Router to switch to router

[Kraizk]

Ok i would usually try and explain why i am trying to do what i am attempting to do but to be honest its complicated.

Basically I have a U-Verse Gateway with a D-Link DGL-4500 connected to it that is then has a switch connected to it. I need to hook 1 more router (Linksys BEFW11S4) for wireless purposes to this switch yet when i do it fails to find any sort of an internet connection. However when i connect the Linksys to the D Link it works fine. Now connecting the linksys then the switch is not an option because of a server computer i use. IS what i am doing even possible? I am sure i left out important info so please feel free to ask questions.

 

[wordsworthian]

Yes, what you want to do is possible. And also - having the D-Link > Linksys > switch doesn't necessarily cause any problems to the server...maybe just a little more configuration.
But doesn't the D-Link already provide wireless connectivity?

 

[Kraizk]

The d link does provide wireless but with the limited range of portable game systems part of my house doesn't have a signal hence why I am ok with wireless b. Plugging the router in before the switch for some reason stops all PC's from finding the server on the network the Internet works great but it's like the routers all create seperate networks between plugged in devices. Is there a remedy for this?

 

[mitchflossin]

Are you using DHCP or static IP addresses? My guess is multiple devices are trying to serve out addresses and causing conflicts. If you are using DHCP, turn it off on all devices except the one you want to hand out addresses. Give the rest static IP addresses and you should be fine. Also, a lot of these routers have different IP addresses out of the box. If you haven't changed any of these settings, it's certainly possible they're on different networks.

When you have everything connected like you want it, which devices can you ping? What are the IP addresses?

 

[Kraizk]

Im sorry i'm not sure i fully understand. I assign static addresses and ALL PC's have internet access. This IP you are talking about do you mean the default 192.168.0.1? in which case does that have to be the default for all routers to allow computers to see each other? i hope my question makes sense. i really appreciate the help.

 

[mitchflossin]

It isn't necessary to assign IPs to each host (although you could if you wanted). Correct me if I'm wrong, but your ideal setup is this:

Uverse gateway>>dlink>>switch>>linksys

The 192.168.0.1... which device does that IP belong to, the DLink? What my hunch is the linksys router is not on the same network as the dlink. For example it may be 192.168.1.1 If that's the case, change the Linksys to something like 192.168.0.2. You can leave DHCP turned on on the DLink so it can hand out IPs to your machines.

 

[Kraizk]

I made the changes you recommended but still fail to gain web access through the router. the switch does not have to come before the linksys but i do need to see the server on PC's connected to the dlink which i also cannot do.

 

[mitchflossin]

Can you list the IP addresses of each router? Are they all 192.168.0.xxx?

The PCs are set to obtain an IP and DNS automatically I presume?

If all the routers are on the same network (192.168.0.xxx) and assuming DHCP is working properly, all should be well.

What happens when you try to ping each router from a PC?

If that still doesn't work, try assigning a static IP on one machine and see what happens. Make sure it's a 192.168.0.xxx address.

I have a very similar setup at my house with a cable modem-router-switch-wireless router.

Let me know how this goes.

 

[Kraizk]

I can't seem to get my linksys to pick up an Internet connection everything including things hooked to the switch work flawlessly. It's the pesky router. Everything is 192.168.0.x. Does dynamic routing need to be on?

 

[mitchflossin]

Routing shouldn't be an issue since we're not forwarding packets to a remote network (we're essentially using the router as a switch). What port are you plugging into on the Linksys? Or have you tried multiple ports? You wouldn't want to use the "Internet" port.

When you have everything hooked up the way you want it, please post me the results when you ping each each router from a PC.

You can do this by opening up the command prompt (typing cmd at the run prompt) then typing "ping 192.168.0.xxx" (minus the quotes)

 

[Kraizk]

I have tried both the internet port as well as 1-4. when i use the internet port nothing happens. When i use 1-4 the wifi as well as internet access works perfect temporarily but then it becomes unresponsive over time (sometimes seconds all the way up to hours. Either way when i ping from other PC's i am told that it is unresponsive.

 

[eibgrad]

One of the big problems I see here is that it's never made clear whether these devices are patched LAN to LAN or WAN to LAN. That makes all the difference in the world. The WAN port defines the boundary between subnets. And anytime devices end up on the same subnet, you then have to make sure those devices don’t present competing services (namely DHCP) or conflicting IPs within those subnets. And subnets at these boundaries should never use the same IP scope. As long as these principles are understood and applied, you can avoid a lot of problems.

Frankly, I’m not even sure whether having the Linksys BEFW11S4 either before or after the switch matters. I really don’t understand the goals here. For all I know the OP has made this unnecessarily complicated. I wasn’t even 100% sure if the D-Link DGL-4500 (G) was or was not offering wireless service, or whether wireless has been exclusively delegated to the Linksys BEFW11S4 (B). It might help if we could hear more about the INTENT or NEED rather than presented w/ a predetermined configuration (particularly one that APPEARS overly complex), then trying to “fix up” that configuration.

It’s not my intent to make this more complicated than necessary, but so far progress seems to have stalled. And I fear adding more suggestions is only adding duck tape to an already questionable configuration.

Anyway, as I said, if you follow the principle I’ve outlined in the first paragraph, it should become apparent why something isn’t working as planned/expected.