hello all,
i have a belkin 54g router connected to 3 devices via ethernet. And a Netgear WGR614 router upstairs that connects 3 devices via ethernet. They are within range of each other and i know for a fact that the Belkin can be set up as an access point. Is it possible to cross the networks over. So that those connected using the netgear can access the internet through the belkin ?
Consider that a "wireless router" is actually a router with a built-in Wireless Access Point attached to the LAN (the 4 ports of the built in switch). Devices on the wired connections and the wireless connections are on the same network subnet. Adding another access point implies that you want to extend the existing network. There are two solutions, both requiring similar configurations. One configuration - wired - will work with mixed brands of equipment as you have. The second - wireless - may not due to the somewhat proprietary nature of these special configurations.
Regardless of how you connect your two network devices together, you need to do the following:
One device will actually be a "router" - it's WAN port will connect to the Internet provider (DSL or Cable modem port). It will provide DHCP service to the LAN (wired or wireless). The DHCP service will hand out the DNS address provided by your ISP. In some cases, it will hand out the router's address, which will forward requests outbound. Either way, there's usually no special configuration needed when the router is connected to an ISP on the WAN port. Make sure this device is in "gateway" mode, which accepts a DHCP address on the WAN and uses a private (usuallly 192.168.x.x) on the LAN.
Identify the channel that the wireless radio is using. _____
(Optionally - manually configure it to 6)
Identify the IP address of the LAN interface (usually .1). _____
Identify the IP address where the DHCP server starts: _____
(optionally - define the range as .32-.127)
Identify your SSID:_____
Identify any WEP, WAP, or WAP2 keys:_____
Record the devices MAC address: _____
The second device will need to be configred as an Access Point only. DO NOT use the WAN port on the second device - doing so will unnecessarily complicate your configuration. Disable the DHCP server on the second device - only one DHCP server is necessary.
Assign the device a different radio channel than the first unit - make sure the channels are separated by at least 4. (ie channel 6 and channel 11 are good choices). Manually assign a Static IP address to the LAN interface of this device. Use a network address in the same network, after the primary device's address but before the DHCP scope begins. (eg - if the Primary device LAN interface is 192.168.100.1, and DHCP is 192.168.100.8-254, assign the secondary access point a 192.168.100.2 address). The netmask (usually 255.255.255.0) MUST be the same on both devices.
WIRED CONNECTION:
Provides highest performance of wired and wireless devices, and simplest configuration. However, if you simply need some wired connections, an inexpensive 4-8 port switch is just as easy. If you are having signal quality issues between floors and think you need a second AP, you probably just need to select a better (less crowded) wireless channel and re-orient the antennas. Make sure your antennas are as close to vertical as possible. If you use external antenna, they must be a multiple of 5" apart.
Connect a CAT-5 cable from a LAN switch port on one device to a LAN switch port on the other. Most devices available today use Auto MDI, so the cable type used won't matter (straight-thru or cross-over). If you aren't sure if Auto-MDI is supported on at least one device, use a cross-over cable. That's basically it. You can connect wired or wireless devices to the second device.
WIRELESS CONNECTION:
Since you have two different brands, and I'm not personally familiar with the NetGear unit, I'll do what any good instructor would and provide enough facts and direction for you to perform and understand your own investigation. The second device configuration will depend on whether you need to extend the wireless range, or are looking to provide wired connecitions between two unwired locations.
For a second wireless AP to extend the range, you'll need to read the install guide and implement what is commonly called "AP Wireless Repeater mode". You might need to configure the primary device's MAC address and IP address in the secondary unit, which is why you recorded them earlier. Note that this method can significantly affect the overall performance since wired and wireless data are sharing the wireless connection.
For a second wireless device to provide remote Wired connections, you will need to configure Wireless Bridge mode. This allows using the 4 LAN ports as if they were on the primary device, but connected without wires. Kind of like a switch with a wireless uplink. This does not have as much of an impact on performance. Most install guides (download the full guide instead of using the "quick-setup" sheet.) will explain how to configure these two modes - the key is understanding which one to use in what situation.
Glenn