Setup 2 Router Question

[packet]

I got a router linksys WRT150N upstairs and i got eth0 going down stair where the main router is.My question Can i setup a router upstair and use a 2nd router downstair for my own network and how would i set it up or what hardware would i need?

[eovnu87435ds]

I got a router linksys WRT150N upstairs and i got eth0 going down stair where the main router is.My question Can i setup a router upstair and use a 2nd router downstair for my own network and how would i set it up or what hardware would i need?

Yes, it is very simple to set up, especially if you have a cat5 cable running between the 2. nothing needs to be changed on your main router, as long as you know the router IP address, subnet mask, and the DHCP scope(what addresses it will assign to your other computers.)

On the 2nd router(linksys) log into the web interface. on the first page, Under Router Setup, you should see 4 fields. Local IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and local dns.

Local IP address: You're statically assigning a new ip address based on the info you found from your first router, chances are, 192.168.1.254 will work for you. REMEMBER THIS IP ADDRESS!

Subnet mask: same as your main router, most likely 255.255.255.0

Gateway: put in your main router's ip address

Local DNS: put in your main router's ip address

Then scroll down to Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)

Look for something that says DHCP Server, and check the Disable box.

Save settings, and plug in like this:

Main router-(use one of the 1-4 computer ports) ------------- cat5 ---------------- 2nd router-(use one of the 1-4 computer ports)

There you go. your main router takes care of dns and dhcp, so your second router is basically just an access point. configure wifi settings however you want, but i have found that when I do it like this, if both routers have the same SSID, windows will group them together, but MAC OS X(i haven't tested this since I have had leopard so maybe it has changed) has errors with this configuration. your best bet is to name them differently.

good luck!

[packet]

would a cat6 cable be the same as a cat5 cable?

Edited September 11, 2011 by packet

[Jason Cooper]

would a cat6 cable be the same as a cat5 cable?

Not quite the same but will work just fine (cat6 was designed with gigabit networking in mind, while cat5 was designed with 100mb networking in mind). So if you have a cat6 cable that reaches, use it.