Routers stopped working after months

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MaggieAllen

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Sep 12, 2014
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I have two LinkSys routers in two locations. Eash has its own passphrase. The two worked together for 14 years, then suddenly stopped working together. Each router works alone but I cannot find why they won't work together anymore. About 6 months ago I replaced the primary router (the router connected to the modem first) with a wireless router. Both were then wireless and they continued to work together with no problems until they quit about 6 months after the one was replaced. It is inconvenient to have to unplug one router connection and plug in the other one to the incoming cable modem every time I change locations with my laptop.
 
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Seriously, if doing a factory reset (hard reset) will not restore the system, I would replace the router that will not work. Since the computer/modem/first router system works, it is unlikely to have anything to do with the computer, modem, or first router settings. You have already spent hours trying to solve this, to no avail. And it would be very interesting to see if a new router #2 does the job. Good luck with this. But if you want to delve deeper, try this.

Connect each router one at a time to your computer. Check that the IP's are different for each router. Go into the Setup page for each router and be certain that they are NOT both on 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1 (dependent on brand). If so, change the IP of the second...
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Iatros

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Feb 11, 2005
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Try connecting to one router with one computer and accessing the setup pages (usually 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1). Check all of the settings and run a self-test. Do this with each router and ascertain whether they are working.

With more recent routers, failure is much more common, and repair is not an option. Just have to keep buying new ones, by design I guess.

When you say they 'worked together', you don't mean they were actually connected to the same machine or to each other? You simply meant that each was used by a separate computer. Otherwise, you would have had to give each router a distinct IP, right?
 
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MaggieAllen

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Sep 12, 2014
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Thanks so much for your response. The routers were connected to each other.

One router is located in my home (Router location #2) and the other one is in my office (Router location #1). My home and office are separate buildings located beside each other. It is impossible to use one wireless router for both locations so we installed two routers that were connected to each other.

Router location #2 and Router location #1 were originally wired as follows: Cable modem to Router location #1. Router location #1 to Router location #2. The signal from Router location #2 in the house was picked up by all wireless devices in the house. Router location #1 was hard-wired to two different desktops in the office. Router location #1 is the router I replaced with a wireless router about two months ago. Router location #2 was replaced in 2008.

The new wireless router in Router location #1 automatically installed and generated a passcode which I entered into both my laptop and cell phone. The wiring pattern was not otherwise changed. Both my laptop and my cell phone worked for two months or more on the corresponding router whether I was in the office or the house. My phone and laptop are set to auto connect to the appropriate signal. Then one day, the routers quit working together. Just like that.

After they quit working together, I found I could plug the router that I want to use directly to the cable modem and it would work. Both routers work but only the one that is plugged into the cable modem will show as a WiFi connection on my computer and will receive and generate a wireless signal. Because of this I have to change the router connection that is plugged into the modem every time I move from office to house.

My question is, “If both routers worked together for so many years and they each still work alone, what might have changed their settings so they won’t work when connected to each other now and how do I make them work together again, if possible.” One last observation, the two office desktops are still hardwired to Router location #1. Just like the laptop the desktops had no problem going online when the routers were wired together. But since the routers stopped working together the desktops can now only go online if Router location #1 is the router I have connected to the cable modem.

I have already tried resetting the entire system several times by disconnecting everything and then reconnecting everything in the proper order including the connections and the electrical power for each. Is there any other way to reset the system? It's like the routers are cancelling each other out.

 
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Iatros

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Feb 11, 2005
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18,520
Seriously, if doing a factory reset (hard reset) will not restore the system, I would replace the router that will not work. Since the computer/modem/first router system works, it is unlikely to have anything to do with the computer, modem, or first router settings. You have already spent hours trying to solve this, to no avail. And it would be very interesting to see if a new router #2 does the job. Good luck with this. But if you want to delve deeper, try this.

Connect each router one at a time to your computer. Check that the IP's are different for each router. Go into the Setup page for each router and be certain that they are NOT both on 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1 (dependent on brand). If so, change the IP of the second router to a different IP by changing the third set of numbers, say something like 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.1.1. Just be sure that the modem IP is also different. Since the routers are in different locations, I think you can enable DHCP for both routers as long as they are not in wireless range of each other. But if in doubt, try disabling DHCP on the second router. Also set the second router to look at the first router's IP access. Again, good luck.

If you are not certain how to access the router, it is simple. Connect only one router to the computer. Call up your web browser. In the address box where you might see, for example, www.tomshardware.com , delete the current address and input the numbers that constitute the router IP, such as 192.168.0.1, and press Return. You will get a window asking for user name and password. Most routers are factory set to use 'admin' for user name, and either 'admin' or 'password' for those. Don't change 'em. Now you can look at the settings of the router. Programming a router is not hard, but it can be daunting if you have not done it before. I have to refer you to online help from whichever router manufacturer you have.
 
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