Network configuration issue is driving me batty

A

AshleyG

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
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My in-laws share a business location with a friend. They also share an internet connection. The current network setup is as follows:

Charter cheapo rented cable modem
|
V
Linksys BEFSR41 Routers (Primary business owner) -> desktop & POS
{
V
ASUS RT-N13U -> Desktop & laptop

The store has a 16Mbps connection. The systems connected to the Linksys have no problems whatsoever hitting high speeds. The computers connected via the ASUS router average 80kbps on a good day. I have also tested the connection with an old SMC B/G router and my DL-4300 router that i use at home. No matter what router is being used, the 2nd tier systems get crap bandwidth.

The BEFSR41 configuration system is so basic I can't seem to do squat. The same download speed issue occurs no matter which port the ASUS is plugged in to.

Both parties want this resolved as inexpensively as possible. What should I do to get this anywhere close to working well?
 
that will only work if the cable provider will allow them to lease 2 WAN addresses via the cable modem...
 
Asking because it wasn't stated. You did try a different network cable to connect between the two routers as well as switching ports and the second router, correct?

Also, did you check the second router to see what type of connection it was reporting for the WAN to make sure you aren't getting a negotiation mismatch? For example, Linksys thinks its a 10 Mbps full duplex, ASUS thinks its a 10 Mbps half-duplex.

With those speeds it really sounds like a bad cable or other issue causing a duplex mismatch.
 
duplicate post, something is breaking edit using IE, works with Firefox.
 
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Dropping by charters website shows that all business internet packages have 3 dynamic ip's allowed. The switch method will be the easiest and cheapest method that will work, if you are using charter business.

The reason you are seeing such crap speeds is because you are using the Linksys router to handle nat translation for the charter line, then you are having the Asus handle nat translation to the Linksys which is already doing nat. On such baby routers, this causes throughput issues. It shouldn't be done anyways...

If you want to get pro about it, you could setup a PFsense 2.0 box with 3 nics (grab most any old pc and throw some nic's in it), use it for nat, routing the subnets and handling vpn's, then use rules to isolate the businesses networks from each other but allow them both access to the internet.
 
awesomo said:
The reason you are seeing such crap speeds is because you are using the Linksys router to handle nat translation for the charter line, then you are having the Asus handle nat translation to the Linksys which is already doing nat. On such baby routers, this causes throughput issues. It shouldn't be done anyways...
Click to expand...

Its best to avoid double NATting as it can cause some issues in particular cases, but even with consumer grade routers, you shouldn't have issues with the double layer from a router capacity standpoint until you get up into the 50+ workstation range. Unless you are using P2P apps. Then a really low end router can have issues with just one P2P user.

You can reduce the double layer NATting issues by putting the second router in the first router's DMZ.
 
at home, i'm running modem > fedora linux box with 2 nics > dlink switch/router > linksys running dd-wrt

the linux box was easy to setup, handles the NATing, setup easily with the firewall and network gui's.

the 2 soho routers are all connected with just the switchports, wan ports unused. dhcp/dns disabled in both, though.

the machines in my room are directly connected to the first switch and the rest in the house attached to the second. been getting superb performance all around. the NAT box is a pent3 700mhz with 512mb of ram, running fc11.

(remember, the lan side nic of the nat box is the default gateway for all machines on the network. dnsmasq gives it a dns server. dhcp from the dnsmasq gets a little fucked with the different vlans, or something to that effect. caused by the 'router' stacking, at least)

if this is within your capabilities, i really can't stress enough how beneficial a separate nat box from the crap soho routers really is.
 
I suggest the pfsense route or smoothwall and ditch both of the routers

Or even ditch one of the routers. Can the berf*** router do vlans? vlans could easily provide the simple sense of security they are probably looking for (in not being able to see each others PCs on their individual nets.
 
Thank you all for your help. I have currently gone with a simple switch solution to give me time to build a nat box this summer.

I called Charter to make sure that they had enabled all three IPs for the account (they had not) and got an earful from the phone tech. He asked me how I was rigging the setup to work (modem-switch-routers) and he told me that in his 20 years of tech support he'd never heard of it being set up like that; he told me to hook the main router up to the cable modem, the switch to the first router, then the second router to the switch. He told me that's the only way he knew how to make it work. I just smiled and "uh-huh"ed for five minutes as he droned on, then set it up like you guys suggested. Five minutes later we had two speedy separate networks with no slowdown on either side.

Unfortunately, the router on my wife's side of the store (ASUS RT-N13U) died in the process. The Linksys it was hooked up to (the first router in the chain) has killed two other downstream routers in the past two years. I can't describe the death, except now that I'm toyng with it at home the menu system is excruciatingly slow and I can't even update the firmware without a timeout error. I can't even use it as a repeater - the thing reboots every hour or so and has to be reconfigured. Ah, so be it. Any suggestions there?

Thanks again for all your help!
 
AshleyG said:
He asked me how I was rigging the setup to work (modem-switch-routers) and he told me that in his 20 years of tech support he'd never heard of it being set up like that; he told me to hook the main router up to the cable modem, the switch to the first router, then the second router to the switch. He told me that's the only way he knew how to make it work. I just smiled and "uh-huh"ed for five minutes as he droned on, then set it up like you guys suggested. Five minutes later we had two speedy separate networks with no slowdown on either side.
Click to expand...

Lol @ techs who clearly haven't gone to school for this ;) I <3 that with PPPoE, and it's better because as long as you're not going nuts, they won't really care.
 
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