2 routers on 1 network?

[Sparkymatt]

To be honest, I wouldnt suggest doing this unless you know what you are doing as its not for the faint hearted. You could wreck your router.

Its too complicated to compose a simple guide, but I found www.dd-wrt.com | Unleash Your Router to be very helpful.

You search for your router and download a new firmware from them. But PLEASE follow the instructions very carefully as you could wreck your router if you do this.

Please note I cannot be held responsible if anyone tries this and wrecks thier router beyond repair.

You try this at your own risk!!

Matt

[Scubbie]

To be honest, I wouldnt suggest doing this unless you know what you are doing as its not for the faint hearted. You could wreck your router...

Thanks for coming back, with the link to help those who wish to do this, it could help.

In respect of keeping things easy then, it would look like the majority will still be linking two routers via cable (with or without HomeHubs) then for the time being.

[Sherman]

Hi, I had the same thoughts not wanting to pay £60 to Sky for their bridge. In my goody box I found an old Netgear WGPS 606 bridge (bought from ebay for less than £15). Plugged it in and hey presto connected straight away. No problems at all. You do need to set it up with an IP address but other than that the black box finds the network. Just had a look on ebay and they are still selling them for less than I paid. Great bit of kit.

Sherman

[Scubbie]

Good idea Sherman.

There may be some issues though, unless there has been a firmware update to correct them.

According to the manual it only supports WEP & WPA-PSK. Some members have reported issues with WEP & WPA-PSK printers trying to connect to the new Sagem 2304n.

It is also only WiFi g, so although it would extend your WiFi coverage, it could have the same issues of not getting too far.

[Sherman]

Hi Scubbie,

I don't see a problem. The 606 is a bridge and it is acting only as a wireless connection to my sky router for my Sky box only (no other PC's or printers) rather than a cable (messy round the house) or Sky's expensive bridge. Okay maybe it is not Giga bit speed and is only a 54 Mpbs router but I have 91% signal strength and it downloads a movie in minutes. There should be no issue with firmware updates, available from Netgear free, or security as that does not come into consideration as the router only sees the bridge. I agree the range is suspect but for me 9 Mtrs between router and bridge there is very little fall off.

Sherman

[Scubbie]

I don't see a problem. The 606 is a bridge and it is acting only as a wireless connection to my sky router for my Sky box only (no other PC's or printers) rather than a cable (messy round the house) or Sky's expensive bridge.

lol - No problem with the issue of wires trailing around everywhere. As we rely more and more on electrical items today which connect together, it is becoming really quite messy and dangerous for some people.

For anyone who has young children or has issues moving around, the problem becomes a safety issue as well.

Recently I made an effort to tidy up my lounge and managed to improve how things look.

Okay maybe it is not Giga bit speed and is only a 54 Mpbs router but I have 91% signal strength and it downloads a movie in minutes.

The point I was making is more for the future than exclusively for today. WiFi g is what all but the newest (yet to be seen) Sky routers are capable of. WiFi g is not brilliant for streaming HD movies and I felt it was important to post not just for yourself, but for anyone else who could copy your setup.

The concept of your setup is really nice and I am really glad to read about it being possible with the Sky router. I have a Netgear DGN2000 and know how many have implemented the issue of linking a WiFi Switch to a router from reading through it's manual. Sky's Firmware shamefully does support this in the same manner.

There should be no issue with firmware updates, available from Netgear free, or security as that does not come into consideration as the router only sees the bridge. I agree the range is suspect but for me 9 Mtrs between router and bridge there is very little fall off.

Since it isn't a router, I would expect there to be an alternative way to update the firmware. Netgear have a good record for hosting their updates in my books.

As for the range, this reception will vary between different places so it is fine that you've got a reasonable signal.

I took a look at the various routers in my local area (quite a few hear now) and the majority are either WEP or WPA-PSK. For those of us who are security conscious, both these systems have been cracked and software is available on-line to hack through the encryption.

If you had something of value stored on your computer, would you use the equivalent of a Yale lock or a 5-Lever Mortise lock? WEP & WPA-PSK are like the Yale locks.