DHCP Muddle

[jassyjas]

I write that Title with confidence - but actually I'm not sure what the title should be. In the interests of simplicity I'm gonna just put what situation I have and what I'd like to change it to and just hope that someone can guide me !

HOUSE
Broadband coming into the house via telephone line
Thomson Speedtouch 510 which dishes out IP addresses starting 192.
Airport Extreme dishing out IP addresses starting 10. and delivering home wifi network (A) - I believe this currently has double NAT errors which I am ignoring
Powerline Adaptor (Devolo)
Long Garden
GARDEN OFFICE
Powerline Adaptor (Billion which delivers home wifi (B)

WISH LIST
Thomson just acting as a modem
Airport Extreme doing all the routing and dhcp etc with the 192. IP range
ONE SSID in the house and the garden office so that devices seamlessly move from one to the other and we can print to the garden office printer from the house computer.

HOW I THINK IT COULD WORK but am afraid so haven't tried it yet
Connect to Speedtouch and change setting so it's BRIDGE or MODEM ONLY
Change the Airport Extreme to use the IP range 192. etc
Change the billion WIFI style Powerline Adaptor for another DEVOLO (ethernet only)
Connect another modem/router (I own a belkin & a netgear) to th DEVOLO via ethernet (not sure which port to connect it into)
Change the settings on the BELKIN or NETGEAR router so that it doesn't try and be a modem but just extends the network with the same SSID as the Airport Extreme.


Other points worth mentioning:-

• The devolo and the billion were tricky to get to work together and more by luck than judgement I got it working and my other half can have WIFI in the garden office (albeit on a separate SSID).
• I am very anxious that in trying to get the network setup as per my wish list that I will break the existing setup and end up without it working at all.
• Some of my difficulties are because my Macbook air doesn't have ethernet on board so I need to get a USB adaptor to connect to the modem directly to enter the settings for it. I plan on buying one of these later today.

Desperately hope I've made this as clear as possible. Any help / guidance very much appreciated.

 

[drsox]

Suggest you try the following :

1. Get a TB/Ethernet from Apple and use that to connect to the Speedtouch.
2. Use ONLY the Airport Extreme as a router with one SSID for 5Ghz and another for 2.5Ghz
3. Get an Airport Express (new version) for extending the Extreme's Wireless networks.
4. Change the Billion for a Devolo.

Then you can do what you have asked. If/when you need more detailed info then I'll try and help again.

I have a big/tall house with a mixture of stuff - 3x Airport units/Draytek Modem/Cat6 LAN etc so may have already done what you are looking to do. I also used to have Devolo units - the best of the manufacturers for Powerline, but I removed them when I installed CAT6.

 

[jassyjas]

Thanks for your response....

Can you please clarify the benefits of purchasing an Airport Express to extend the network over and above a Belkin or Netgear wifi router? I'm just trying to save money and other than for ease of setup I'm unclear of other benefits.

The bit I really want help with is what settings to look for in the Belking/Netgear to make them extend rather than create their own wifi networks? It is BRIDGE mode or something else? I want them to accept the internet via the Ethernet cable and then broadcast this as a wifi network with the same SSID as the Airport Extreme is doing in the house.

Cheers

Suggest you try the following :

1. Get a TB/Ethernet from Apple and use that to connect to the Speedtouch.
2. Use ONLY the Airport Extreme as a router with one SSID for 5Ghz and another for 2.5Ghz
3. Get an Airport Express (new version) for extending the Extreme's Wireless networks.
4. Change the Billion for a Devolo.

Then you can do what you have asked. If/when you need more detailed info then I'll try and help again.

I have a big/tall house with a mixture of stuff - 3x Airport units/Draytek Modem/Cat6 LAN etc so may have already done what you are looking to do. I also used to have Devolo units - the best of the manufacturers for Powerline, but I removed them when I installed CAT6.

 

[drsox]

Thanks for your response....

Can you please clarify the benefits of purchasing an Airport Express to extend the network over and above a Belkin or Netgear wifi router? I'm just trying to save money and other than for ease of setup I'm unclear of other benefits.

The bit I really want help with is what settings to look for in the Belking/Netgear to make them extend rather than create their own wifi networks? It is BRIDGE mode or something else? I want them to accept the internet via the Ethernet cable and then broadcast this as a wifi network with the same SSID as the Airport Extreme is doing in the house.

Cheers

I suggested an Airport Express because I know how to make that combo work. I have no experience with Netgear or Belkin WiFi routers but the principles might be exactly the same. With AE there is a mode called "Roaming" that doesn't extend a WiFi network but instead allows the same network to be created anywhere there is an AE base station.

In principle then you can carry the MBA from the House to the Garden and the MBA (or anything else) will then switch connections. The data rate is also better as the WiFi data doesn't have to be passed between AE units.

Here's the settings for the AE units :

Airport Extreme : Connects to the Modem (WAN port) and to the LAN.
Internet settings (in my case) : PPPoE etc etc
Wireless settings : Mode - Create a wireless network
Name - XXYYZZ
Security - WPA2 Personal. Password - 1234567
Options - 5Ghz name - AABBCC

Network settings : Router mode - DHCP and NAT

Airport Express : Connects to the LAN via the WAN port.
Internet settings : DHCP
Wireless settings : Mode - Create a wireless network
Name - XXYYZZ
Security - WPA2 Personal. Password - 1234567
Options - 5Ghz name - AABBCC

Network settings : Router mode - Off (Bridge Mode)

The AExpress and the AExtreme talk to each other through the LAN (in my case CAT6). In your case they would talk to each other through the LAN connection made by the two PowerLine units (Devolo to Devolo)

See if you can find the same config settings using the Netgear.