2 Router network.

MM-Seat · 18 Jul 2012 at 23:42

Is it possible to run 2 routers through 2 separate ethernet ports.

I currently have a wireless network but, the router is downstairs and the majority of my devices are up stairs. I plan on bringing the wireless network upstairs and adding a non wireless router downstairs to feed the office PC.

Would this work?

Judgeneo · 18 Jul 2012 at 23:44

Yup, should be fine.
Adding a Ethernet switch would be cheaper and have the same effect

MM-Seat · 19 Jul 2012 at 01:04

What would that do?

kona786 · 19 Jul 2012 at 01:40

a switch is like a very basic non-wireless router - it just splits the incoming connection to 5 or 8 or more Ethernet ports

costs like £10

Sin_Chase · 19 Jul 2012 at 02:00

Switches are intelligent and as the name implies 'switch'. They look at the destination MAC address of a packet and send it to the port with that MAC on it.

A hub will 'split' (Read, clone) connections and broadcast it to all ports.

Semantics yes but a key distinction if you want to know the technical gubbins. As others have said, a switch will do the job just fine and is MUCH preferable to a hub. Hubs are old, perform poorly in comparison to a switch and are no cheaper than the equivalent switch these days anyway.

ChrisD. · 19 Jul 2012 at 06:48

Sin_Chase said:
Switches are intelligent and as the name implies 'switch'. They look at the destination MAC address of a packet and send it to the port with that MAC on it.

A hub will 'split' (Read, clone) connections and broadcast it to all ports.

Semantics yes but a key distinction if you want to know the technical gubbins. As others have said, a switch will do the job just fine and is MUCH preferable to a hub. Hubs are old, perform poorly in comparison to a switch and are no cheaper than the equivalent switch these days anyway.

Where has a hub been mentioned?

bilston · 19 Jul 2012 at 09:08

MilanoChris said:
Where has a hub been mentioned?

It wasnt but your description of a switch prompted the explanation, in case any confusion arose I guess.

As for the OP, give the downstairs router an IP in the pool provided by your main router. Also, turn off NAT, firewall and DHCP server on the downstairs router. Or just get a switch.

ChrisD. · 19 Jul 2012 at 10:07

bilston said:
It wasnt but your description of a switch prompted the explanation, in case any confusion arose I guess.

I didn't describe a switch at all.

MM-Seat · 19 Jul 2012 at 11:38

So, I could keep my network downstairs and run a switch through an ethernet port upstairs? and my wireless problems would be solved?

If so. would is be easier having the switch downstairs and bringing the wireless upstairs as, I have 3 devices which constantly lose wireless connection through being to far away but, if the router is with 5M of the devices then it should have no problem? right?

kona786 · 19 Jul 2012 at 12:31

No you need to take the wireless router upstairs and put a switch downstairs.

MM-Seat · 19 Jul 2012 at 13:13

kona786 said:
No you need to take the wireless router upstairs and put a switch downstairs.

This is what I wanted. Cheers.

deshepherd · 19 Jul 2012 at 14:47

If you've already got the routers then for the one up stairs you can simply ignore the router part of it and connect from downstairs router into one of the LAN ports ... that way you'll just be using the switch side of the router.

I did that a few years ago when I had a similar issue - connected from cable modem into a linksys router which provided the firewall etc then after long cable routed through house connected into LAN port of a DLink wireless router and had PC there connected to another of its LAN ports + connected laptop via wireless network from it. All worked fine - think only slight complication was had to manually set the IP address on the Dlink (to avoid both routers trying to be 192.168.1.1) and switch of its DNS server as linksys was doing this.

deshepherd · 19 Jul 2012 at 14:52

kona786 said:
No you need to take the wireless router upstairs and put a switch downstairs.

Does your router also include the modem .... i.e. do you connect the cable or phone line into it or do you have a seperate modem which connects to the router via an ethernet cable.

If its the latter (seperate modem) then if you are taking the router upstairs and having a switch downstairs then you will need to have 2 ethernet cables from upstairs to downstairs as you would still need to connect direct from modem to router's WAN port and then connect from router LAN port back down to the downstairs switch. (This would be like the original setup I had).

MM-Seat · 19 Jul 2012 at 16:17

Its a router and modem. I've bought the switch, phone splitter thingy and an ADSL cable.

Sin_Chase · 19 Jul 2012 at 20:12

MilanoChris said:
I didn't describe a switch at all.

Not you, someone else; but as bliston said the terminology used could cause some confusion. I also thought it was worth mentioning a hub as physically they look pretty much identical to switches and it might be easy to accidentally buy a hub.

ChrisD. · 20 Jul 2012 at 08:42

Sin_Chase said:
Not you, someone else; but as bliston said the terminology used could cause some confusion. I also thought it was worth mentioning a hub as physically they look pretty much identical to switches and it might be easy to accidentally buy a hub.

Yeah true, or get told by an 'expert' in our favorite purple shop that a switch and a hub are the same. :rolleyes:

bilston · 20 Jul 2012 at 12:37

Yep, sorry wasnt you chris, was kona

MM-Seat · 23 Jul 2012 at 11:41

Right, there's been a big misunderstanding here. I want to use the telephone socket to provide internet upstairs whilst keeping a non wireless router downstairs. I don't want to use a big ethernet cable going the length of my house from the router to the switch. What should I do.

kona786 · 23 Jul 2012 at 13:19

you'll need some powerlines like these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-032-TP

BuZ · 23 Jul 2012 at 16:01

Yes, adding an extra router to any network is fine. You should edit a few setting before doing so and using the network for applications like gaming and stuff. Firewalls within the 2nd router should be disabled. What are you using to connect the 1st router/switch to the 2nd router - an Ethernet/Powerline Adapters or Wirelessly syncing them?