Adding WRT54GS to a network that has BEFSR41 as wired router

Question

Hi --
I just bought a WRT54GS router and would like to use it to add wireless capability to a network that already has a BEFSR41
acting as the router. The network currently works fine (and, I know, I should save myself the hassle and just buy an access point,
but I'm living at home for only a few months, and when I move out, I'll need the router, so I'm hoping to make it work in the meantime
so I can have wireless access here).
To start, I set up the wireless router as indicated in the following link (which is Answer 358 on Linksys' "Easy Answer" page -- for
"How to connect a wireless router to a regular ethernet Linksys router):
http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=358&p_created=1084209764&p_sid=k-BMgUbi&
p_accessibility=0&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD00ODcmcF9wcm9kcz0mcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJja
F90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfcGFnZT00&p_li=&p_topview=1
(wow, there's a long URL for ya)
Essentially, that told me to use the Setup screen on the WRT to turn its DHCP feature off and then to assign the wireless router to 192.168.1.254.
Ok, so far, so good.
That all worked, and the "link" light on the BEFSR router is on for the port where I'd plugged in a straight-through cable to the WRT wireless router.
Similarly, the lights on the WRT are on, for both "Internet" and "WLAN", so it looks like those two are connected okay.
I tried connecting to the wireless network then, but couldn't get it to pull up an IP number when I had my "Network Connections/TCPIP Properties" control
panel set to automatically obtain an IP number. I switched to assign a static IP number to the wireless connection -- which I'd already done
with the same computer's wired ethernet connection and to another computer that had a wired connection. After doing that, I was able to get the
wireless connection to connect with said static IP -- excellent signal strength, IP number 192.168.1.103 as assigned, everything looking good.
Only problem is I can't connect to the Internet using any program I tried. I tried "ping 192.168.1.103" and that worked.
Tried "ping 192.168.1.254" (the wireless router) and that worked. But try "ping 192.168.1.1" (the BEFSR router) and no luck.
Similarly, no luck when pinging (or trying to pull up with Firefox) www.yahoo.com. I've followed the "Easy Answer" that told me to turn
down some of the connection settings, but that didn't do anything.
However, the desktop that I had sitting there that was plugged into the BEFSR works fine and is able to connect to the 'net, no problem.
Again, the connection goes: Ethernet into cable modem. Cable modem into the BEFSR router. Cable from BEFSR router into three wired
desktops _and_ the WRT54GS. All the wired access points work (I'm typing on one now, from the same computer that can't get the wireless
access working) but the wireless won't.
Anyone have any ideas what's happening? It seems like something weird's going on between the wireless and wired routers (since
I can't ping from my computer to the wired router via the wireless connection -- and, also, because even when I plug a computer into the back
of the WRT router with a CAT5 cable, it doesn't work, so it seems like the problem isn't the wireless but rather something about traffic
going out/coming in through the WRT) but I can't figure out why. I'm sort of a novice at all this; able to find instructions and follow
directions but I'm at the limit of what I've figured out and can't figure out why there'd be a problem in between the WRT and the BEFSR
when it looks (from the solid green lights on both of them) like the connection is working just fine.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
-K
[edited to:
- break the really long lines into shorter ones
- add that I'm running Win XP on all of the machines I mention
- add that I'm able to get to the BEFSR's web-based admin utility from the wired computers and to the WRT54's admin utility from the
wireless connection and things look okay there
- add that I've tried running the set-up utility that came on the installation CD but that just gets stuck partway through the process]Message Edited by Kilrathi on 07-06-2006 08:34 PM

Answer 1

I have almost the same issue just a bit reversed and cant figure it out. I have the wireless WRT54GS as the main router. Setup as PPPOE for dsl (which is plugged into the internet port)DCHP enabled. MTU auto size 1432. ip 192.168.1.1
Advanced routing operating mode gateway, interface lan & wireless.
Second router BEFSR41 V3 set to auto search for ip. ip assigned 192.168.1.2 Nat enabled, DCHP disabled. tried to get it with from first router port 2 to 2nd router internet port. Worked for some time then power went out and now both the computers connected to the 2nd router are offline. Tried your guys idea of router 1 port 2 to router 2 port 2 but that didnt work.
Edit: Fiddled with it, smacked a buncha resets and such. Works now in the port 2 to port 2 deal. GG all.
Message Edited by Gavilian86 on 12-13-2008 08:41 AM
Message Edited by Gavilian86 on 12-13-2008 08:46 AM