 laptop - I have several hundred questions,
....having never really understood how gateway and ip addresses relate to
each other. I know, I know, it's simple if you know how but, I've never
been able to grasp what goes where !

Does DHCP have to be switched off in one of the units, if so which ?
... bearing in mind that the Huwei only has one rj45 port which will have to
be connected to one of the four yellow rj45 ports on the rear of the WRT54GC
? ...didn't get anywhere connecting Huwei rj45 port to Linksys blue
"Internet" rj45 port !
i.e. Can the Huwei's DHCP dish up IP addresses for PC's connected to the
Linksys's 4 (well....3 available), rj45 ports ?

Does UPNP need to be switched on ?
Does the DHCP address range have to not overlap, even if DHCP is switched
off in one of the units ?

Which mode does the WRT54GC need to be in ?

Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
...and since reflashing it "HeartBeat" ? !!!!

...any help hugely appreciated

TIA

regards, Richard

You need to do a little better research before you start acquiring
equipment, even if some of it is free.

User Guide for SmartAX MT882:
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/images/downloads/manuals/SmartAXMT882_ADSL_Router_User_Manual.pdf

No, the WRT54GC does not have a modem. The "3 units" are (1) router, (2)
switch, and (3) wireless access point. A "gateway" such as your
WAG354G, has 4 "units" - (1) a DSL modem, (2) router, (3) switch, and
(4) wireless access point.

Why are you messing around with the Huwei SmartAX MT882 and the WRT54GC?
The WAG354G replaces *both* of these units.

How and where you make the connection between the MT882 and the WRT54GC
depends on how you configure the MT882.

In "bridge" mode, the MT882 acts as "just a modem," just translating
between DSL signals and Ethernet signals. In this configuration, you
would connect an Ethernet cable between the MT882 and the blue
rj45/"Internet" port on the WRT54GC, configure the WRT54GC to PPPoE, and
supply your username/id in the WRT54GC's WAN configuration section. This
is the configuration that I would use.

Other configurations of the MT882 have your userid/password stored in
the MT882. Again, how you connect to the WRT54GC depends on how the rest
of the MT882's settings are configured.

If the MT882 is configured with NAT "on" then you ought not connect to
the Internet port of the WRT54GC because then you would have a "double
NAT" configuration, which generally is undesirable.

*IF* the MT882's DHCP server either supplies a range of IP addresses or
can configured to do so, then you would connect the Ethernet cable
between the MT882 and one of the 4 yellow LAN ports on the WRT54GC. You
would then disable the DHCP server on the WRT54GC (you should only have
one DHCP server per network) and set its *LAN* IP address to a value in
the same subnet but outside the range supplied by the MT882's DHCP
server. The MT882 User Guide does not describe how or if its DHCP server
can be configured. I would guess that at the very least, it supplies
addresses in the range between 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.254. If you can't
limit the range, set the WRT54GC's LAN IP to something like
192.168.1.200, which is unlikely to be assigned.

uPnP can be switched off. If you leave it on and you also have uPnP
enabled on your computer, you may (or may not, depending on the phase of
the moon) see a "gateway" icon in "Network Connections" that, if it
works, will allow you to configure the WRT54GC without having to access
it using a web browser.

It's not clear what you re-flashed or what your question about
"Heartbeat" might be. Some ISPs require a periodic "I'm still here"
signal or they will disconnect you. This is what is usually meant by
"Heartbeat."

James Egan · Sep 3, 2009

Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

The Linksys only deals in PPPoE and not PPPoA so you can use the
SmartAX device to make the connection with your ISP and the Linksys to
distribute the wireless.

The two devices need to be on the same network so configure them as
follows :-

SmartAX
- Static LAN ip address (say) 192.168.1.1
- Whatever WAN settings your ISP needs
- Switch the dhcp server on and configure the pool to be (say)
192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.70
- Connect the RJ45 port to a LAN port on the Linksys.

Linksys
- Static LAN ip address (say) 192.168.1.2
- Leave the WAN settings blank and the WAN port on the device
disconnected
- Switch the dhcp server OFF
- As mentioned above, connect a LAN port to the SmartAX

All clients
- Set to obtain an ip address automatically
- Set to obtain dns information automatically

In case any of the clients don't work still, set their default gateway
manually to 192.168.1.1 (the smartax device) and the dns server also
to 192.168.1.1

Setting the static ip addresses on the routers can sometimes be
tricky. Depending on their default settings you might have to
temporarily connect them to one of your pc's directly while you change
the static ip address.

Jim.

RJK · Sep 3, 2009

RJK said:
Having bought a Linksys WRT54GC that I assumed had an adsl modem in it, as
it was described on ebuyer.com as being "3 units in one,"
and after fighting with it for a while - it seems that there is no adsl
modem in it, also there is no PPPoA option in its' settings !

So, have been trying to connect TalkTalks "free" Huwei SmartAX MT882
http://www.practicalpc.co.uk/reviews/hard/comms/smartax-mt882.htm
to this
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/UK/en/products/WRT54GC with no success.

Not sure what the blue rj45/"Internet" port on the rear of the WRT54GC is
for ? ...instruction manual says it's for DSL or Cable !
...have only ever seen a rj11 port for adsl/broadband signal, on "home
gateway" units such as my WAG354G.
Anyhow, seeing as there seems to be no adsl modem in this WRT54GC unit,
and
will have to connect it to SmartAX MT882, to get internet into main PC and
off to a wifi enabled ADVENT 6651 laptop - I have several hundred
questions,
....having never really understood how gateway and ip addresses relate to
each other. I know, I know, it's simple if you know how but, I've never
been able to grasp what goes where !

Does DHCP have to be switched off in one of the units, if so which ?
... bearing in mind that the Huwei only has one rj45 port which will have
to
be connected to one of the four yellow rj45 ports on the rear of the
WRT54GC
? ...didn't get anywhere connecting Huwei rj45 port to Linksys blue
"Internet" rj45 port !
i.e. Can the Huwei's DHCP dish up IP addresses for PC's connected to the
Linksys's 4 (well....3 available), rj45 ports ?

Does UPNP need to be switched on ?
Does the DHCP address range have to not overlap, even if DHCP is switched
off in one of the units ?

Which mode does the WRT54GC need to be in ?

Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Static IP
PPPoE
PPTP
L2TP
...and since reflashing it "HeartBeat" ? !!!!

...any help hugely appreciated

TIA

regards, Richard

Many thanks to Paul and Lem,

Paul is correct, (have now got it all set up and running fine - was unable
to get to my PC, (and this post), for a couple of days).
....and Lem, sorry, I should have explained that the MT882 and WRT54GC are at
a different (home) address than my own WAG354G i.e. here. I tried to keep
my OP as short as possible, as it's possible to write a small book, (which I
usually do), trying to cover all relevant information !

I had advised a friend to buy a Home Gateway, (similar to my own/old
WAG354G), as he'd recently bought an Advent 6651 Laptop - and wanted to use
it with wi-fi, and in view that his MT882 has no wi-fi in it, he bought the
WRT54GC which turned out not to have an adsl modem in it, so we were unable
to use it as we wanted i.e. a simple replacement for his MT882

In the distant past, (here at my home address), I fought with an Orange
Livebox+WAG354G, so had a rough idea of how to set up his MT882+WRT54GC (at
his home address).

So it took 3 visits in all, to finally get it set up ! On second visit, to
collect and bring the WRT54GC back here and fighting with it on my 2nd PC,
and finally spotting that the blue "Internet" port, (beside the 4 yellow
rj45 ports), seemed to be an rj45 port - and not a rj11 port - and reading
in the WRT54GC manual that the "blue" port is for "DSL and Cable," and after
discovering that adsl modem/PPPoA was not on offer in it - the only hardware
configuration option seemed to be to leave the MT882 in place and connect
the WRT54GC to it.

It would have been so helpful if ebuyer.com had contained a few words, in
its' WRT54GC item description, that this unit does not contain an
adsl/PPPoA (UK) modem ! ...or words to that effect !

Anyhow, both your posts contain VERY useful information, and I am grateful
for your responses.

I've left DHCP on in MT882,
DHCP off in WRT54GC, so that it's acting as a dumb router,
single rj45 port on MT882 is connected to yellow rj45 port 1 on WRT54GC,
his main PC is connected to yellow rj45 port 2 on WRT54GC, (thank heavens
for units auto-detecting straight thru/crossover cables ...I think ...etc).
....laptop / wifi is working fine - after tweaking both to WPA/tkip and
setting passphrase etc., ...and fighting with firewalls e.g. running AVG's
firewall configuration wizard etc.

....I was going to set up MAC access codes but, thought I'll leave well
enough alone !

Many thanks again,

regards, Richard

RJK · Sep 3, 2009

James Egan said:
The Linksys only deals in PPPoE and not PPPoA so you can use the
SmartAX device to make the connection with your ISP and the Linksys to
distribute the wireless.

The two devices need to be on the same network so configure them as
follows :-

SmartAX
- Static LAN ip address (say) 192.168.1.1
- Whatever WAN settings your ISP needs
- Switch the dhcp server on and configure the pool to be (say)
192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.70
- Connect the RJ45 port to a LAN port on the Linksys.

Linksys
- Static LAN ip address (say) 192.168.1.2
- Leave the WAN settings blank and the WAN port on the device
disconnected
- Switch the dhcp server OFF
- As mentioned above, connect a LAN port to the SmartAX

All clients
- Set to obtain an ip address automatically
- Set to obtain dns information automatically

In case any of the clients don't work still, set their default gateway
manually to 192.168.1.1 (the smartax device) and the dns server also
to 192.168.1.1

Setting the static ip addresses on the routers can sometimes be
tricky. Depending on their default settings you might have to
temporarily connect them to one of your pc's directly while you change
the static ip address.

Jim.

....many thanks, have now fathomed it out -
MT882 stays in place and, WRT54GC working as a dumb router etc.

regards, Richard

James Egan · Sep 3, 2009

...many thanks, have now fathomed it out -
MT882 stays in place and, WRT54GC working as a dumb router etc.

That's right. To be precise the WRT54GC is acting as a "switch". It
isn't doing any routing at all in this configuration.

Cheers

Jim.