Windows 7: Wired network configuration help.

Our network consists of 3 Desktops, all Windows 7 Home Premium, and one printer, using ATT DSL. It's presently wired through a 2Wire 2701 BHG wireless router modem/combo. It works well, when wired, but is the older G type. The upgrade plan is to use a TP-Link TD-8816 modem/router combo configured as the modem and a Netgear WNR2000 modem/router combo configured as the router, will it work and will it work with ATT. How should the TD-8816 be configured for modem only and the Netgear WNR2000 for router only. My research indicates it can be done but the manuals are impossible. FYI, Dumped my wireless due to slow speed and constant drop offs. ATT was no help. Thanks for your input.

It's very much possible. The modem shouldn't need any configuration, it's the Netgear device that just needs configuring. You'd need access the Netgear device's config settings via Ethernet and change the IP address of it, disable the DHCP server on it as only one DHCP server should be running on the network, which you want your modem to be. Connect the Netgear device to the modem via Ethernet, and configure the SSID to be the same on both devices.

When you set up the router's IP address, keep it out of range of the modem's DHCP server, so duplicate IP addresses won't be given out, for example your modem's IP is 192.168.1.1, so the first IP it gives out on the network will be 192.168.1.2. Setup the Netgear router's IP address to be 192.168.1.99, to keep it out of the IP pool of the modem.

This diagram should help:

Appreciate your help. As soon as I receive the modem I'll give it a try.

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