Two routers on the same network?

Aug 18, 2005 3 Replies
Two routers on the same network? open original image

I've had a small wireless network in my home for about a year with 1 hardwired desktop, 1 wireless desktop and 1 wireless laptop with few problems. I'm using a lynksys WRT54G router with 128 bit WEP, and Mac address filtering on all devices.



Got married last week and moved into new house with wife who has a similar setup (same router) but has security WEP set up specifically for her work laptop to access with their own keys. She needs this setup on her own Desktop unit to access her work stuff as well if she leaves her laptop at work. Her son's laptop has wireless settings to be able to access the wife's network. So far, I have been unable to get his laptop to access my network at the new house which my devices are not having problems with (been too busy unpacking to mess with it).



How can I set this up so we all access the same network in the new house? Can I use the wife's router with all of her work settings as an access point for my network? Would it work better the other way around? Total of 3 desktops, 3 laptops, two wireless routers and 2 printers. All devices have a wireless card except my desktop and the 2 printers.



Have some (very) rudimentary wireless and networking) knowledge but work better if acronyms are kept to a minimum.



Thanks in advance, Jon


Which router is faster and more secure, yours or your wife's? It's sounds like maybe you have the MAC address wrong for your wife's son's laptop. To use both routers, you'll need WDS, and to use WDS, the touters pretty much have ot be the exact same make and model.

Actually, they are both Linksys WRT54G routers (though I'm not sure if they are the same version). My router setup is probably more secure only because everyone with a home wireless setup in my wife's company has to set it up exactly the same way if they want their work laptops to access them. The laptops wireless settings are locked down.

I turned off MAC filtering for a while to see if my step-son's laptop could connect, but still no go. I'll play with this more this weekend.

Sorry, but what's WDS?

Jon

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