Hooking Up Multiple Routers

Posted by Matt Johnson | 2008-01-07 17:17:23

If you have two router/switch boxes you can connect them to create a bigger network.

How to do it

  1. Turn off all your stuff, router/switches, and modem.
  2. Disconnect everything (except the coax cable from your modem)
  3. Connect one Cat-5 cable to your first router/switch and to a computer. Turn on both objects
  4. Point a browser to your default gateway, usually 192.168.1.1 and make the following changes to your router/switch:
    1. Set the local ip to 192.168.1.1 (it is probably already set at that)
    2. Enable DHCP (usually set like that)
    3. Set the operating mode to router
    4. Save changes
  5. Connect one Cat-5 cable to your second router and computer. Turn them on
  6. Point a browser to your second router's IP and make the following changes:
    1. Set the local IP to 192.168.1.2
    2. Save changes now (if you had changed the IP and turned off DHCP at the same time, you'd have some problems)
    3. Go back to your default gateway again and make these changes:
    4. Turn off DHCP
    5. Set the operating mode to router
    6. Save changes
  7. Turn off both routers
  8. Connect the modem to the internet port on the first router/switch
  9. Turn on the modem
  10. Turn on the first router/switch
  11. Go to your default gateway and to DHCP client release and renew
  12. Connect the first/router switch to the second router/switch using lan ports (not the internet/WAN port)
  13. Turn on the second router
  14. Go to the default gateway on the first router, and do another DHCP client release and renew
  15. Everything should be on the same network now

These steps might be hard to follow, so if you have some trouble, shoot me an email