Two routers, should this work?

[mongoled]

Hi peeps,

Ive just been messing arnd with a wired router and have come across a problem which im not sure it should exist. Here is how everything is configured:

Equipment:

1 Wireless Router (Default Gateway 192.168.0.1)

1 Wired Router (Default Gateway 192.168.1.1)

1 Wireless Network Card

1 PC (two onboard ethernet adapters)

The PC connects to the internet through the Wireless Network Card, the Wireless Router is not using DHCP, I have IP set up manually. With this config the PCs' internet connection works fine.

Now when I attach the Wired Router (from LAN port to PC ethernet adapter), I can connect to both router's setup pages, but my internet connection no longer works (I get 'The page cannot be displayed' in IE and 'Server not found' error in Firefox).

Is this the normal behavoir for the config i have setup? If it is, what would I have to do to be able to have an active internet connection while the Wired Router is enabled on my PC? Hope the information I have provided is clear.

[+BudMan MVC]

where is your internet connection? Which router? You only need 1 router.. You can connect your wired or wireless router using its lan port to the lan port of the other router.. only use the dchp server from one.. Put the 2nd routers lan IP in the same network.. This will add wired ports and wireless to your network.

Here is link on how to use a wireless router as just an accesspoint.. http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/wireless-...cess-point.html

And since this question comes up like hourly around here.. I finally made a quick little layout.

And just because -- most of the time users plug the cables into the wrong ports.. Here is a picture showing WAN and LAN ;)

Edited January 4, 2006 by BudMan

[mongoled]

where is your internet connection? Which router? You only need 1 router.. You can connect your wired or wireless router using its lan port to the lan port of the other router.. only use the dchp server from one.. Put the 2nd routers lan IP in the same network.. This will add wired ports and wireless to your network.

Here is link on how to use a wireless router as just an accesspoint.. http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/wireless-...cess-point.html

And since this question comes up like hourly around here.. I finally made a quick little layout.

Hello,

thanks for your input,

1/ The internet connection is in the other room

2/ The Wireless Router provides the internet connection

3/ Yup I understand I need just one router

4/ I dont think I will attempt to connect the two routers together as my connection is fine with one router.

Maybe I should have made my post clearer, what i want to know is if the symptons I am seeing are 'normal', that is what I am trying to understand. Is Windows XP getting confused when I enable the Wired Router, hence the reason I am not getting an internet connection anymore? Is the problem in the config? Is there a way to force Windows to use the Wireless connection?

I hope I am making more sense

:unsure:

[+BudMan MVC]

If your running 2 NICs in your PC.. dont put a gateway on the one connected to the router that does not have an internet connection.. there is NO reason for it.. You only need to talk to the locally attached network.

Why do you need to talk to the other router? If it is not connected to the internet? You have other local wired devices? Since I am guesing your running wireless on the PC to get to the internet - and not wired?

Since your wired network 192.168.1.0/24 has no way to get to the internet.. then 192.168.1.1 is NOT a gateway.. and your PC should not list it as such

Your PC could look like this

Wireless IP 192.168.0.100

DNS 192.168.0.1

gateway 192.168.0.1

Wired IP 192.168.1.100

gateway "blank"

Also - the wireless and wired routers in my drawing are interchangable.. does not really matter which one is connected to the internet, etc..

[mongoled]

Hello again,

from your answers, its obvious tht my questions are not clear enough, as you have failed to grasp the reason for my thread.

Please try not to work out what I am trying to achieve, it is not relevant for me.

The question I want answering is:

Why do I loose my internet connection (wireless connection with wireless router), when I enable the 'nic' on my PC which is connected to a wired router.

Im trying to grasp wht happens within the OS to cause this, or if it is the config/settings I have in place which is the cause of this issue. Im very happy tht you have been taking the time to help me, just frustrated tht I have not been able to communicate in an effective manner with you.

Im going to try and play arnd with the settings you have mentioned (as well as fully understanding wht you are saying).

-EDIT-

Ok, thanks to your help, i now know why my config/settings would not work

:)

then 192.168.1.1 is NOT a gateway..

this statement is wht did the trick to make my brain function logically again. After removing the 'Default gateway' ip address I had given to the NIC for the wired router my internet connection (wireless) works fine with the NIC enabled. My own confusion was caused by assuming tht by not putting a value for 'Default gateway' in the NIC's ip settings, tht I would not be able to connect to the router. That is wht threw me, i should have tried to see each part as a logical entity, as the wired router has its own ip address set internally. Any queries directed at its address through a browser would be recognised.

Thanks so much, I have now grasped another small piece of information in understanding networks

:)

Edited January 6, 2006 by mongoled

[+BudMan MVC]

Thanks so much, I have now grasped another small piece of information in understanding networks

Unless there are other networks that are connected to the wired router, different from your shared connection (192.168.1.0/24) then it is not a gateway.

Now if it did, you could use it get to "THOSE" networks by using routes to those networks on your machine.. But not have it set as the Default or gateway of last resort. Most of the time you would only ever have 1 default gateway -- even if your machine is connected to multiple networks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_gateway

Now if you did have multiple gateways that could get to all other networks, ie your wired router also had inet connection. And why your network stop working when you set the DG, is the METRIC.. by default in XP the metric is auto set.. and it will change on the line speed.. Ie your faster wired connections metric would of been lower than your wireless one. So when you tried to access network other than a locally connected one - it would attempt to use the gateway with a lower metric.

You would of been able to see the metric to the different gateways with the route print command..

If you wanted your machine to use a specific gateway first.. then you could of changed the metric of this gateway to a lower value then other one.. then only when you could not get somewhere using that gateway, would the higer metric gateway be used.

[mongoled]

Unless there are other networks that are connected to the wired router, different from your shared connection (192.168.1.0/24) then it is not a gateway.

Now if it did, you could use it get to "THOSE" networks by using routes to those networks on your machine.. But not have it set as the Default or gateway of last resort. Most of the time you would only ever have 1 default gateway -- even if your machine is connected to multiple networks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_gateway

Now if you did have multiple gateways that could get to all other networks, ie your wired router also had inet connection. And why your network stop working when you set the DG, is the METRIC.. by default in XP the metric is auto set.. and it will change on the line speed.. Ie your faster wired connections metric would of been lower than your wireless one. So when you tried to access network other than a locally connected one - it would attempt to use the gateway with a lower metric.

You would of been able to see the metric to the different gateways with the route print command..

If you wanted your machine to use a specific gateway first.. then you could of changed the metric of this gateway to a lower value then other one.. then only when you could not get somewhere using that gateway, would the higer metric gateway be used.

Ok thanks for tht info, I will do some googling on some of the terms you have mentioned and will play arnd with the setup a little more. As ive said there is no 'reason' for me doing this other than learning.

[+BudMan MVC]

As ive said there is no 'reason' for me doing this other than learning.

Great!! If you have any questions -- feel free to PM me..

[mongoled]

Great!! If you have any questions -- feel free to PM me..

Will do, thanxs for the offer

:)

[Breakthrough]

The way I have it set up at my house (4 computers, 1 Xbox) is this:

Modem -> Wireless Router (192.168.0.1)

-wired to a computer

-wirelessly connects to two other computers

-wired to a hub

Hub outputs to my Xbox and my computer. All parts of the network can access eachother fine. All Linksys products (except the modem). The hub has no specificable settings, and I would use a hub over a router in a setup like this.