Wireless Woes; Can I use two routers?

Hello everyone.

I'm having some issues at home with my connectivity. We've recently brought a few new computers into the house, and we're having issues getting them to stay connected to the wireless.

I've always sat at my desk, hooked into my router via ethernet cable, and have only connected my cell phones, etc to the wireless. I'll move my laptop around the house every so often, but not enough to notice any sort of degradation in quality.

However, the other laptop (and a ps3) are having problems connecting to my wireless. They can initially connect to the network, but they won't be able to access anything beyond the network itself, ie, no internet connection. I've tried just about everything I know in order to solve this. The kicker is though, that sometimes, it all works flawlessly, like there is no problem at all. I can't seem to recreate the problem or (solution?) reliably enough to rule anything out, other than being plugged in is the way to go. Obviously, that's not ideal, so I'm looking at options.

I have an additional router that can be deployed if that is possible. If I were to split our cable line with a splitter in the other room where the 2nd laptop is normally used, can I add a router onto that? Or does it need to be plugged into the modem to receive data?

I'm sort of at a loss at this point. Any information would be great. My router is a Linksys WRT120N and I have Cox Cable internet if that helps anything.
Thanks!

 

My brother had a problem when he would have friends with PS3's come over and it'd kill his Wifi. My solution was to hand him my box of Cat 5e .

You could be having issues with wifi connectivity on the router.

Try swapping routers for a bit and see if that makes a difference.

Also, if you decide to use both routers, you need to do this:

1.) Internet from Cox goes into router #1.
2.) Router #1 is configured as it probably is now.
3.) Router #2 is changed in the configuration from a 'router' to a 'Wireless Access Point'.
4.) Router #2 is then connected to any wired computer port on Router #1.

I hate wireless issues. They are usually a result of poor hardware. I'd deem poor hardware as anything purchased from Best Buy, etc. I have a el-cheapo wireless router too, and I have occasional hiccups.

Unfortunately the only real solution is 'real' routers that are ~$400...and up.

But try the steps I said, they'll probably fix your issues.

 

If you want stability, you can get it for much less. I have run older Buffalo WHR-HP-54 series routers on dd-wrt v24 sp1 and v23 sp3 (I think that was the version) for years with zero failures and no reboots required. They just work like telecom equipment. They're the kind of stable and reliable you build into walls because you forget about them.

My latest router is a netgear WNR3500L and it's been rock solid stable on dd-wrt V24 sp1 since I got it 3 or 4 months ago. Only time will tell.

 

I have a really old linksys running dd wrt that needs to be rebooted every so often, and I have it set to auto-reboot every morning at about 4 am. dd wrt is great.

 

You can use 2 routers. One remains the router connected to the cable modem. The other becomes additional LAN ports and/or a WLAN access point with nothing connected to its WAN port (and not configured as a gateway/router). The two routers would connect via two LAN ports, either with a normal cable or with a crossover cable if those ports do not auto-sense.

You can configure the WLAN in both the router and the access point (second router) to the exact same settings to have one WLAN for roaming about the house. The DHCP server is in the first router. The fixed IP of the second router may need to be changed to not match the fixed IP in the first router (192.168.1.1).

But I would first review your existing network before introducing another device. I would:

o Reset the main router.
o Confirm that the firmware is current. If not, flash it over a wired connection:
WRT120N v1
Classification: Firmware Release History
Release Date: Oct 13, 2010
Last Firmware Version: 1.0.05
o Confirm that all LAN ports allow you to see the WAN/Internet.
o Beware sources of 2.4GHz radio interference...
o Configure the router's WLAN settings manually. Use WPA2 with AES encryption. If you broadcast the SSID, remember to turn this off later when you are done setting up the laptop to auto-connect to your WLAN. Broadcasting the SSID is not required to setup the laptop... just connect to the 'other network' (or just create a wireless connection) and enter your security settings.
o Get the laptop WLAN connection working reliably.
o Then mess with the PS3. Ideally, wire it to a LAN port. The worstcase WLAN security settings will be dictated by either the laptop or the PS3. What wifi standard will the PS3 support?

GK