mccoolaustinm said:
I was intending to do what you said with the new router- leave it in place and connect the new one to it, using its wireless instead. I tried to install a basic access point once before with a verizon router and couldn't get it to work- for some reason I thought they were incompatible, and now I can't remember why. One question however- if I'm only turning off the wireless on the Actiontec, can I still use its four available LAN ports to connect to nearby devices? Not an issue, but wondering if, when I run out of ports (more than 4 devices connected directly to it) I can connect to the Actiontec without any additional hardware.
You can, but that can be a lot trickier to set up.
Easy way:
Plug 3 devices into the Actiontec's LAN ports. Plug new router's WAN port into the Actiontec's last LAN port.
- This will create two networks, one within the other. The 3 devices will be on the outside (Actiontec's) subnet. The new router's LAN ports will be another firewalled subnet within the Actiontec's subnet.
- Devices within a subnet will be able to communicate with each other.
- Devices will not be able to communicate between the two subnets (unless you set up port forwarding on the new router).
- All devices will have access to the Internet.
- Port forwarding you do on the new router for Internet access will have to be duplicated on the Actiontec (forwarding to the WAN IP of the new router).
- The Actiontec router controls traffic to the 3 devices and your new router.
- Your new router controls traffic to any devices plugged into its LAN.
- Optionally - enable the Actiontec's wifi. This can be your guest wifi. It can see the Internet and the 3 devices plugged into the Actiontec's LAN. But it cannot see anything behind your new router.
Hard way:
Plug 3 devices into the Actiontec's LAN ports. Plug one of the new router's LAN ports into the Actiontec's last LAN port.
- This will create one subnet. All devices will be able to see and communicate with each other.
- Before plugging the new router into the Actiontec, you will need to login to the new router using its LAN ports. On the new router:
- - Assign it a static IP address within the Actiontec's domain.
- - Set its netmask to 255.255.255.0.
- - Set its gateway and DNS to the Actiontec's LAN IP address.
- - Turn off the DHCP server.
- - Reboot the new router.
- - If you goof and can't login to your new router, you will probably have to reset it and configure it all over again.
- - Depending on how you goofed, your Actiontec router may not work as long as the new router is plugged into it.
- Once this is set up correctly, your Actiontec controls your Internet connection and is your router/gateway.
- Your new router is essentially acting as a switch + wifi access point. It does no routing. Use the static IP address you set for it to login and configure your wifi.
Easiest way:
The way I originally suggested. Plug new router's WAN into Actiontec's LAN. Plug nothing else into the Actiontec.
- Set DMZ on the Actiontec to point to the new router's WAN IP address.
- Ignore the Actiontec from now on. All traffic will automatically go to your new router. Use it to control your network.
- Yes, just the one step. That's why I initially suggested it.