help getting computers on 2 routers to "see " each

Posts: 5 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 12, 2005 Posts: 5

cable modem first connects to a 3 port linksys RT31PT - which has Vonage telephone ports. The Dhcp is enabled on the Linksys.. My regular 4 port SMC Barricade 2804wbr router is connected to the out- port 1 of the Linksys, & Connected to the wan port of the SMC. This leaves 4 ports to connect computers to on the SMC. The SMC DHCP scheme is 192.168.2.1-100. I have used up all 4 ports with 4 computers . I then figured I'd connect another router (in this case a Belkin FD5230-4) (which has the same scheme 192-168-2.1-100)
again to the linksys, which i did & i get internet connectivity, however i cant figure out how to get the computers connected to the SMC to "see" on the network, the computers connected to the Belkin.. Any clues here????

Posts: 90 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: May 05, 2005 Posts: 90

Go to office depot and buy an 8-port router.

Problem solved. Completely and assuredly.

Your time is worth money, probably at least $100 an hour. Use that as a benchmark when messing with computer problems.

A new comptuer these days is like $400. If it takes more than a few hours to fix a computer, junk it and get a new one. Seriously!

Routers are dirt cheap. Rather than try to piggyback different branded routers and spend hours trying to debug their incompatibilities, you are better off just buying an 8-port one or larger.

Yes, technically what you are trying to do "should" work. But there is a big difference between what the spec sheets say should work, and what actually works in the field. I would try to stick with the same brand if you are going to try to piggyback these things.

The amount you "save" trying to keep the old stuff versus the hours spent in frustration trying to make it work just doesn't make sense. Especially if you factor in how much you spent on the Belkin (Belkin???) 4-port router. Sell your old 4-port routers on eBay and recoup some of the cost of the new 8-port job.

Believe me, it only took me about 20 years to figure that one out! I used to try doing esoteric stuff like you are trying to do, just to save a couple of dollars worth of hardware. After being slapped around a few times, I came to my senses. Hardware is now dirt cheap. It is service that costs a ton of money. Your time is money.

Here's an eight-porter at Office Depot for $350. I am sure you can find one cheaper if you look on-line:

Featuring dual Internet ports, the Linksys 10/100 8-Port VPN Router is an advanced Internet-sharing network solution for your small business needs. It has a built-in 8-port full-duplex 10/100 Ethernet switch to connect eight up to PCs directly to Internet connection. Or if you want, you can connect more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. The dual Internet ports let you connect a second Internet line as a backup to ensure that you're never disconnected. You can also use both Internet ports at the same time, and let the router balance your office's requirements between them for maximum bandwidth efficiency.
This router's Virtual Private Network (VPN) capability creates encrypted "tunnels" through the Internet, allowing up to 50 remote-office or traveling users to securely connect to your office network from off-site. Users connecting through a VPN tunnel are attached to your company's network — with secure access to files, e-mail, and your intranet — just as if they were in the building. You can also use the VPN capability to allow users on your small office network to securely connect out to a corporate network. The 10/100 8-Port VPN Router can serve as a DHCP Server, and has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks. It can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet, and has IP address filtering so you can specify exactly who has access to your network. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility. Manufacturer's one-year warranty.

Posts: 183

eric3564 wrote:

cable modem first connects to a 3 port linksys RT31PT - which has Vonage telephone ports. The Dhcp is enabled on the Linksys.. My regular 4 port SMC Barricade 2804wbr router is connected to the out- port 1 of the Linksys, & Connected to the wan port of the SMC. This leaves 4 ports to connect computers to on the SMC. The SMC DHCP scheme is 192.168.2.1-100. I have used up all 4 ports with 4 computers . I then figured I'd connect another router (in this case a Belkin FD5230-4) (which has the same scheme 192-168-2.1-100)
again to the linksys, which i did & i get internet connectivity, however i cant figure out how to get the computers connected to the SMC to "see" on the network, the computers connected to the Belkin.. Any clues here????

Do you have multiple DHCP servers and multiple routers? That is an invitation for confusion. Disable the DHCP servers in the SMC and Belkin routers, connect any one of each router's LAN (not WAN) ports to the Linksys or daisy chain them. Let them act as switches, not as a routers, and you should get good results. The DHCP server on the Linksys should hand out IP addresses to all devices on the network regardless of the router to which they are physically connected.

Don't throw anything out yet. You don't have to buy a new house because the furnace isn't working.

Posts: 90 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: May 05, 2005 Posts: 90

It is not worth spending more than an hour to "fix" a $100 router.

Heck, it is not worth spending 10 minutes.

If you want 8 ports, buy 8 ports.

Computer stuff is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP.

What you are doing is like trying to repair a dixie cup.

This talk about "throwing out the house" is utter nonsense.

Get away from the idea that computers are capital equipment. They are more like disposable diapers. Generally, they are obsolete in 2-3 years, tops. So don't get too attached to them.

When they break, toss 'em. Most electrical equipment is not repairable, or costs more to repair than it is worth.

MANY of the troubles I see in this forum are instances (like here) where someone is trying to save $50 worth of equipment and willing to spend hours, if not days, doing it.

LET GO! It's just a crappy Belkin router.

DITTO for buying used Vonage boxes off eBay to save $25 over a new one from Vonage. The hassle ain't worth it.

DITTO for trying to salvage a computer with a blown network card by putting a new network card in it. If the computer is more than 2 years old, toss it. It's halfway to obsolete.

If you want to FIX this thing, and make SURE it is fixed, and not mess around reconfiguring stuff, jusy buy an 8-port, plug it in, and be done with it. Kill a fly with a sledgehammer. The fly always surely dies (and the sledgehammer costs a lot less than you think).

My solution is SURE to work the first time, right out of the box. Isn't that what it is really all about?

Or do you like spending hours on musical hold, reading manuals, and getting frustrated?

Frankly, life is too short for all that.

If you want to make this stuff work, don't go cheap on the equipment.

Posts: 183 · Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 6:13 pm Post subject:

I don't believe that everything is disposable. All of the hardware the OP has is probably working fine. It is just hooked up and confured wrong. Take a few minutes and fix it.

Think of what else one could do with the time spent in line or online at Best Buy or CompUSA.

Reconnect the darn router and take the family out for dinner with the money you would have wasted.

Posts: 11 · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:55 am Post subject: Solution

I'm not familiar with how to configure your other routers. I have a similar set up, but I use all Linksys routers.

What you need to do is turn off the DHCP Distribution on all the routers but the Vonage router. Then configure the other routers with a static IP that falls in with the Vonage router, but make sure you give it a number that follows the Vonage so that you can access them via the web interface too. (That is if there even is one)

For Example:

Vonage: 192.168.15.1
Router 2: 192.168.15.2
Router 3: 192.168.15.3

The subnet address would be the same as the main router, most likely 255.255.255.0

The gateway addresses would be the IP from your main router, most likely 192.168.15.1

That should solve your problems. Just make sure they are all connected to each other. The cable modem should be connected to the one providiing the DHCP distribution.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 06, 2005 Posts: 1

I think your configuration should be like this:

Linksys - Wan port connected to Internet
- LAN port connected to LAN port of other Router

Set up the Linksys to do the DHCP, turn DHCP OFF on the other router, and give the other router a static IP address that is in the same subnet, but outside the range that the linksys DChp is handing out.

For example, if the DHCP is handing out 10 addresses from 192.168.5.100 to 192.168.5.104, then set up the other router as a fixed IP of 192.168.5.99.

This is the way I have mine set up, and it works just fine. all the computers and printers on the network see each other, no matter which router they are connected to.