Router help! TP Link WD8980 - want to act as router only

[Evilchap]

Yo clever doods.

I am having connection dropout issues.

To try and solve it I got some powerline/homeplug adapters, and plugged the Sky router into the master socket downstairs, then the other end into original router, the TD8980.

It has an option to be either and ADSL router or just a Wireless router, so should be able to do it, but I cannot get the routers to talk to each other.

The homeplug things I have confirmed work by plugging a laptop in and it got online straight away.

Has anybody used this router as just a router?

Thanks!

Ben

[Asht_200]

I'm not sure you'll achieve anything since the Sky router is pretty crappy and will not learn any of the routes served by the WD8980 (You can't even add static routes to the Router.

You may be able to by connecting it as a bridge. You will also want to disable DHCP on the WD8980 and allow the Sky Router to allocate ip addresses. To connect, you would connect the LAN Ports of the Routers together

[Cluck]

First off, do as Ash says and make sure DHCP is disabled on the TP-Link router, set it's LAN IP address to the same range as the Sky router, but on a currently free IP address (if the Sky router will allow you to then I would add this IP address to either an exclusion list or fix it to the TP-Link router). Then make sure you are connecting the TP-Link router to the network via port 2, 3 or 4 on the back. Port 1 seems to be reserved for this wireless router only mode but uses it as a WAN port rather than LAN. Once those two things are done, it should behave like a straight-forward wireless access point.

Oh and disable the wireless on the Sky router in case that is clashing.

If none of that makes sense, don't be afraid to ask .

[sideways14a]

Its prob a dhcp fight, seen this loads where folk try this and the units have a scrap over who is handing out addresses.

Personally i would ditch the crap sky router and get a nice posh billion/dray in there and some proper AP's up... bit overkill though.

[Evilchap]

Thanks chaps - that's a big help and gives me some good ideas to try tonight

I am doing this to try to work out if my dropouts are internal or external wiring - if dropouts continue I'll know to moan at the provider - if they stop I know I need a new internal bit of wire

Also I think maybe I was using the wrong port on the TPLink - I assuming as that was labelled WAN that meant feed the internets in there from the outside source, in this case my Sky router, guess I got that pretty wrong!

Thanks again

[james_200sx]

Hello

Also make sure the router has a IP address there is NOT the same as the skybox.

And yes disable DHCP.

Plug the skybox network into any port on the TP-Link other then the WAN one. (The WAN one will be a different color)


DHCP gives out IP address information to the computer connecting.

[Rusty]

The first question I have is what are you actually trying to do here?

Use the TP Link as a wireless AP, or use the TP Link as the main router and the Sky router as just a modem?

If it's the latter, then:

Disable DHCP on the Sky router and give it a LAN IP of 192.168.0.1/255.255.255.0

Give the TPLink router a LAN IP of 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0 and a WAN IP of 192.168.0.2/255.255.255.0 and enable it's DHCP server.

On the Sky router enable DMZ and point it to 192.168.0.2

Now anything you connect to the TPLink router should just work, and you'll have no trouble with port forwarding on it.