Connecting to Home Network (Linksys Router) Through RG

[ntlknight]

Hello, in my home, we have an AT&T RG which feeds a Linksys router via an ethernet cable.  The Linksys router then feeds many wi-fi devices in our house including a wireless printer.  The only device that is connected directly to the RG is a desktop computer which needs uninterrupted internet and thus we use an ethernet cable plugged into the RG at all times.  This desktop computer is not able however to connect to the home's network and benefit from the printer or sharing files with other network devices. 

Is there a way to connect to the home's network from the desktop computer which is plugged into the RG?

To help illustrate the setup better, please see this picture...

Thank you

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

You need to either:

1. Plug the desktop computer into one of the LAN ports on the Linksys

or

2. Configure the Linksys to be a wireless access point only instead of a router. Follow the directions in the following link to accomplish this:

http://forums.att.com/t5/Residential-Gateway/U-verse-for-BUSINESS-2Wire-3600HGV-bridge-mode-or-anoth...

[ntlknight]

Thank you for your quick answer.  Before going down the road of configuring the Linksys router to be a wireless access point (due mainly to the fact that I have 3 other Linksys routers running DDWRT and configured as access points that are connected via wi-fi to the Linksys router that is hard-wired to the AT&T RG), would it be possible to do something like this:

Since the desktop only has 1 ethernet connection, could I use a 2-to-1 ethernet jack like this:

...and connect both the AT&T RG and the Linksys router to this and plug those into the single ethernet port on the desktop?  Would I be able to be connected to both the RG and Linksys at the same time, getting internet from the RG (or both) and also being connected to the home network?

Thanks in advance

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

No, that will not work. Ethernet cannot just be bridged together electrically, it must go through a switch.

But even if you do that, the RG's network and your Linksys's network are on different IP address ranges, so they couldn't communicate with each other anyway.

[ntlknight]

I have an extra ethernet switch I could use, but it sounds like you would not recommend this.  Besides, I'm not sure how I'd plug both the RG and Linksys into the switch, as there is only 1 input port and 4 LAN ports.  But like you said, the 2 routers have different IP addresses (192.168.1.254 and 192.168.2.1).  Even though they wouldn't be able to communicate together, is there a way that I could switch from one to the other (without having to get behind the computer and unplug one ethernet cable and plug in the other)?--somehow internally change which router the desktop is being connected to--so that I can use the wireless printer when needed?

Thanks

[Computer-Joe]

If you could provide your reasoning behind having one computer connected to the RG and everthing else the Linksys we might be able to provide a suitable work-around. 

If the reliability of the Linksys is in question, dump it, if not your Linksys connected computers should only lose connection when the RG does, so being connected directly to the RG would not help.

Is the Linksys acting as the gateway/router for the rest of your network? Is it set to the DMZ in the RG?

You might be able to set up a static route in the Linksys depending on how you have the DHCP pool set up in the Linksys.

As Somejoe mentioned the ethernet cable splitter won't work, but you could install a second ethernet adapter in the computer and have one connected to the RG and one connected to the Linksys. Do not "Bridge" the connections on the computer though.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
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I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
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There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
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“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[ntlknight]

My reasoning for having the desktop computer plugged directily into the RG may be more in my head than an actual need.  The desktop computer is used for important work that needs a constant internet connection.  The Linksys router (which connects to the RG via ethernet cable) does seem to suffer from frequent disruptions...and I assumed this was because we have anywhere from 8-15 devices connecting and disconnecting all the time, from the kids Android phones, iPods, laptops, Xbox'es, visitors with their smart phones, laptops, etc.  I used to have the desktop plugged into the Linksys and once a day, or once every 2 days, the internet connection would drop or be disrupted till I restarted the LInksys router.  Since I've been plugged into the RG, this hasn't happened...unless AT&T's connection is disrupted (which happens once or twice a week).  That's the "reasoning" in a nutshell, but since I need to be connected to the network printer, I'm willing to go back to beling plugged into the Linksys router along with all the other wireless devices.

Yes, the lInksys is acting as a gateway/router for the network and yes, it is set to DMZ.

One other related problem I'm having which I need your counsel with (which I may as well bring up now) is that the network printer changes IP addresses all the time.  This makes it difficult for all computers trying to print, as we have to search to see which IP address the printer is on daily.  The wireless printer is connected to *another* Linksys router (not the "main" one we've been discussing which is running stock firmware), but it is connected to one of the other 2 Linksys routers which I flashed to DDWRT and they act as gateways to plug internet devices into (like the printer, Xboxes, etc) while being connected to the internet and home network.  How can I set the printer to a static IP address so that we don't have this problem of having to search for the printer each time we need to print?

Thank you

[Computer-Joe]

Ahh, so the plot thickens. Your flow chart is actually a tad more complicated than it appears. Could you redraw it with all the routers showing how they are interconnected (wired/wirelessly) and their hierarchy (branching/nested). As well as where (which router) and how (wired/wirelessly) user devices connect.

Are you using the other routers as wireless access points or wired switches for the main Linksys?

Are all connected user devices (downstream from the main Linksys router) on the same subnet, ie. 192.168.*.* ?

As far as your main Linksys router, depending on it's age, maybe it's time for an upgrade. The newer models with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz "N" wireless with MIMO might be good. Less apt to get overloaded and crash. Might also be able to ditch one (or both) of the other routers if all they're used for are wireless access points.

The printer should be able to have a static IP address set through it's local control panel. Pick an address that is in the same subnet as the rest of your network but not within the DHCP pool set by your main Linksys router.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[ntlknight]

Sorry it took me a while, here's the complete picture with all routers involived.  The only thing not showing in this diagram are all the wi-fi devices that connect and disconnect all the time (laptops, smartphones, etc).

So far I'm happy having the main desktop computer connected directly to the Linksys router, so it can be on the home network and get access to the printer.  Though, if it were possible, I'd rather get my internet directly from the RG while still being on the home network at the same time.  With so many IP addresses logging in and out (of the Linksys router(s)), the IP addresses can get mixed up and sometimes require a router reboot.

The main problem now is the network printer keeps switching IP addresses, which makes it very inconvenient to easily print without searching to see which IP address it's on each time.  In the Network Configuration, this is the first menu I get:

...then by clicking on Configure TCP/IP, I get this:

Thanks again for your help.

Best Regards

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Wow.

[SomeJoe7777 ACE - Geek]

In the "Configure TCP/IP" screen of the printer, change the Boot Method -- see if there is a "static" or "none" option there.

[ntlknight]

Thank you, SumJoe!--that did it!  I called Brother tech support today and they didn't have any solutions to setting a static IP address...glad you did!  There was a Static setting in the Boot Method menu...and so far that has held the printer's IP address.

Thank you so much!

[Computer-Joe]

Also, uncheck APIPA, The Automatic Private IP Addressing might be kicking in and assigning an IP before the DHCP in the routers can assign an address.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[ntlknight]

OK, just un-checked APIPA.

Thanks