Wireless Broadband Router as a Switch / Access Point

  • Thread starter Thread starter Grinder
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Grinder

My home network is relatively uncomplicated. A cable modem feeds a
gateway/broadband router (Linksys BEFSR41v3), which in turn connects to
a number of PCs, a switch, and a hub. The switch connects to a PC and a
pile of game consoles; The hub, to a PC and a single game console.
Everything works well.

Enter a Nintendo DS, portable, wireless game system. If you can get it
connected to the internet, there is apparently fabulous content to be
had. I hope it's not nude pictures of Mario.

I've dusted off a Wireless-B Broadband Router (Linksys BEFW11S4) and
hope to press it into service long enough for my niece, the recipient of
the DS, to decide that the online offerings are crap. My problem comes
in hooking this up to best serve my needs.

Option 1 - A Second Local Network

If I run a line from my "master" router into the WAN port on the
wireless router, I can connect to it and ultimately get to the internet
wirelessly or through its physical ports. I just have to make sure that
it gets an IP address from the "master" router, and that the local
address it uses don't conflict. (Local networks, 192.168.1.xxx and
192.168.2.xxx, for instance.)

It's a little bit of a pain that I have to temporarily plug a PC into
the wireless router to configure it, but it basically meets my immediate
needs. I can see, though, that I might like to someday use the wireless
router as a switch of sorts, keeping all of my devices on the same local
network.

Option 2 - One Local Network

If I turn off Local DHCP on the wireless router, and run a line into one
of it's LAN ports (using a crossover adapter) from my "master" router, I
effectively get a switch.

The problem comes in trying to use the wireless features:

Q1) Can I get access to the network from wireless devices in this
configuration?

I've got the DS now, but it's going to be a bit before I can get a
cartridge that will try to connect to the internet.

Q2) Can I access the wireless router's configuration?

Normally, you can get to that by using a web page to go to the router's
local ip address. In this setup, I'm not even sure the router has an ip
address. Trying the "old" ip address from "Option 1," which is
explicitly defined in the router's configuration, does not work.

Thanks for your insights...
 
Q1: Of course you can.

Q2: Make sure the Wireless router has a different IP address for it's
management interface than the other router, but in the same subnet.
E.g: 192.168.2.1 for the main router and 192.168.2.200 for the wireless.
Turn off DHCP on the wireless router and connect the two routers via one
of their LAN interfaces. (you don't even have to use a cross cable,
modern device have MDI-MDX capability to make the cross themselves.)

This way you use your wireless router as an access point, the wireless
device will get its IP from the main router but it will connect through
the wireless router.

I have the same setup at home, no complaints... :)

BR
Balazs
 
Make sure the Wireless router has a different IP address for it's
management interface than the other router, but in the same subnet.
E.g: 192.168.2.1 for the main router and 192.168.2.200 for the wireless.
Turn off DHCP on the wireless router and connect the two routers via one
of their LAN interfaces. (you don't even have to use a cross cable,
modern device have MDI-MDX capability to make the cross themselves.)

This way you use your wireless router as an access point, the wireless
device will get its IP from the main router but it will connect through
the wireless router.

I have the same setup at home, no complaints... :)
Click to expand...

Ah, it seems obvious now. Thanks.
 
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