Member Avatar for AmrReflection

I wondered if I can attach 2 routers to only one line ?

Edited by pritaeas because: Moved to networking
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Zakaullah commented: what is meant by line here? +0

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Short expert summary tying the existing remarks together and a practical checklist for a home webserver.

As noted, ISP limits (single PPPoE session on DSL, or MAC/public-IP limits on cable) are the biggest real constraint. For a reliable, low‑maintenance web server the simplest and most robust approach is to let one edge router hold the public IP and handle NAT/firewalling; this avoids PPPoE/MAC problems and the headaches of double‑NAT that warned about.

Minimal, practical setup (preferred)

  • Place the server on a fixed LAN address (DHCP reservation) so forwarding never breaks.
  • Configure the edge router to forward required ports (HTTP/HTTPS, SSH if needed) to that fixed IP, or put that IP in the router’s DMZ.
  • Use Dynamic DNS if the ISP IP is not static.
  • Verify whether the ISP blocks ports (common on residential lines); if so, either request an exception/a static IP or use hosting.

When two routers are required

  • Cascading (Modem → RouterA → RouterB → Server) works but introduces double NAT. Make RouterB use a different subnet (e.g. 192.168.1.0/24 vs 192.168.2.0/24) and forward the incoming ports on RouterA to RouterB’s WAN IP. This preserves isolation but complicates inbound access.
  • Prefer converting the spare router to AP/switch mode (disable DHCP, connect LAN‑to‑LAN) if the goal is wireless/extra ports — that removes routing complexity.
  • Modern NICs handle auto MDI‑X, so crossover cables are almost never needed (a correction to ).

Quick troubleshooting & safety notes

  • Check local reachability first (ping and local curl), then test from a remote network. Keep firmware and server software patched, change default passwords, and monitor logs. For anything public‑facing or customer work, consider a hosted VPS or provider-grade service as and suggested.

Recommended Answers

All 9 Replies

Member Avatar for Shinedevil

Well depending on what you mean by this, yes. You can. Have one cable, attatch one router to one end and the other to the other end and now they are on the same line. But, if you're talking about splitting a cable or something, I'm not sure about that.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

Yes, you can have two routers connected to the same internet connection. However, for a home type of connection, this is usually a problem since internet providers only allow one PPPoE connection (DSL), and cable proviers may limit the number of MAC addresses conecting to the line.

However, in a corporate network, the internet connection may be plugged into a switch, which then has two routers connected to that switch. From each router, the network segments continue to be connected.

Please explain what you are trying to accomplish so that a proper recommendation can be given to you.

Member Avatar for Mike+9

You can practically have as many routers as you want if that is what you are asking. I currently have a modem and a router connected to that modem.

Member Avatar for AmrReflection

Basically I need this Because I'm trying to host my own home webserver and I need to have another router instead my old one to have full functionality. I do not want to throw the old one away but I need to have a new router with only one connection which is to the server

Member Avatar for JorgeM

So, you could have a perimeter router that connects to the internet, then just plug in additional routers into that perimeter router. However, if you are not familiar with routing protocols, this will be challanging for you.

You mentioned a web server. I would suggest that you consider hosting the web server with a provider instead. If you are trying to set up a web server to sell websites, I encourage even more. Keep in mind that at home, you typically do not have a fault tolerant, redundant set of systems. Hosting providers have already invested in this type of infrastructure.

There are a lot of providers out there that will sell you a service, which allows you to "re-sell" the service making you a web hosting provider for your customers.

Do some research before you move forward with setting this all up at home.

Member Avatar for hazzag1995

I have tried doing the same thing. The only way i can think of, to provide and internet connection the the 2nd router, and if you cannot use more than 1 DSL connection, use a cross-over etthernet cable (not a standard ethernet cable) and then connect your web server to the second router, therefor giving you the functionality of the first router, on the second router, but only using 1 DSL line.

Member Avatar for kevin2s

Yes you can attach 2 or more routers on 1 lines its so simple

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

Yes, what you get looks like a 'series' circuit where internet is delivered by modem, modem goes to router 1, router 1 goes to router 2.

In this case, I don't see the need for multiple routers. All you need is a router that suports a dmz connection of does port forwarding in order to support at home web servers. DD-wrt does this well, but most consumers routers do this anyway.

I would not use a home network for any serious web work. You can easily get a hosted service for $10 a month. IF you know what you are doing, even VPS service can be had for $5 a month.

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