WLAN with 2 routers. Client visibility issues.

[damarious25]

Hey HF,

Wondering if someone here can help me out? Note: Any PC's mentioned are running Windows 7.

I have an ISP modem/router combo. Connected to that via ethernet is a computer serving as NAS. Recently I got a Linksys WRT320N and it has a hardwired connection from the ISP router. Now I have two wifi networks with connectivity which is what I want. I enjoy having two separate wifi networks, one for company and the linksys as a personal wifi.

What I'm looking to do is have all clients, on both networks, show up as if it is one single network. I know I mentioned the linksys wifi would be for personal use but network wise I'd prefer if my laptop also showed up in network devices. Ya know?

Can someone point me in the right direction towards what I should be looking for and reading up on to accomplish this?

Thanks!!!

 

[C7J0yc3]

Call the ISP, have them put your modem/gateway into bridge mode. Use the Linksys as your normal router / AP.

If you want two SSIDs install DD-WRT and create two VAPs, however if you are dumping all the clients into the same VLAN anyway why bother?

If you want two separate networks but you want your laptop to show up in my network places, you would need to use DD-WRT or the stock linksys firmware to VLAN your VAPs and then add in a NetBIOS helper to be pass NetBIOS between the VLANs (which is how you get your laptop to show up in My network places when on a different VLAN or subnet.

 

[adam30k]

Does the WRT320N support multiple networks? I didn't think it did.. most consumer wireless routers/APs which support a second network keep it simple for the user and will put it on a separate IP range. Therefore you wouldn't be able to do what you want. You could take two access points plugged into your ISP router and they'll everyone will be getting their IP from the router and be on the same network. You don't need more then one router on your network so you can disable DHCP on the WRT320N.

EDIT: Yeah what C7J0yc3 said.. check out DDWRT.

 

[damarious25]

Thanks for all the help so far. I'm a n00b so excuse me if some things I'm about to say sound really dumb.

Call the ISP, have them put your modem/gateway into bridge mode. Use the Linksys as your normal router / AP.

The ISP router and linksys are in completely different rooms and pretty far away from each other. The NAS has to remain hardwired to the ISP router.

If you want two SSIDs install DD-WRT and create two VAPs, however if you are dumping all the clients into the same VLAN anyway why bother?

If you want two separate networks but you want your laptop to show up in my network places, you would need to use DD-WRT or the stock linksys firmware to VLAN your VAPs and then add in a NetBIOS helper to be pass NetBIOS between the VLANs (which is how you get your laptop to show up in My network places when on a different VLAN or subnet.

When I was poking around the linksys firmware I did notice I could choose between DHCP, PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP which I assumed would allow a VLAN. But I don't know enough about VLAN's or if one would act as an extension of the ISP router network or not. When I did click those options just to see what it would allow me to do they all had spaces for a main username and password as if I was connecting to a dedicated server, which I'm not.

You could take two access points plugged into your ISP router and they'll everyone will be getting their IP from the router and be on the same network. You don't need more then one router on your network so you can disable DHCP on the WRT320N.

I will be using the linksys ase personal wifi because it has faster wifi then my ISP router. But, I will also have a machine or two hardwired to the linksys. And again the ISP router and linksys are in different rooms so the there will be hardwired clients to both routers that need to be able to communicate.

Also, I guess I should add it's not VITAL that I keep the ISP router wifi up. That second SSID running from the ISP router is just a perk. I'd be VERY happy if I only had one wifi from the linksys but was still able to communicate with a client hardwired to the ISP router.


EDIT: As I re-read my post it looks like I'm more concerned with having two SSIDs up. Which would be cool but I think the main issue is having two routers in different rooms both with hard wired clients that need to communicate. The wifi and multi SSID questions are secondary. And from the answers I've gotten it looking like I need to set up a VLAN? More questions include: Would a VLAN be an extension of an existing LAN (most likely from ISP router). Or is a VLAN it's own entity and would require both routers to recognize it?
EDIT2: when my ISP installed service I asked them to run ethernet to all the rooms in my place (which they did for free . The ethernet running to a different room connected a HTPC to the network. It's in that room i'd like to introduce the linksys to my network. So, the NAS and other machines in my house all run off the ISP router, but a HTPC and WIFI I'd like to run on the linksys. Thing is I need the HTPC and NAS as well as my laptop all to be recognized under a single network. Hope that clarifies some things.

 

[C7J0yc3]

If all you want is one network with one SSID you just want multiple APs then all you need to do is change the linksys's AP to exactly the same settings as the ISP's AP (same SSID, same protection, everything except channel, pick probably 1 or 11). After you have done that turn off the firewall and DHCP server on the linksys. Finally plug the line coming from the ISP's router into one of the switch ports on the linksys instead of the WAN port and BAM you have exactly what you want. One large network with two APs and wired connections where you need em.

 

[damarious25]

If all you want is one network with one SSID you just want multiple APs then all you need to do is change the linksys's AP to exactly the same settings as the ISP's AP (same SSID, same protection, everything except channel, pick probably 1 or 11). After you have done that turn off the firewall and DHCP server on the linksys. Finally plug the line coming from the ISP's router into one of the switch ports on the linksys instead of the WAN port and BAM you have exactly what you want. One large network with two APs and wired connections where you need em.

Ok, will test in a few mins!

One question. Will the linksys still act as a wireless access point? As in will my laptop choose it as the closest wireless access point for the network if I'm next to it?

EDIT: Ok, it did work in allowing all hardwired computers to see each other! Awesome! Thank you very much!!! Although I did notice my laptop is still uses the ISP router as it's wireless access point. So can I still use the linksys as a wireless access point? If so all I'd need to do is block my laptops mac address on my ISP router and it would be forced to use the linksys as a access point... Right? Or would that not work?
EDIT2: yeah, my laptop is only picking up the ISP router as a wireless access point. I know because it's only 802.11b (or g) and my connected speed is only 54Mbps while the linksys is 802.11n and I can get 140Mbps.