I spend two days in a small business size organization, trying to share one single internet connection to 6 or more computers scatters across the 3 stories building. They did have 3 stories over the building but since third floors is empty and basement is busiest floor at there. That made it connecting 3 floors.Most of the computers over there are too old and slow for wireless connection.
And since they are too cheap to buy a proper business size router or 16 ports smart switch that cost at least $ 400. I decided to join three routers to share the connection.
The office used Verizon ADSL for internet connections. Verizon gave them PPPOE type of connections and I don't even know whether it was for business or home use. Firs t they told me they lost the connection on all computers but one. They could only get one computer to connected internet at the time. If the basement computer used the internet, the one in upstair had to wait till it disconnected itself from internet just by terminating the session by going to network then click on verizon broadband connection. And the another one connected to verizon broadband connection in the same way by going to network and click connected on verzion broadband connection by typing user name and password.
At that time they were using Linksys 8 ports router that accepted incoming internet connection and share it with rest of the office.Here is
links of most recent verizon but they were using the one that look exactly like it but much older version.
Their ADSL modem, westell firewire, I think, And they don't even had local area network setup between all of the computers. I don't even know how did they manage to run the office as importance as them. And they bridge one more
linksys 4 port wireless router in first floor as switch to interconnected two computers in that floors for internet connection and occasional wireless activity. They used it switch rather router.
First thing I did for them was set up a local area network for them so the computers can communicated properly. I gave them a name for each computer and make sure all of them could see each other. They all used window xp, so it was quite convenient for me. Then it was the same problem of internet connection not sharing it at all. Then I deleted Verizon connection in each connection and enable DHCP ip address for all the computer and reset Verizon broadband connection set up in router's home page, 192.168.1.1. The router could route each computer's file across and ping each computer's quite well too. But it just not sharing it connection at all and one of the any computer in the network could always directly accessed internet using Verizon PPPOE user name and password in separated connection from LAN connection I set up for them
Then I change router and after a few rebooting it work fine but that router was 4 ports wireless router and that office need at least 8 ports router to connected. I was gonna try the last router back again (because I never did reboot that old router and it simply didn't released ip address from verizon pppoe connection). But peoples at the office were dead set on getting a new router because last time they called Geeksquad, the geeksquad guy told them that their router need replacing because it can't route properly. But they can't afford the small business type router and a firewall software the geeksquad offer which run into total of $ 1000.
So the cheap organization told me they got not more than $ 300 for the budget and ask me whether I could do it. I was quite bore with my life so I decided to take the offer and plus they were pretty desperate because they been out of connection for nearly a week and if they called Geeksquad again that would be another $ 200 out of their tight budget.
So I start with shopping in
MicroCenter nearby and got a same
linksys 8 port router with newer model, actually the same model and firmware version as in their site. And one of them who work in basement said they need one more wireless router for his basement office because wireless G router from first floor signal was too weak and they got plan for further expand the network in basement. So I choose
linksys draft N router with 4 ports for better signal reception and because both of the router cost only $ 99.99 each only. Microcenter gave us discount because they brought one laptop and 32" flatscreen TV for themself at the same time. They gave us $ 30 discount on
linksys 8 port routers so it was total of $ 170 only.
I went back to their office with them and it was almost 9 o'clock at night and I unplug all the wires and set up the new
linksys 8 port routers. I first power down everything things, then I plug Internet port into linksys from Verizon westell modem. And fill the rest of the wires into the routers that unplug from old router. Then I put back the
54g wireless router to first floor and set up the way it was. I powered on everything and went to router's 192.168.1.1 homepage and setup the pppoe connection. And everything work automatically. I though my job was done but after the basement install the Draft N router connection broke down again and I was too tried to work again so I went back home and read a couple of thing about networking and I slept.
I went back there again first thing in the morning and I found out that it was the same problem and the new router is not releasing ip address from verizon. So I called verizon and first thing they told me was to check if the broadband connection is working. I did that while on the phone with them by wire from their modem directly into closest computer and set up a connection. That work and when I tried on router, it didn't work. The router simply didn't release the ip address from Verizon and verizon tech stuff told me that their expertise and limited had came to end because their job is to make sure that modem connection work and not the routing and gave me linksy help line number and they even put me thought their help line.
Then I start all over again Linksy tech support and they asked me to do the same with verizon which was to directly connected modem with computer but I told them I already did that they move on to renewing ip address in the router. I managed to renew it this time by rebooting the router and Linksy tech support hang up after I said I got the connection. I went on other computers in the floor and all got the connection. I move on to the first floor and it seem that it got the connection by conneting the wire from second floor's main router into the first floor router's LAN port other than wan port. But after a few minutes while I was ready to leave it went down again.
I check the router's homepage and found out that there is the router wireless section in 192.168.1.1 8 ports router's page. Then I knew it at two router are fighting for the default gateway which both of them was 192.168.1.1. So I change the wireless router's default gateway to 192.168.1.1 into 192.168.1.2 and reboot the first router and reinstall the pppoe connection and it all work out. But there is no connection in computers that connected to wireless router. After various tweaking I mange to get them wireless connection and wire connection by putting DNS address in each computer's Lan connection properties and obtain the ip address and default gateway automatically. If I put the ip address and default gateway set to 192.168.1.1 (8 port routers)manually it will not work. So in order to get defaut gateway automatically set to first router rather than second router was to disable the lan connection and re-enabling it again and again until the connection obtain the ip address and default gateway set to first router other and second router they were connected to. If I put then manually it will not work and it only work with putting DNS address manually too. I am not a networking expert so I never knew why. And I set up the third wireless draft N router exactly the same way by assigning it default gateway to 192.168.1.3. But this time I don't have to put DNS address manually but it could obtain it automatically.
And two window vista computers that connected to first
8 port routers also need to put DNS address in their LAN connection. But in ipv4 rather than ipv6. I understand why do we have to change default gateway of each router but I don't understand it this why did I had to put DNS address to computers that connected to
first wireless router. And not to the computers that connected to
second wireless router ? And also why did window vista computer demand DNS address manually when XP computers didn't in main 8 port routers?
If anybody manage to read this long I would like a expert options it please.
