Connecting Two Routers
Why Two Routers
Why would anyone want to hook up two routers? Good question. There are a few reasons.
* Most routers only have four wired connections. You may need more. (The main reason.)
* Your wireless signal may be weak, and this could be a way of raising your antenna (signal strength) to another level.
* You may want to connect other devices such as RJ-45 equipped hard drives. This allows all computers on your LAN to access that hard drive with proper configuration and software in place.
Connections For The Second Router
There are two possible locations/connections for adding the second router.
* You can connect the second router to the back of a router already in operation.
* If you have a wired LAN (Local Area Network) system in your home, you can connect the second router to any of the wired jacks .
Special Steps For Connecting Two Routers
There are special steps for connecting two routers to each other that must be followed exactly. I will use the D-Link brand as an example. For other brands, or updated D-link software you can easily locate the steps by opening your particular router software.
If you have a laptop or second computer you can use that for adjusting these settings. Otherwise disconnect your main computer from the original router and connect it to the second router as follows.
1) Power up the second router, connecting it to the computer via the LAN port. Enter http://192.168.0.1 into your browser's address bar (or the access IP for your particular brand of router).
2) Under Router Settings, enter an available IP address. E.g. 192.168.0.2 Use this new IP address to access the configuration of this router in the future.
3) Uncheck the Enable UPnP checkbox. This is usually found under Advanced>Advanced Network..
4) Uncheck the Enable DHCP Server checkbox. This is usually found under Setup>Network Settings.
Depending on the router model, you may have to save after each step or on some models you can do all the steps and do a single save at the end. Just make sure all the steps are completed and show the changes.
Disconnect the router from the computer by removing the Ethernet cable. (If you used your main computer, then reconnect it as it was to the main router.)
Physical Wiring Connections For Two Routers
Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports of the main router to one of the LAN ports on the second router. (LAN to LAN)
Important: Do Not Plug Anything Into The Internet Port or WAN Port Of The Second Router.
You now have 3 LAN ports on the second router to connect other Ethernet devices and computers.
To configure the second router's settings, enter the IP address you assigned above into the browser address line on the computer.
To configure the original router settings, enter the original IP number in the browser address bar.
If you want to have the second router in another location or on another level of your home, just plug an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports to the wall jack, and plug your computer or other Ethernet equipment into a LAN port on the second computer.
Or by turning the wireless portion on, you can now broadcast your signal on a different level of your building. Be aware if you turn both wireless transmitters on in both routers you may run the risk of interference or signal loss due to interfering signals. A bit of trial and error testing may be required for that one.
With this setup the first router issues the IP numbers to all computers on your LAN. With this setup you can easily connect other devices to your network such as RJ-45 equipped hard drives and so on.
(January, 2008)
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