How do I set up a wireless router to piggyback off a hard wired router?
I have a hard wired network in my house and recently got a laptop. Going to a totally wireless network is not an option. I have heard you can connect a wireless router to a hard wired router. What do I need to do to accomplish this?
Public Comments
1. You can wire both together.The best way, to avoid IP conflicts, is to run a cable from the LAN port of #1 to router #2 WAN port. However, you have to set things up right first...
1) Log into the admin page of #2, and set the IP address to something different than router #1, else routing won't work. ie: 192.168.33.1 or something else... (but in 192.168.x.1 range)
2) Set the wireless channel on #2 to something different than #1 (if it's wireless - if not, skip this step), like channel 1 or channel 11, assuming #1 is at default channel 6.
3) Set #2 WAN port to use DHCP
4) Plug LAN port from #1 to WAN port #2
That should do it. However, there are some gotchas:
1) Computers on router #1 cannot see computers on router #2, because #2 is blocking incoming requests, as routers do...
2) Computers on #2 can see everything on #1 LAN (all local computers, because they initiate the outgoing connections (so put servers, etc. on Router #1)
3) all computers on #1 and #2 can get to the internet, wired or wirelessly...
Now, on some routers (not many), they may not want to router 192.168.x.y packets, as it is supposed to be "non-routable". In that case, set the second router LAN address to something else, and see if that works...
