Home LAN chat

[xtian]

I know where to ask when I have a tube amp repair-type question. TAG knows.

Where does one ask when one has a home networking question?

I'll type it up, because I'll have to type it anyway:

My LAN looks like: comcast cable > cable "modem" > Cisco router/firewall/hub/wireless AP > all my computers, phones, etc. My Cisco wireless AP (access point) does not reach across the house, but I have run Ethernet cable over there. So now I have inherited a Belkin N600 and want to add it as a simple AP to extend my wireless area. I logged into the admin interface on the Belkin and set it to work as an AP, and assigned it the address 192.168.1.2 (192.168.1.x matches the rest of my LAN, and x.x.x.2 is not a conflict with any other device). Now, I can see the Belkin broadcasting its SSID, and I can connect to it with my wireless devices, but my devices do not then acquire an IP from my Cisco router like they should, and I get no joy. What am I doing wrong?

[LeftyStrat]

Two possible approaches.

- First make sure your Cisco router DHCP running on the wired network. Sometimes they are configured to give out addresses over wifi but not over the wired lan. To troubleshoot, unplug the cable from the Belkin and plug it in to a computer and see if the computer gets an ip address.

- Alternately, what you may have to do is let the Belkin give out IP addresses. Give it a different range, like 10.0.0.0.

Most modern equipment is auto-sensing, but sometimes you need a crossover ethernet cable:

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

[Phil_S]

You come to TAG for answers on everything. It is your first stop and Google is your second....no, that's the wrong order.

Is the 2nd WAP connected to the first router via ethernet? I don't think you can have it as a wireless device. Then you designate the SSID, etc. DHCP needs to be disabled. I think IP addresses can only be served from one source or you run the risk of a conflict. I guess you can used fixed IP addresses, but that is a whole other level of administration that I don't think anyone wants on a home network.

Here, Google is our friend: http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detai ... -a-network

Edit: I see Lefty was in here same time as me and maybe our advice conflicts. You'll get it sorted out.

[xtian]

The answer turns out to be: you're doing the right things, just repeat the process three or four times until it works, as if by magic.


But now the Roku Soundbridge that was happily serving at the end of that Ethernet run, which is now plugged into the N600, will no longer see the LAN. It seems the N600 won't act as a simple hub when in AP mode?!?

[Phil_S]

It takes time for the "discovery" to occur. Check the Roku in the morning. Maybe it will get found.

I think this is done either by Computer Browser, or DNS Client, or maybe both. I'm not really sure about this...it's been a while since I had to mess with this sort of thing.

Computer Browser:
Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Or maybe it is DNS Client:
The DNS Client service (dnscache) caches Domain Name System (DNS) names and registers the full computer name for this computer. If the service is stopped, DNS names will continue to be resolved. However, the results of DNS name queries will not be cached and the computer's name will not be registered. If the service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

[romberg]

The second wireless router should be configured as a bridge/repeater. Otherwise it will act like a primary wireless access point. And you will have two devices that both think they are a primary access point that can see each other.

This is explained on the following link. If your new belkin firmware does not support doing this, then you could try installing dd-wrt on it. I highly recommend this linux based router firmware. Even God does not know what some of those router manufactures put in there (google cisco).

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Repeater_Bridge

Mike

[xtian]

Thanks, Mike. I run DD-WRT on my primary. I'll check that out. If I set the Belkin to act as a wireless repeater, do you think it's four Ethernet ports will act as a simple hub?

[xtian]

Rats. belkin f9k1102 not supported.

[romberg]

If you ran copper to the belkin then you could run it's four ports as a subnet. But anything fancier kinda requires the cooperation of the firmware. If cost is not a limiting factor, I'd look into a cheap dd-wrt compatible router and set it up as a wireless bridge.

Mike

P.S. Yes, once the wireless bridge is setup the four ethernet ports are part of the same subnet (as well as the wireless connections). Of course with DD-WRT you can setup public/private subnets if you want to.