Can i plug a wireless router into my wired router or do i need an access point?

Question

I have a wired router at the moment which has an integrated parallel printer port which i want to keep which you obviously can't get on newer routers, i can get a wireless router from a friend cheaper that a new access point, can i use the wireless section of the router in conjunction with my wired router and forget the rest or will i have to get an access point

Cheers

Answer 1

Well, you can but it gets a little tricky. Like if you want to use your printer - you wont be on that network the wireless router will move you to another network (that's what they do split networks).

Some routers can be configured as access points and have the ability to disable the routing functions (not many but a few) so you might be able to do that but dont count on it.

If it were me, I'd get a standard Access Point. It will be much easier to setup and use.

Answer 2

Depending on what model of wireless router you have this can be very easy or it can be fairly complicated if you're not exactly sure what you're doing.

As Hokum said, many routers will automatically disable DHCP functionality if you plug the ethernet cable connecting the wired router to the wireless router into available LAN ports on both routers and not into the WAN port on the wireless one.

If this is not working for you with just one step, try the below with the wireless router plugged into a power source and into one PC through a LAN port, for config purposes, but not connected to the wired router and thus to to your original network.

On some routers this will have to be done manually in order to turn the wireless router into an access point only; the methods for doing this vary from model to model but usually it's as simple as disabling a toggle option.

The next step is one that is ALWAYS overlooked by people trying to do this. On common router models like the DI-524, for instance, which takes a default static IP of 192.168.0.1 instead of the more common 192.168.1.1, you will have to change the default address of the wireless router to register on the same network as the original router, instead of creating it's own. Pick something that does not conflict with any other static internal IPs given to the other machines on the network (eg. - 192.168.1.X , excluding 192.169.1.1 assuming that is your original router's static IP and any other static addresses on your existing network) This will always be an issue, even when connecting two routers of the same manufacturer because they will attempt to occupy the same static IP so this will need to be done.

Now connect the wireless router to the wired router via LAN ports on both ends and you should have a working "stack" or daisy-chain. You can test if you're getting connectivity through the other router by leaving the PC connected to the wireless router via a LAN port as opposed to trying to jump straight to wireless.

After establishing that there is connectivity, configure the wireless settings according to what you need.

Get back to me if any of this is unclear or if you run into a problem.

Answer 3

You can plug the wireless router's WAN port into the other router's LAN port. Then activate the wireless on the wireless router.

I would give the wireless router WAN port a static ip. Let's assume the wired router has DHCP activated in the 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.255 range and that the wired router's LAN IP is 192.168.1.1. I would change the DHCP range to 192.168.1.3 to 192.168.1.255 range. This frees up 192.168.1.2 to dedicate it to the wireless router.

Configure wireless router's WAN IP to static IP, 192.168.1.2. subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1 (the wired router's LAN IP), DNS 192.168.1.1 also. Do NOT activate DHCP to the wireless router's LAN side, let the wired router do this job. Configure the wireless LAN using all the security you can to keep freeloaders and hackers out. The above assumes that the existing network does not now have a static ip of 192.168.1.2 in use; if it does make the wireless router static ip something else and change wired router DHCP range to not include the wireless router in the DHCP scheme.

Do not change any settings on the wired router's WAN side. It is OK as is.

You should reboot everything after making router changes. BE SURE to SAVE the router configuration after making changes or they will be lost on reboot. Reboot pcs also as they may need a new IP.

Answer 4

You can use the wireless router just fine if money is an issue. If you can afford to buy one, an acccess point will be simpler to install and maintain over time.

The only drawback of using the wireless router is you are doubling your configuration work, and adding in that much more troubleshooting if you get connectivity problems down the line.

Answer 5

Yes but no. You can connect the wired router/hub into your wireless router, and it should connect intially just fine. However, depending on your ISP, you will find yourself rebooting those pieces of equipment frequently. If you are a routing whiz-kid, it is possible to configure your wireless router to reduce incidences of your network crashing. The best thing to do, IMO: Buy a router, connect your computer(s) and connect the printer to one of the computers. Configure a local area network with your own domain, and share the printer with other computers on the network. For detailed information on how to accomplish this, visit this website: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=87c0a6db-aef8-4bef-925e-7ac9be791028&displaylang=en

Answer 6

you can use a wireless router to connect it to your existing wired router. that's very possible. but of course you will need to disable the dhcp functionality of the wireless router for it not to conflict with the first one. to disable it, you may simply plug the ethernet cable to one of the regular ports on the wireless router. automatically that should work. never use the internet port on the router for it is specifically used by the modem.

Answer 7

Yes you can, you need to use a crossover patch lead to do this (unless you have an uplink port which does this for you)

in the wireless router's configuration set it to DHCP slave (not DHCP master) and it should configure according to the settings of your existing wired router.

I think you also need to set the gateway settings to point to your existing router.

Then all you need to do is configure the wireless settings and you are done.

Answer 8

Do NOT use arouter. 2 routers always cause trouble on the network, as they both try to route, and this can actually stop the connection sometimes. Use an access point.