I am a bit of a caveman when it comes to networks and IP addresses etc. Would be very grateful if any can help out!

I am trying to set up a network which has two routers. The first one is a Netgear thing and it plugs into the phone line and hosts the wifi and a few computers via Ethernet. We want to extend the network to another location in the building as the wifi isn’t strong enough, and have bought this one. We plugged the new one via the blue plug socket into one of the Ethernet ports of the old Netgear router.

The old Netger has IP address 192.168.1.254, and all the stuff attached to it is 192.168.1.X, so on the same subnet. The default IP for the new TP router is 192.168.0.1, but we have changed this to be 192.168.1.10, which matches the address it was assigned by the Netgear. Problem is, the TP router is designed to attach only to an ADSL modem, and not necessarily to another router. We can’t access the new router via the old one by going to 192.168.1.10, and the new router doesn’t seem to have internet access.

I am wondering if having the routers connected like this is causing a problem, because the new one is being assigned an IP address by the old router, but it is perhaps expecting only to be connected to an ADSL modem?

If any of that lot makes sense, I’d be very grateful for your wisdom! Perhaps there is a setting I need to change to allow it to be assigned an IP by another device?

Cheers,

You should have added a switch, not another router. Have a look at the manual or config page and see if you can configure the 2nd router to act as a switch. What would probably be easier though, if you only need wireless connections in the other part of the building then configure the new router to act as a repeater, most can do that.

ton is gonna be raging at this thread, oh my!

Cool, found some documents on setting it up as a repeater so will try that. Thanks!

Make sure the netgear is configured to ALWAYS give the new router that same address (aka statis NAT), otherwise it might get a different address next time it reloads.

Check there’s no firewall or access control on the new router.

You’ll probably have to set up the new router with a new network address for the remaining ethernet ports and configure a static route on the Netgear pointing to the new network. Not ideal really. A switch would have done the job better 🙂

A switch would have been a better solution but What you have should work.

The 2 routers need to be in different subnets and route between them. Put the new router LAN back to 192.168.0.x . Connect a LAN interface of your old router to the WAN interface of the new router.

You will not be able to manage the new router from the WAN interface (old router side) unless you have turned this feature on so connect a computer to the LAN interface of the new router and configure it on http://192.168.0.x check connectivity from the management PC to the old router with “ping 192.168.1.254”

You can let the new router pick up a DHCP address from the old one if all you want is outbound internet. The static address 192.168.1.10 that you have assigned is likely to be within the DHCP range of the old router so you may get an IP conflict if you use that without modifying the DHCP scope of the old router to exclude the address you have used.

Ok now I am more confused. I would have thought having it on the same subnet would be necessary, and in the old Netgear I have assigned .1.10 to the new router, so it should be given the same IP every time. In this scenario, should DHCP in the new router be enabled or not?

I can try and change back to a different subnet. What ‘feature’ do I need to enable to allow management of the new router from the old one?

1) The new router should have DHCP turned off.

2) The cable from the old router to the new router should go to a yellow network (ie LAN) socket on the new router – not the blue (WAN) socket.

3) The new router should have a static IP address on the same subnet as the old router. eg if the old router is 192.168.0.1 the new router could be 192.168.0.200. You could just set this manually first on the new router; then later do either by assigning with a static DHCP lease from the old router, or by setting a DHCP address range on the old router that doesn’t include 192.168.0.200.

Edit: Just read your OP properly. You only need to perform steps 1) and 2) of my suggestion. You’ve already done step 3) by giving the new router an IP of 192.168.1.10.

Its always difficult because we can’t see the config etc.

If you only want to extend the WiFi range I recommend sending back the router and buying something like,

http://www.ebuyer.com/322016-tp-link-300mbps-wireless-n300-powerline-extender-tl-wpa281

Or get a small switch.

Thanks, I will try that.

There is a reason why a switch won’t work, aside from the fact that I already have this kit. I need something to host a dyn-dns service, and there are very few bits of kit which are programmed to access the dyn-dns service I’m using. I should have checked the new TP could actually connect to a phone line and then that could have been the primary and a switch could be the secondary, but I’ll know that for next time!

Cheers,

I didn’t want to confuse things by offering the option which sl2000 has suggested. Yes that would also work but read x.x.1.x

Don’t think the dyndns service will work on the second router as it will not know about the internet address on the WAN interface of the old router. 192.168.x.x (rfc1918 private address range) addresses are not routable over the internet so DNS will not work with those.

On the new router ensure that it’s not acting as a dhcp server. Then as long as the two routers can communicate which you can check by pinging them. You’ll get the correct ip details from the original router.