Running a wireless router off a Dell 24 switch router
November 13, 2011 2:18 PM Subscribe
Is it possible to run a Linksys WRT54G wireless router off a Dell 24 switch router?
Basically, I work in a residential facility with children. Recently, one of the kids got a new Xbox 360 as a gift and wants to play online. In one of our storage rooms is a Dell 24 switch router with a wired Linksys wired router running off it.
We tried running a wireless router off the Dell router but the Xbox wouldn't connect. Why doesn't this work? Is there a solution for this?
Basically, I work in a residential facility with children. Recently, one of the kids got a new Xbox 360 as a gift and wants to play online. In one of our storage rooms is a Dell 24 switch router with a wired Linksys wired router running off it.
We tried running a wireless router off the Dell router but the Xbox wouldn't connect. Why doesn't this work? Is there a solution for this?
There's a host of troubleshooting questions forthcoming.
I'm assuming when you said "wired Linksys wired router" you meant wireless one or more times.
That being said, does the wireless router successfully get an IP from the Dell router/switch/hub? If all was well, the wireless router would get an IP from the Dell and would dispense IP's to wireless clients freely.
Do you have any model #'s ? That can seriously help.
Does anything else connect to the wireless successfully? Make sure that the ethernet cable connecting the router to the wireless router is a known good cable. Verify that the Linksys is getting an IP from the Dell, by logging into it.
There's a bit more that we need to know to successfully troubleshoot this.
posted by Sphinx at 2:48 PM on November 13, 2011
I'm assuming when you said "wired Linksys wired router" you meant wireless one or more times.
That being said, does the wireless router successfully get an IP from the Dell router/switch/hub? If all was well, the wireless router would get an IP from the Dell and would dispense IP's to wireless clients freely.
Do you have any model #'s ? That can seriously help.
Does anything else connect to the wireless successfully? Make sure that the ethernet cable connecting the router to the wireless router is a known good cable. Verify that the Linksys is getting an IP from the Dell, by logging into it.
There's a bit more that we need to know to successfully troubleshoot this.
posted by Sphinx at 2:48 PM on November 13, 2011
Sorry, the Linksys isn't the same as the wireless router, but the questions are still relevant.
Further thoughts:
This is likely to be relevant to your situation, especially if the latter of my two questions applies.
If you have a network administrator and/or network policies, you need to consult these. An administrator will know whether it is permissible and if so, how to go about it without causing unintended problems.
posted by fearnothing at 2:49 PM on November 13, 2011
Further thoughts:
This is likely to be relevant to your situation, especially if the latter of my two questions applies.
If you have a network administrator and/or network policies, you need to consult these. An administrator will know whether it is permissible and if so, how to go about it without causing unintended problems.
posted by fearnothing at 2:49 PM on November 13, 2011
Response by poster: Well the Xbox gets 5 bars from the Linksys wireless router, but nothing can actually connect to the Internet via the wireless connection. I can login to the router via my phone - how do I know if it's getting an IP address from the Dell switcher?
posted by ascetic at 3:09 PM on November 13, 2011
posted by ascetic at 3:09 PM on November 13, 2011
You'll want to go into the XBox network settings and see what it's getting.
posted by rhizome at 3:21 PM on November 13, 2011
posted by rhizome at 3:21 PM on November 13, 2011
Look for a page like this; the WAN IP address is what you need. If there isn't one there, or if it starts "169.x.x.x" then the wireless router isn't getting IP information from the Dell router. Given your 'nothing can actually connect' comment, I'd say the Xbox's settings aren't your major concern right now.
Your fastest bet for getting this sorted is still to find whoever is managing this network. If the wireless router isn't getting an IP, or if it is getting an IP but no devices including computers can connect to the net through it, this may well be your only bet.
posted by fearnothing at 3:29 PM on November 13, 2011
Your fastest bet for getting this sorted is still to find whoever is managing this network. If the wireless router isn't getting an IP, or if it is getting an IP but no devices including computers can connect to the net through it, this may well be your only bet.
posted by fearnothing at 3:29 PM on November 13, 2011
Response by poster: @fearnothing: When I go to that screen, all the fields are blank. So the Linksys is not getting an IP from the Dell switch. Contacting the network admin is not really practical... It's like one guy for 15+ houses.
posted by ascetic at 3:37 PM on November 13, 2011
posted by ascetic at 3:37 PM on November 13, 2011
Is your Dell switch connected to the internet through the linksys?
I'm assuming that the Dell 24 port switch serves some purpose (other computers are plugged into it), and that the wired Linksys serves some purpose (gateway router to the internet).
If that's not the case, what does the Linksys do?
Check the WRT65G, the ports on the back, is one 'special'? Usually labeled WAN or Uplink. Usually there will be like 4 ports that are generically the same and one different one. You want to plug the different one into the Dell.
Are there any lights on the ports on the WRT and the Dell? are they on and/or blinking when you connect the devices?
posted by zengargoyle at 3:43 PM on November 13, 2011
Dell <-> Linksys <-> dsl/cable/etcAre other machines plugged into the Dell?
Machine <-> Dell <-> Linksys <-> somewhere
/\
|
\/
Machine
I would assume your network is getting DHCP from the Linksys, and you would want to put your WRT54G in bridged mode. I'm assuming that the Dell 24 port switch serves some purpose (other computers are plugged into it), and that the wired Linksys serves some purpose (gateway router to the internet).
If that's not the case, what does the Linksys do?
Check the WRT65G, the ports on the back, is one 'special'? Usually labeled WAN or Uplink. Usually there will be like 4 ports that are generically the same and one different one. You want to plug the different one into the Dell.
Are there any lights on the ports on the WRT and the Dell? are they on and/or blinking when you connect the devices?
posted by zengargoyle at 3:43 PM on November 13, 2011
Response by poster: About 7 other computers are plugged into the Dell, and they are all functioning correctly. I have no idea what purpose the wire(d) Linksys router does. The wire(d) router is fed from the Dell switch.
I simply plugged the wireless Linksys (WRT54G) into the back of the Dell switch... This makes the Internet and WLAN lights come on but still the router does not get an IP address.
posted by ascetic at 3:52 PM on November 13, 2011
I simply plugged the wireless Linksys (WRT54G) into the back of the Dell switch... This makes the Internet and WLAN lights come on but still the router does not get an IP address.
posted by ascetic at 3:52 PM on November 13, 2011
Aside from the 7 computers and the wired Linksys, is anything else plugged into the Dell (maybe a cable of a different type)? I'm wondering if the Dell is the WAN router, or if it is just a dumb switch and the wired Linksys is the WAN router.
We run way more complicated gear, but my idea of a 'residential facility' with an IT guy for 15+ houses sounds quite similar to my fraternity row and off-campus residential dorms. I would guess that the wired Linksys has 2 cables coming out of it, one going upstream to a 'core' (or directly to an ISP), and the other cable going to the Dell. The wired Linksys is most likely doing the routing, and the cheapo Dell is a distribution switch.
Or, the wired Linksys could just be a media converter (are the cables coming out of it different type?), and it's just a bridge.
It could be the case that the Dell switch is really a routing switch, and the wired Linksys is an unknown red-herring.
Can you check the Network information on one of the connected computers and see if they are set to DHCP or have static assignments. It's possible that there is no DHCP and they are set manually. It's also possible that the whole setup is a bridge and the DHCP is done in the core.
It's also possible that the Dell switch is smart enough to be managed and the IT guy has blocked the unused ports, or does MAC filtering/registration to prevent the kind of thing you are trying to do.
I work at a University and we do all of these scenarios in different places. Some houses are equipped with smart switches with a fiber port and DHCP from our core servers and we require their machines to be registered and we disable ports. Some places are public and don't require registration. Some places are far enough away that they are connected with DSL modems.
I would try to find a laptop with ethernet to connect to the Dell and see if it works.
Your best plan is to bribe the IT guy, maybe he's a gamer....
posted by zengargoyle at 4:20 PM on November 13, 2011
We run way more complicated gear, but my idea of a 'residential facility' with an IT guy for 15+ houses sounds quite similar to my fraternity row and off-campus residential dorms. I would guess that the wired Linksys has 2 cables coming out of it, one going upstream to a 'core' (or directly to an ISP), and the other cable going to the Dell. The wired Linksys is most likely doing the routing, and the cheapo Dell is a distribution switch.
Or, the wired Linksys could just be a media converter (are the cables coming out of it different type?), and it's just a bridge.
It could be the case that the Dell switch is really a routing switch, and the wired Linksys is an unknown red-herring.
Can you check the Network information on one of the connected computers and see if they are set to DHCP or have static assignments. It's possible that there is no DHCP and they are set manually. It's also possible that the whole setup is a bridge and the DHCP is done in the core.
It's also possible that the Dell switch is smart enough to be managed and the IT guy has blocked the unused ports, or does MAC filtering/registration to prevent the kind of thing you are trying to do.
I work at a University and we do all of these scenarios in different places. Some houses are equipped with smart switches with a fiber port and DHCP from our core servers and we require their machines to be registered and we disable ports. Some places are public and don't require registration. Some places are far enough away that they are connected with DSL modems.
I would try to find a laptop with ethernet to connect to the Dell and see if it works.
Your best plan is to bribe the IT guy, maybe he's a gamer....
posted by zengargoyle at 4:20 PM on November 13, 2011
Oh, if there's a not-the-WLAN port on the WRT, try plugging into that one (assuming you've setup the wireless configuration part of the setup). You probably most likely don't want to use the WLAN functionality of the WRT. You just want it to send packets between the wireless side and the wired side as a switch, you don't want it doing DHCP/PPoE/Router type stuff.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:25 PM on November 13, 2011
posted by zengargoyle at 4:25 PM on November 13, 2011
You can turn off the NAT/DHCP/etc goo in the WRT54G, and probably should (allowing the most-upstream box to take care of all that). My home network is like that— there's a small wired-LAN section connected to the DSL box, and a WRT54G plugged into that (via its upstream/WAN port, but I'm not sure it matters once the WRT54G is in bridge mode).
posted by hattifattener at 9:13 PM on November 13, 2011
posted by hattifattener at 9:13 PM on November 13, 2011
It sounds like what you want is for the WRT54G to act as a wireless access point only. To do that you need to turn off its routing functions. See here for a step-by-step guide.
posted by doctord at 7:00 AM on November 17, 2011
posted by doctord at 7:00 AM on November 17, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Does the Xbox fail to establish a wireless connection to the Linksys?
Does the Xbox succeed in connecting to the Linksys but fail to connect to Xbox Live?
posted by fearnothing at 2:43 PM on November 13, 2011