Routers as hubs/wifi repeaters......I know not the best but certainly cheap! [solved]

Heedtheadvice

Quick outline:

Used second routers to add ethernet ports and add wifi access points several times. A poor man's  (MSE) solution but worked well for many a year

Done another set up today that works but not in one configuration where the second/third routers are daisy chained.

Main router is EE

I have a second one BTHub 3 as a 'repeater' for ethernet/wifi (ethernet connected, static IP and not DHCP controller).

All working fine. Several devices connected (EE Router ports/wifi or BT Hub3 ports/wifi ...depending upon their locations) some static addresses (by default in some cases) and some DHCP from EE router, and all direct port and via BTHub3 reported by EE network listing. So far OK.

As a temp measure (to do some tests - best not explain what testing and why for brevity!):

 I have set a third old router (SKy QHub old IP 192.168.0.1) to a new static address compatible with the EE subnet (static adress 192.168.1.1) and plugged in via ethernet to EE router port. All working fine  and I can connect via wifi of SkyQHub and get devices allocated IP address by EE router all as expected....so I can go ahead with the the tests.

Curiously (or rather unexpected by me) is that if I connect the Sky Qhub via the BThub3 and via it to the EE router then the Sky hub does not seem to connect properly. Device using wifi tries to connect(wifi signal fine still) , does so but IP address does not get allocated. Light on the BT to SKy ethernet connection fine, no static IP address conflicts, EE router does not report Sky hub connected - which it does when direct into EE port (as well as the connected wifi device). Other devices connected via BT Hub still report fine. EE network listings refreshed between configuration changes.

Just curious really to try and understand what the issue might be. Would seem to be a conflict or limitation somewhere? I would have expected that hubs could be thus daisy chained....

Any ideas for a clueless old geezer?

Neil_Jones

This suggests there are multiple DHCP servers running on one of the other routers.  Only have one (the "first" one, the EE) and turn it off on the others.

k_man

Neil_Jones said:

This suggests there are multiple DHCP servers running on one of the other routers.  Only have one (the "first" one, the EE) and turn it off on the others.

If that were the case, wouldn't devices get an IP address, but from the wrong DHCP server, rather than no IP address?

That said, you still don't want multiple DHCP servers (special network configurations excepted).

@Heedtheadvice
How many ports does the BTHub have? Some ports may be 'special' e.g a WAN port

Does this work with a different router in the middle?
BTHub may block certain traffic passing across it (routers do that).

As a final note, using routers as APs should work, as long as everything else is disabled, but using as network switches is not ideal, neither is daisy chaining.

Ideally you want a central switch (less than £10) that isn't trying to do other things to traffic instead.

Heedtheadvice

k_man said:

Neil_Jones said:

This suggests there are multiple DHCP servers running on one of the other routers.  Only have one (the "first" one, the EE) and turn it off on the others.

If that were the case, wouldn't devices get an IP address, but from the wrong DHCP server, rather than no IP address?

That said, you still don't want multiple DHCP servers (special network configurations excepted).

@Heedtheadvice
How many ports does the BTHub have? Some ports may be 'special' e.g a WAN port [both EE and BT have 4. Non identified as WAN. Another router I have is so identified]

Does this work with a different router in the middle? [Not tried that, see end comment]
BTHub may block certain traffic passing across it (routers do that). [ Maybe associated...With DHCP disabled on the BTHub address range seems to be limited to equal or greater than 192.168.1.64. Not actually sure of that as it is greyed out so set the Sky router to within that range....to no effect! ]

As a final note, using routers as APs should work, as long as everything else is disabled, but using as network switches is not ideal, neither is daisy chaining.

Ideally you want a central switch (less than £10) that isn't trying to do other things to traffic instead.

Solution. One difference when I connected via the BTHub is using a different cable. That is the cause as the setup does not work any way connected with that cable but is fine with a different cable.

Two differences with the cables:

 short one works, longer one (10m) does not...hmm should not matter for cat 5e.

Longer cable does not have all pins populated (1,2,3,6 only), straight connected (pin to pin), odd colour coding from what I see not 586a or b ! No idea what it is or where it came from. Certainly rj45 style and it has worked connecting PC to router.

Confused dot com !!....but problem solved....and test completed.

Thanks all.

k_man

If it has worked as an ethernet cable before, it was probably only at 10 baseT (10Mb), rather than 100Mb of 1Gb.

IIRC only 123 and 6 are required.

Heedtheadvice

Thanks that would explain it!