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I am having issues with connecting my two routers together. I want to form a single network with two routers. Here is a illustration:

Network Schematic

The problem is that when I connect the routers like this it doesn't just work. The routers are connected via. cable. Router #2's WAN port is connected with Router #1 ethernet port. This doesn't seem to work "out of the box".

I've seen the answer here already but it doesn't really answer my question.

Are there any specific setting I must adjust to make this work?

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  • There's no magic switch. You'll have to configure the routers the way you want them to work. There are plenty of guidelines for two-router setups on Super User and elsewhere, but if you have no clue where to start, you're probably better off replacing Router #2 by a switch, or at least leaving its WAN side unused and connecting to a LAN port instead. Mar 21, 2013 at 9:14
  • I've done this before, with a router behind a router behind a router, with a switch connected to that (connected to another switch using a Powerline adapter, to complicate things). One thing I don't see mentioned is to make sure DHCP is turned off on the router. I am assuming you want it to function like a switch and not like a router. If you don't turn it off, bad things will happen. And connect using the LAN port, not the WAN port. Jul 13, 2018 at 0:18

4 Answers 4

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You simply can't connect the WAN port to your local network. You should link them together by the LAN ports. Also - all the computers in you network should have the same mask for instance 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0

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In your current setup you have 2 networks, one for every Router. The Computers attached to Router 1 can't see the Computers connected to Router 2, they only see Router 2. If you replace Router 2 with a Switch, your problem should be solved. If that is not an option for you, you could try to connect the Routers LAN-port to LAN-port and deactivate the DHCP-Server on one of the Routers.

I recommend that you replace Router 2 with a Switch. This way you avoid possible problems that might occur with two Routers like if you forgot to switch off one of the DHCP-Servers.

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You could install the dd-wrt firmware on router #2 or both. I have this setup and that is what I did. The firmware can also make the WAN port another LAN port so you don't loose one. You can also connect it without a wire and use wireless to extend your network. There are a lot of wiki help pages on http://www.dd-wrt.com/ . You can also extend your wireless network connecting the 2 routers. Connecting just the LAN port can work just make sure the DHCP is not for the same range. i.e. 192.168.1.2-50 and #2 192.168.1.52-100 and have the static IP router 2 as 192.168.1.51. Lots of options, but switches can be ~$15.

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You can use Route Summarization using techniques like OSPF, EIGRP and RIPv2 if you need to send data from one router to another if you don't want to replace the router with a switch.

An understanding of IP addressing is key for this however.

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  • Seems a little high-key for a home network. Mar 21, 2013 at 13:39

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