[DUREX]

ok guys i have ATT broadband and i use my linksys 4 port router Model BEFSR41 works fine i got 4 computers on it now i wanted to add another router so i went out and bought a network everywere linksys 4 port cable dsl/router little diffrent then the one ei got the new ones model number is NR041 i cant get the 2 routers to like work together i dont understand the new one can some one PLZ HELP me i cant get these routers to work i tryed everyhting i know help me step by step plzzzzzz

[DUREX]

can u hook up 2 dsl/cable routers?????

[su root]

please clarify:

you have one router, the internet goes into the WAN port of that, but where does the second router fit in? how is it connected to your network?

To add more computers to an existing router, you would usually buy a hub or a switch, and connect it, using a straight cable from any normal port on the router to the uplink port on the switch or hub.

[SemiCycle]

Agreed, you don't need another router at all. Just a hub or switch. You should be able to find one cheap.

[su root]

If you have already bought another router, you can simply use a crossover cable to connect a normal port from the first router to another normal port of the 2nd router (which completely ignores the 'router' function of the router, and just uses the 'switch' function of it)

[john240sx]

i think you have to use the uplink port on the router and connect a hub (i'm not sure though. i'm not very good at networking yet)

[su root]

Here is a crash course in router/switch/hub ports:

There are two kinds: MDI-II, and MDI-X. They both look identical, RJ45 sockets, but they are wired differently.

MDI-X are found as your "normal ports" on switches/hubs/routers. Commonly shown as "5x" where 5 is the port number and X means MDI-X

MDI-II ports are your Computer's NIC, uplink and WAN (Internet) ports.
MDI-X are the "normal" ports on switches, hubs, and routers, etc.

The difference between the two is that MDI-X "crosses" the transmit and read wires, whereas the MDI-II doesn't.

Between any two devices(computer/hub/switch/router/anything) on a network, you need to have one (1) cross, somewhere in the network, so that computer1's transmit wires are connected to computer2's recieve wires, and vise versa (that's what the crossing does). If there is no cross, computer1's transmit would transmit to computer2's transmit, and and both recieves would be wired together aswell, making communication impossible.

A computer can be connected to a MDI-X port (normal port) with a straight cable. However, a computer cannot be connected to a MDI-II port (uplink port) with a straight cable, because MDI-II is not crossed and the straight cable is not crossed, so the connection will not be crossed.

Here are the only ways you can connect two devices by:
MDI-X to MDI-II via Straight cable (normal port on switch/hub to uplink port on another switch/hub)
MDI-X to MDI-X via Cross cable (two normal switch/hub ports, 3 crosses=crossed once)
MDI-II to MDI-II via Cross cable (two uplinks on a hub/switch, or computer to computer)

The generally accepted way of connecting them is normal port to uplink (MDI-X to MDI-II)

If you find the names hard to remember, the X in MDI-X stands for crossed, and the II in MDI-II stands for straight
II
X
II
see the cross in the cable?

So, in a normal network:
computer1 MDI-II <=straight=> MDI-X hub MDI-X <=straight=> MDI-II computer2

Additionally now, there are new switches and devices that have an "Auto-MDI" feature, which means the switch automatically figures out whether the port should be MDI-II or MDI-X. This allows you to use any cable, cross or straight, for any situation. I would still recommend using the standard wiring scheme (ie. straight cable for a connection from a switch to computer), as being lazy will give you problems when you try to troubleshoot network problems and your crossover cable doesn't work when used with a different switch.

[DUREX]

su root u have AIM well i jsut went out and bought a 8port switch i dont knwo how too hook this crap up

[su root]

no, sorry, just ICQ.. my number is in my profile here..

Basically,
just use a normal "straight cable" or "patch cable" to connect from one "normal port" on the router to the "uplink" port on your switch. then you can plug computers into the switch as though it were just plugging them into your router

[DUREX]

so hook the switch up to the a reg port or the uplink witch is better i got it working im jsut curious whats better uplink or port for speed?

[su root]

speed will be the same no matter which solution you use:

Router Regular port -> Straight Cable -> Uplink on Switch
Router Regular port -> Cross cable -> Regular port on switch

the only thing you are changing is the cable..

[Tamasha_Strife]

Hey man thanks a lot for all the info, thats great help right there! I dont need to add another rig to my network just yet but in 6 months......

[su root]

about 4 months ago, i bought an 8 port switch for my 2 boxes. I am now down to 2 ports free

[PsycoPhreak]

One thing to remember, on the linksys befsr41...if you use the uplink port...you CAN NOT have any cable plugged into the first port, as the uplink port is shared with it. you'll only be able to use the 2nd, 3rd and 4th ports on the linky.

[su root]

yeah, generally the uplink port is shared with either the first port, or the last port on the switch. (simply providing a choice between MDI-X and MDI-II connections to the same port)