Solved Using 2 routers ?

[Mike99]

I have a wireless router but have the wireless turned off because I use Ethernet wired to other devices.

What I would like to do is be able to turn the wireless function on & off with the flip of a switch instead of accessing the router’s setup page.

I know you can use 2 routers with the second one plugged into the first one. Let’s say I did that and setup only the second one as wireless. Would turning the second router on & off when wireless was needed work smoothly? Or will this off & on somehow interact with the first router’s setup & then I'm back to square one having to reconfigure things.

I’d like to plug the second router into a switched wall outlet & be able to just flick the switch when wireless was needed. It’s sounds simple enough but am I missing something that’s going to cause a problem?

 

[chev65]

I have a wireless router but have the wireless turned off because I use Ethernet wired to other devices.

What I would like to do is be able to turn the wireless function on & off with the flip of a switch instead of accessing the router’s setup page.

I know you can use 2 routers with the second one plugged into the first one. Let’s say I did that and setup only the second one as wireless. Would turning the second router on & off when wireless was needed work smoothly? Or will this off & on somehow interact with the first router’s setup & then I'm back to square one having to reconfigure things.

I’d like to plug the second router into a switched wall outlet & be able to just flick the switch when wireless was needed. It’s sounds simple enough but am I missing something that’s going to cause a problem?

I don't think turning on or off the secondary router would effect the first one, depends on the situation but usually not.

The more important thing is to disable DHCP on the secondary router and also to plug the secondary router into the first routers LAN port, not the WAN or Internet port, or there will be problems for certain.

The secondary router will eventually pick up an IP in the correct subnet from the first router and it can then be accessed for setting it up at it's newly assigned IP.

 

[Mike99]

Thanks for the reply.

I did some searching regarding Wireless Access Point devices. One comment I saw commented about a dumb AP. That seemed to imply you just plug the WAP into an unused port on the router & you're good to go. Are they really that easy to use?

 

[Dave Atkin]

You will need to configure the access point first, most come with a setup CD which simplifies the installation.

I would suggest leaving the AP on all the time. Although in most cases cutting the power from the Access point will be fine, you still run the risk of causing an issue.

 

[Mike99]

I was at a computer store yesterday looking at routers & wireless access point devices. I discussed with a salesperson what I wanted to do. He said it will not work if I turned off the wireless function on the main router. I said what's the difference since the WAP is connected to the router via ethernet cable. He insisted the router's wireless also has to be on. I asked then what's the function of the ethernet cable. He didn't really answer that but said again the router's wireless has to also be on.

I'm no wireless expert but what the salesperson said does not make sense because the WAP is connected via ethernet cable. And what would happen if my router was not a wireless model to begin with? That would mean a WAP could not be used. I didn't think of that at the time to ask him about that scenario.

The bottom line question - Will a WAP or secondary wireless router work if the primary router's wireless function is turned off?

 

[z3r010]

All a WAP needs is an ethernet connection, no other wifi is required.

 

[Slartybart]

Mike99 asked: Will a WAP or secondary wireless router work if the primary router's wireless function is turned off?

Yes.

 

[Mike99]

Thank you both for the reply.