PC connected to a modem router and PCs connected to another router to be the same network

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

I have the following setup:

- Modem router (router 1) standing in one side of the house
- From router 1 a network cable all the way to another router (router 2) to the WAN port.
- A PC (PC1) is connected to the router 1 with a LAN cable.
- Other PC (PC2) is connected to router 2 via WIFI.

Now PC1 and PC2 are in different networks and they don't connect between themselves.
Is it possible to somehow merge these networks together?
Note that the connection between router 1 and router 2 is only to the WAN port. However, I have a switch next to router 2. So I tried to connect router 1 to router 2 together to WAN and to LAN. That worked partially. I was able to access PC2 from PC1, but not the other way around, also the USB drive connected to router 2 was not accessible from PC1. Maybe I need to change some setting on one of the routers?

Thanks. I hope it's clear

Shaun o · May 29, 2016

First of all, wrong.

You do not connect from the first router to the second and connect it to the Wan port of the second router.
You connect it to the other Ethernet ports provided on the back of the second router.

You then connect all of the other computers to the remaining free Ethernet ports of the second router.

In the first router Dhcp should be enabled.

For the second router disable Dhcp of the router.
Use a wired cable to the second router, and access the router firmware set up menu of it to turn Dhcp mode off.

If you do this any wired connection to the second router will be on the same IP Address pool range of the first router.
eg: 192.168.0.8

The subnet address will also be in the same range as the first router.
255.255.255.0

And the Gateway address, plus the Dns addresses will also be the same as if using a wired connection to your first router.
From router 1 to Router 2, all computers connected to router 2 via a wired connection will be on the same network as the first router, instead of two separate networks.

On some routers you can get away with connecting it from the Lan port of the first router, then to the Wan port of router 2.
And simply make sure on the second router you turn off Dhcp mode.

That way it will also if the router allows it to run on the same network as the first router with Dhcp enabled.
You are then essentially expanding the one network to all devices connected to router 1 and router to work under the same IP address range given by the first router.

But the problem is by doing it that way, you also have to make sure you disable the hardware firewall of the second router.
You must make sure you do this, as well as turning off Dhcp of the second router.

Hlsgsz · May 29, 2016

You need to use your second router as an access point.
First of all assign a fixed IP address to the second router taht is withing the first router's network, but outside the DHCP range(you do this to be able to still access the second router's config).
Then you just connect the first router to the second router through a LAN port, not WAN.

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

Hlsgsz :

Do you mean that instead of first router WAN port I use LAN port?

Hlsgsz · May 29, 2016

whatever61 :

No. The first router's WAN port should have teh internet connection. And you connect teh routers through LAN ports(on both of them)

Hlsgsz · May 29, 2016

whatever61 :

I have the following setup:

- Modem router (router 1) standing in one side of the house
- From router 1 a network cable all the way to another router (router 2) to the WAN port. LAN here. Not WAN.
- A PC (PC1) is connected to the router 1 with a LAN cable.
- Other PC (PC2) is connected to router 2 via WIFI.

Now PC1 and PC2 are in different networks and they don't connect between themselves.
Is it possible to somehow merge these networks together?
Note that the connection between router 1 and router 2 is only to the WAN port. However, I have a switch next to router 2. So I tried to connect router 1 to router 2 together to WAN and to LAN. That worked partially. I was able to access PC2 from PC1, but not the other way around, also the USB drive connected to router 2 was not accessible from PC1. Maybe I need to change some setting on one of the routers?

Thanks. I hope it's clear

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

Hlsgsz :

Ok, that's basic. This I know.. Then your first post contradicts this post or I don't understand it

You say that I should connect it to a LAN port instead of a WAN port..

Hlsgsz · May 29, 2016

whatever61 :

Shaun o :

Hlsgsz :

Ok, that's basic. This I know.. Then your first post contradicts this post or I don't understand it

You say that I should connect it to a LAN port instead of a WAN port..

Wheres teh contradiction? Just use teh second router as a switch. Don't use it's wan port.

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

Hlsgsz :

whatever61 :

Shaun o :

Hlsgsz :

Ok, that's basic. This I know.. Then your first post contradicts this post or I don't understand it

You say that I should connect it to a LAN port instead of a WAN port..

Wheres teh contradiction? Just use teh second router as a switch. Don't use it's wan port.

Ok, I confused something

I will give this a try. Thanks!

Hlsgsz · May 29, 2016

whatever61 :

Hlsgsz :

whatever61 :

Wheres teh contradiction? Just use teh second router as a switch. Don't use it's wan port.

Ok, I confused something

I will give this a try. Thanks!

First assign it an IP address like i said in my first reply, or else you will have a hard time accesing it's settings.

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

Didn't manage to make it work.

Here's what I did:

Connected the cable router 1 LAN to router 2 LAN (instead of WAN as it used to be before).

router 1 IP address: 192.168.0.1 Subnet: 255.255.255.0
router 2 IP Address:192.168.0.99 (assigned by me). Subnet: 255.255.255.0

DHCP enabled on both routers.

The moment I changed the router 2 IP to 192.168.0.99 that moment I lost internet connection.
I am not sure what I was supposed to do in internet connection setup on router 2 (if anything).
But I tried DYNAMIC IP and STATIC IP. STATIC IP I filled in the same IP 192.168.0.99 and in the gateway 192.168.0.1. In the DNS I filled in the DNS of the internet provider.

USAFRet · May 29, 2016

1. Multiple routers in a residential situation is rarely a good thing.
Dumb down any secondary 'routers' to be just a switch and/or Access Point.

2. In a network of this size, you need and want one and only one DHCP server.

whatever61 · May 29, 2016

USAFRet :

1. Not sure why do you think so. it's a very common situation since the modem provided by the ISP is also a router, but it is not enough to cover the whole house so we got another one. It is positioned in a way that it covers one side of the house and the "main" router covers the other side of the house.

2. Users connect to both routers wirelesselly sometimes, so I suppose turning off DHCP would be inconvenient.
Anyway, how is this related to my initial question?

USAFRet · May 29, 2016

whatever61 :

1. In the event the ISP supplied router is lacking, another device is needed. Sure.
But it does not have to be a 'router'.
An Access Point, or switch.
Or a router, dumbed down to be an Access Point.

At which point it ceases to be a 'router'.

2. DHCP.
Having 2 devices serving up internal IP addresses is not a great idea. Router #1 giving out 192.168.1.5, and Router #2 giving out 192.168.1.5....now we have a problem.

The secondary device, be it an access point or router, should be just a passthrough device. The end point system...your laptop...should be getting the IP address from the main router.

Hlsgsz · May 30, 2016

Yes. DHCP should only be enabled on the first router. Disable it on teh second. Teh first router will handle DHCP for the netire network, and that includes wireless connections to teh second router.
Basically, the second router becomes a switch with wireless, also known as an access point.

whatever61 · May 30, 2016

Hlsgsz :

So you think it didn't work just because the DHCP was enabled?
I just need to a lot of changes in the network, to give this a try, so I wanna be sure.. : )

Thanks

Hlsgsz · May 30, 2016

whatever61 :

Yes. DHCP definitely needs t be off on teh second router. I'm sorry it escaped me and i didnt mention that in teh first place.

whatever61 · May 30, 2016

Yes, it works now!

Thank you very much everyone!

PC connected to a modem router and PCs connected to another router to be the same network

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