Internet Connection Sharing with router as switch

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foxnews

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
378
Here is my network setup: Internet --->3G hotspot ---> PC ---> Router --->Laptop and WDTV

PC connects to 3G hotspot using wireless PCI card with ICS turned on, and PC connects to router using PC NIC LAN port.
Laptop connects to router through wireless and WDTV connects to router through ethernet.
with this setup and settings below, all devices can connect to internet. PC and WDTV can see each other.

The problem is that I can't access to router web config UI. To gain access to router settings, I have to set my NIC IP to router subnet 192.168.1.x but other device lost access to the internet. any ways to fix this?

My router (Linksys E3000) Settings:
• Internet Connection Type: Static
• Internet IP: 192.168.127.2
• subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
• Default Gateway: 192.168.127.1
• DNS 1: 192.168.0.1
• Router IP address: 192.168.1.1
• DHCP Server: disabled

NIC settings:
• IP=192.168.127.1
• subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

WDTV settings:
• IP: 192.168.137.3
• subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
• Default Gateway: 192.168.127.1
• DNS: 192.168.0.1
 
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What router do you have? Depending on what it is we can make this process simpler by having it be: Internet > 3G Hotspot > Router as a wireless client > All computers.
 
Eh. That's too bad. DD-WRT(3rd party firmware) isn't out of testing yet with that device.

Your listing of settings is kind of confusing in it's organization. But I'll give it a shot. Is the router plugged into your PC via a LAN port? If it isn't, plug it in through that. Go to the router config page by setting your PC's nic ip to 192.168.1.2/255.255.255.0 and change your router's IP to 192.168.127.150/255.255.255.0. Set ICS back to how you had it (change back the PC's nic IP) and hopefully it should all be working now.
 
CaseyBlackburn said:
Eh. That's too bad. DD-WRT(3rd party firmware) isn't out of testing yet with that device.

Your listing of settings is kind of confusing in it's organization. But I'll give it a shot. Is the router plugged into your PC via a LAN port? If it isn't, plug it in through that. Go to the router config page by setting your PC's nic ip to 192.168.1.2/255.255.255.0 and change your router's IP to 192.168.127.150/255.255.255.0. Set ICS back to how you had it (change back the PC's nic IP) and hopefully it should all be working now.
Click to expand...

my pc connects to router through LAN port, with NIC settings in my first post.
I tried that before but linksys won't let me and complained that router IP (the third xxx group), in yelow in my first post, can't be the same as Gateway IP, in red.

I also have an old WRT54GS version 1
 
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You aren't plugging it into a LAN port from your PC most likely or you have it set and it's unneeded. Plus, just set the Internet Settings area to Dynamic or DHCP because you won't be using it as your router anymore. Then try to make that change.
 
CaseyBlackburn said:
You aren't plugging it into a LAN port from your PC most likely or you have it set and it's unneeded. Plus, just set the Internet Settings area to Dynamic or DHCP because you won't be using it as your router anymore. Then try to make that change.
Click to expand...


cable connects to PC NIC and router LAN port, not internet port.

if I set Internet Connection Type = automatic configuration: DHCP, other devices connecting to router lose internet connection.


my understanding is that the router sees PC NIC as internet connection and uses NIC's IP with a gateway IP.
 
That makes no sense then. Your Internet Connection Type being set to anything shouldn't change anything because you aren't using the WAN port and that's all it's in control of. You did go back and make sure all your ICS was set back to before, correct?
 
CaseyBlackburn said:
That makes no sense then. Your Internet Connection Type being set to anything shouldn't change anything because you aren't using the WAN port and that's all it's in control of. You did go back and make sure all your ICS was set back to before, correct?
Click to expand...

PC wireless Card is set to ICS. those settings I got from searching Google and all devices got internet access.
 
look like DD-WRT does support E3000 now. but what addtional features are practical to have?
 
foxnews said:
look like DD-WRT does support E3000 now. but what addtional features are practical to have?
Click to expand...

It's still in test builds. I've been paying close attention and following the development forum because I have the E3000 as well. I was going to have you to go with DD-WRT because you could have it connect directly to your 3G hot spot as a wireless client and then have it serve you your internet connection.
 
Which make/model 3G Hotspot?
Is the 3G Hotspot in a different room? Or are you able to run an ethernet cable to it? Most of them are just a router themselves, note the 192.168.127.1 LAN IP.

My inclination would be to streamline the network, get rid of Windows ICS (which quite frankly stinks)...make your Linksys LAN IP 192.168.127.2, disable its DHCP, and uplink it to the 3G unit using a LAN port of each.
 
I agree with Casey, this is a bit confusing. Wouldnt just connecting the ICS'ed computer to the router's WAN, then just getting all over devices to pull an IP from the E3000 just be easier?

If you really dont want to go that way, then you have to change the the E3000's device address to an address in the subnet of the ICS'ed NIC and turn off DHCP on the E3000. Default gateway and DNS wouldnt even matter in the E3000 because at this point all its doing is switching. Then connect everything to LAN ports on the E3000.Set your WDTV and Laptop to get DHCP, and they will pull from the ICS'ed NIC, not the router.

This results everything being on the the same subnet and being able to talk to each other.

Interesting though, when I turned on ICS before writing this reply just to verify... My ICS'ed NIC has an address of 192.168.137.1. Double check yours just to make sure.
 
jadams said:
I agree with Casey, this is a bit confusing. Wouldnt just connecting the ICS'ed computer to the router's WAN, then just getting all over devices to pull an IP from the E3000 just be easier?

If you really dont want to go that way, then you have to change the the E3000's device address to an address in the subnet of the ICS'ed NIC and turn off DHCP on the E3000. Default gateway and DNS wouldnt even matter in the E3000 because at this point all its doing is switching. Then connect everything to LAN ports on the E3000.Set your WDTV and Laptop to get DHCP, and they will pull from the ICS'ed NIC, not the router.

This results everything being on the the same subnet and being able to talk to each other.

Interesting though, when I turned on ICS before writing this reply just to verify... My ICS'ed NIC has an address of 192.168.137.1. Double check yours just to make sure.
Click to expand...

Not sure I understand you completely. when I set ICS on my wifi card, window 7 auto set my NIC to 192.168.137.1 (which I then set to 192.168.xxx.1)

if I don't set my router internet IP/Gateway/Static, my laptop and WDTV won't connect to internet. if I set router internet settings, linksys won't let me set my router IP in the same subnet as NIC's IP, which then I can't access router.

in order to have all devices access to internet, I have to set router internet settins and give up access to router UI.
 
dont change the address ICS sets your wired NIC as. Leave it default.

Reset your E3000 just to verify default settings.
Set your latop to a static ip address of 192.168.1.2 / 255.255.255.0, verify you can ping the E3000
Login to the router by pointing a browser to 192.168.1.1
On the LAN tab of the interface (if its anything like the last Linksys I used) disable the DHCP server
Also on the LAN tab, change the device ip address, (NOT the WAN ip address) to 192.168.<whatevertheicsnicis>.250 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0 <---this is the address you will access the web interface on from now on, once you click save/apply you may not be able to get back to the web interface
Change your laptop NIC back to getting an IP address automatically, run an ipconfig to verify you get 192.168.137.x, and your gateway and dns is the same as the ICS nic. If its not, then run an ipconfig /renew
As long as everything including the ICS pc are connected to LAN ports on the E3000, everything should "work", do not connect anything to the WAN port
You shouldnt have to do anything else.



But actually the easiest way to do this and make it work would be to hit the reset button on the router. And connect the Wired NIC on your ICS PC to the WAN on the E3000. The router will do the routing from your laptop/wdtv to your ICS pc. They will also get an IP from the router allowing you to access the E3000's web interface. But we'll try this if the above doesnt work.
 
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jadams said:
dont change the address ICS sets your wired NIC as. Leave it default.

Reset your E3000 just to verify default settings.
Set your latop to a static ip address of 192.168.1.2 / 255.255.255.0, verify you can ping the E3000
Login to the router by pointing a browser to 192.168.1.1
On the LAN tab of the interface (if its anything like the last Linksys I used) disable the DHCP server
Also on the LAN tab, change the device ip address, (NOT the WAN ip address) to 192.168.<whatevertheicsnicis>.250 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0 <---this is the address you will access the web interface on from now on, once you click save/apply you may not be able to get back to the web interface
Change your laptop NIC back to getting an IP address automatically, run an ipconfig to verify you get 192.168.137.x, and your gateway and dns is the same as the ICS nic. If its not, then run an ipconfig /renew
As long as everything including the ICS pc are connected to LAN ports on the E3000, everything should "work", do not connect anything to the WAN port
You shouldnt have to do anything else.



But actually the easiest way to do this and make it work would be to hit the reset button on the router. And connect the Wired NIC on your ICS PC to the WAN on the E3000. The router will do the routing from your laptop/wdtv to your ICS pc. They will also get an IP from the router allowing you to access the E3000's web interface. But we'll try this if the above doesnt work.
Click to expand...

so I should set up like the followings?

Wireless ICS NIC on Desktop (connected to 3G hotspot) is set to ICS and it shows:
IP: 192.168.0.26
subnet:255.255.255.0
Gateway:192.168.0.1

wired NIC on Desktop connected to router's LAN port:
window 7 autoset to 192.168.137.1 and leave it unchange.

Router: do I set as the following?
Router IP: 192.168.0.250
router subnet: 250.250.250.0
disable DHPC

WDTV: what setting?
IP ?
subnet?
Gateway?
DNS?
 
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Almost!

Set the E3000's device/LAN ip address to 192.168.137.250 / 255.255.255.0

Make your laptop and WDTV get an IP automatically through DHCP. The wired ICS pc will hand out the IP addresses for them.

Make sure ALL devices are connected to LAN ports on the E3000. Not WAN ports.

This should be it.

------------------

Keep in mind that while doing all this you will lose connection to devices until you change to an ip address thats on the same subnet.

For instance.... When you first reset your E3000 it has 192.168.1.1 IP. Your computer will pull an IP address from it through dhcp, probably 192.168.1.100.

Once you change the IP of the E3000 to the IP i suggested above you wont be able to communicate with it until you change the IP of the latop to be on the same 137.x subnet.

Do you see whats happening here? The ICS'ed PC has a 137.1 address, your laptop and WDTV will pull and IP address from that ICS'ed PC in the 137.x subnet. You manually change the E3000's address to the 137.x subnet. Everything ends up on the same subnet and can speak with each other.

Hope this helps.
 
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Wireless ICS NIC on Desktop (connected to 3G hotspot) is set to ICS and it shows:
IP: 192.168.0.26
subnet:255.255.255.0
Gateway:192.168.0.1

wired NIC on Desktop connected to router's LAN port:
window 7 autoset to 192.168.137.1 and leave it unchange.

Router: do I set as the following?
Router IP: 192.168.137.250
router subnet: 250.250.250.0
disable DHPC

WDTV: failed to auto connect. I have to set it manually. what settings should I set?
IP: 192.168.137.2
subnet: 250.250.250.0
Gateway: 192.168.137.1
DNS: 192.168.0.1

Laptop: auto wireless connect

all devices work now. Thanks alot
 
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You're welcome

I also assume you're using 255.255.255.0 as a subnet mask rather than the 250.250.250.0 you mentioned. I dont think windows will even allow you to set that mask as its not a valid one. If you have this set on the router change it to 255.255.255.0
 
jadams said:
You're welcome

I also assume you're using 255.255.255.0 as a subnet mask rather than the 250.250.250.0 you mentioned. I dont think windows will even allow you to set that mask as its not a valid one. If you have this set on the router change it to 255.255.255.0
Click to expand...

it was a typo. I use 255. This setup is much simpler than my original one. thanks again
 
one more thing: under network and sharing center (window 7), it shows my network as "unidentified network" and "public". how do I change these to private and to Ciscoxxx like it used to be able to identify my router name
 
foxnews said:
one more thing: under network and sharing center (window 7), it shows my network as "unidentified network" and "public". how do I change these to private and to Ciscoxxx like it used to be able to identify my router name
Click to expand...


found the solution. I have to put in the default gateway of my router for my NIC.
 
my network setup was working great using settings from this post. Thanks guys for your help. but here one issue:

after my vacation, my desktop can not access shared folders on my laptop even though it can see these shared folders on my laptop. my laptop can still access to shared folders on my desktop. why it works only one way? :confused:

my desktop can see its own shared folders under network in window explorer but it can't access them either.
 
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