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using a router in the office

N

Nolf3

Member
Sorry this might be a long read, but I'm having a problem connecting my netgear router in my office.

My connection at work comes from the ethernet port which usually goes straight into my desktop. Now I'm trying to use this connection with my router so I can connect for example a laptop or two and update windows occassionally or transfer files easily. I can't seem to get this to work. When I connect the ethernet line straight into the router, the router doesn't find a connection, so I installed a second nic into my machine and connected that to the router, but the laptop is still not picking up a connection. When I enable internet connection sharing on the first nic, I seem to lose internet connections on both nics. Are there any services I should shut off on the router, since I have it set up this way? Or am I setting it up totally wrong. Thanks for any help.
 
you may need to clone the MAC address into the router, and make sure its forwarding all packets to those two LAN ips (i.e. your desktop and laptop)
 
I've tried all settings for MAC address(use default address, use compuet MAC address, and Use this MAC address). The router does not seem to have a IP address, only when I turn on ICS does it have a IP address, but at that point, both computers don't seem to be able to connect to the internet at all. Would you know why this happens, do I need to disable DHCP or something, the router is set to get IP and DNS automatically. Thanks again.
 
sorry, how would I clone the MAC address into the router? Woud I then be able to connect the ethernet connection straight into the router first and then connect the desktop and laptop to the ports? Then I wouldn't need to use the second nic right? Is that what you meant. Thanks for the help.
 
ummmmm......sounds to me like youre trying to add a router to an exisitng network (LAN) that doesnt hand out IP addresses via DHCP. unless youre the admin for the network, dont be adding unauthorized machines to the network. if you need another network drop, ask for one.

 
yes, in essence that is what I'm trying to do, but I'm trying to keep it totally separate, by using the second nic, is this possible? I don't want to screw with anything in the regular LAN. The office LAN does use DHCP though. I do some of the IT work and wanted to use the router to update the laptops with patches and things like that.
 
If I were you, I would get a switch.
go like thi:
Patch cable from wall to switch
port of switch to your regular desktop via patch cable
Port 2 of switch to WAN port on router via patch
Use a laptop to connect to LAN port of router, make it's IP on the same subnet as router (or use DHCP if it is enabled) and go into the configuration via browser.
Set it to pull a WAN IP from the DHCP server (if not, then statically assign it an IP on same subnet as your regular LAN (non used IP of course) (make sure the LAN ip scheme of router is different from regualr LAN IP scheme)

Don't kill yourself with the dual NIC stuff.
 
thanks mboy, but i already made the company fork the $ for the router, which I "thought" was going to be a easy setup, I kinda need to make this router thing work. Thanks for the alternative though, and any other advice you can think of.
 
why go through all this trouble to add another entire network? wouldnt it be easier just to get a switch to split your one cable drop? i really dont see why you need the router and all another layer of complexity.
 
I guess I should've gotten the switch, but I got the netgear wireless router, with 4 local ports, thought I could use the wireless stuff occassionally in the office for conference room stuff and still get the use of the 4 local ports for my mini-network, but I guess it wasn't as simple as I thought it would be.
 
🙂 it never is.

first point of order is to figure out y your not getting the IP on the WAN side of the router. you are 100% positive that your network drop is DHCP? I'd double check that if I were you. check the network properties of your windows boxen. If it is not DHCP, that panel will tell you. If it is not, take the info from the network properties and write it down. disconnect the windows boxen from the network...(pull the cable). Attach the router to it. attach another pc to the LAN side of the router and log into router. add the info you wrote down to the router in the admin section. make sure that the IPs on the LAN side are a different network class than thouse on the wan side.
 
I meant use the switch in conjuction with the router. U can get a 5 port switch for less then $20. Or, if u have 2 drops in your office, then u wont even need the switch. Just silly trying to use 2 NIC's when u dont need to.

After reading your post again, I see the 2 NIC issue. Def. drop that.

I just did this in my office today to fix the Home router of the owner of my co (flash firmware etc.)

YOU def. have to make sure that the WAN ip is being pulled from the DHCP server on your LAN, and if not, then make sure u enter ALl the settings, DNs, etc.

Also, make sure the router is giving out DHCP addy's which are different from that of your regular LAN.
Go into the router using a lappy (without it being connected to the WAN in ANY way) and MAKE sure the LAN subnet is different then the one the rest of your LAN is on. I have a feeling the WAN IP is same subnet as the LAN ip of router (your office lans is 192.168.2.xxx and your new router lan is the same which shouldnt work), change the new routers DHCP server to dish out 10.10.xxx.xxx) and go from their)

Then try and pull an IP for the WAN side of your new rotuer and see what happens.
 
Its definitely DHCP, but for some reason when I hook it straight into the router, and use a pc to connect to the LAN side and test for a internet connection, it says there is none, the internet connection light indicator on the router also flickers more off than on, unlike the steady light that is indicated when I hook it through the second nic now. In any case, I may just end up getting the switch too. Thanks for the advice.
 
How is your office configured for DNS?

Try manually imputting the DNS servers into the NIC of the lappy connected to the router.


Do an ipconfig /all on that lappy and what do u get?

did u go into the router config and see if u have a WAN IP or if it is even set correctly?

I just did this myself today so I know it works and is possible 🙂
 
We do have DNS servers, which are manually set, but shouldn't the DNS on the LAN laptop connected to the router just be the ip of the router? but anyway I tried entering the DNS into the laptop too, but it didn't work either, changed the LAN ip range to 10.10.x.x The WAN setup only has an option to connect automatically as required and some other options for disabling PSI firewall, default DMZ.
 
Thanks for all the advice, I will try this again tomorrow. Its prob something with my settings, I'll play around with those some more tomorrow.
 
You should check with the people responsible for the network before you try to add that thing. There may be rules against them, which could cost you your job.

Get permission first (on paper, if possible). It might save you a bundle of headaches.

JM.02

Scott
 
Originally posted by: ScottMac
You should check with the people responsible for the network before you try to add that thing. There may be rules against them, which could cost you your job.

Get permission first (on paper, if possible). It might save you a bundle of headaches.

JM.02

Scott
Click to expand...

I think he mentioned in some of his previous posts that he is an IT guy and his Co. actually paid for the router

🙂
 
Thanks for the heads-up, but yes I am authorized. Of course I want to minimize any disruptions to the corporate LAN while doing this mini-LAN. Just a few more questions for my clarification.

Should I be able to connect directly to my router and then use its ports to connect to my desktop and my laptop? Because like I said before, when I do that, the internet connection light on the router flickers and is unsteady. Here is how its set up.
On the router, I've cloned the MAC address of my desktop(original destination for ethernet connection), its set to pull in ip and dns automatically as well. I've specified the 'Use Router as DHCP Server' with address ranges in the 10.10.x.x., Now when I go to LAN IP Setup, does the IP address I specify here, have to match my current desktop IP?, or it should be in a totally different range, or does this not matter?
 
I called Netgear tech support, they say I can set it up if I configure the router with a static IP in the range of my corporate LAN, and turn off the DHCP. I don't think I can do this, unless I get a reserved IP on the DHCP server. I think I will just follow mBoy's original advice and get a switch. Thanks again.
 
If your DHCP is dishing out more then enopugh IP's, just connect th jack from wall to a LAN port on router, then from the other LAN ports to your PC, thereby bypassing the routing features of the router and just using the switch functions.
 
mBoy, its working great so far! Just so I can get your opinion on this as well. Heres what I did.
First I connect a LAN port to my desktop, my desktop picks up the IP of my router which is 192.168.0.1 then I configure everything in the router like shutdown DHCP, setup my wireless settings as well, then when everything is set, I attach the wall line to another LAN port, type ipconfig /renew to pick up a IP from my corporate LAN and thats it, it works at this point, the only thing which happens now is that I cannot connect to the 192.168.0.1 config screen anymore, but this is a minor thing at this point, I'm just glad it works!
 
you will need to configure a laptop or another pc to be on the same subnet as the routher, set it up as 192.168.0.2
then u can go into the router thru that IE browser of laptop and go into 192.168.0.1 🙂
I am assuming your corporate LAN is 10.10.xxx.xxx or something other then 192.168.0.xxx
Whenever u want to change the routers settings and get into it, u will need to have a computer connect to a LAN port on it as 192.168.0.xxx
Thats it my friend.
 
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