Connecting router to IPTV box

[dr0xx3rz]

Hi

Here is my situation. I am trying to connect a router via the ethernet port of my IPTV cable box because my upstairs wifi where is my modem is very low downstair.

I am trying to create a WAP with the 2nd router.

Here is my setup

Upstairs: internet coming via COAX to Modem/router provided by ISP assigned as 192.168.2.1 DHCP is ON

Downstairs: COAX going to IPTV cablebox - Ethernet cable going to router 2. Setup as a WAP with these settings:

IP: 192.168.2.254
SUB: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.2.1
DHCP OFF
WIFI in AP mode

I have been to multiple forums everybody seems to say that i'm either 1) crazy 2) just do a normal bride (wich i did try multiple times)

I would like to point that with these setting everything I connect to router 2 with WIRED is WORKING NUMBER 1

Last night I did a last try and also added a VLAN WIFI. That time it worked. I dont know why but it did! I was really happy. I woke up this morning and everything was dead again. No internet connection available on the wifi. When i create the wifi I can connect to it but I cannot connect to the internet(No internet connection available)

Can anyone please help me.

Yesterday i proved that I was not 1) crazy because it worked. So why is this not working this morning! I tried with the same setting that yesterday night and it's not working again!

Thanks for your time!

 

[paddy187]

Should the 2nd router be in AP mode? Doesn't that mean it doesn't think there is another router?

The only reason I ask that this morning I setup s very a similar system in my house using a router with dd wrt for the second one. In the options for settings it said to do all the same as you just select router mode not AP mode. Also, are you using different channels for each router?

 

[mickevh]

Have a read of the "using two routers together" FAQ in this forum.

Be sure you connect your two routers together using the LAN and not their WAN/Internet ports.

You should not need to do anything with VLAN's, it is unnecessary for such a simple set up.

 

[dr0xx3rz]

So it worked again yesterday. After 3 hours the wifi dropped and I can't connect to it now...

 

[mickevh]

Can you post up a diagram of your infrastructure. It does not need to be pretty, as long as it shows what is connected to what (including ISP links.)

It would also be useful to know the exact make/model numbers of your routers and IPTV boxes.

Be sure to understand that there is no such thing as "wi-fi signal" that can "drop." Often when people say such things when what they mean is "I have lost Internet connection." Often times it turns out that the wi-fi part is just fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

By way of baselining and test: Next time you achieve a connection, on a Windows PC open up a CMD window, run an IPCONFIG /ALL and make a note of the result. Thence try to "ping" both your routers and see if the links are active. Thence, next time a failure occurs, do the same again and see how it compares.

 

[dr0xx3rz]

Here it is...

On the last time i was able to connect I did a router backup. Saved the file to the computer. I tried reinstalling that file and it did not worked that time. It seems to be pretty random or a defect I don't know.. I was able to connect to both router via 192.168.2.1 and 192.168.2.2

 

[mickevh]

I can not find a lot of concrete information about your IPTV box, but what I have encountered generally suggests that what you are doing is "inadvisable" and "unreliable" and your experience suggests that is just the case.

I think you'd be better off ditching the link back to your Sagem router over coax (IPTV) and establish the backhaul between the routers using "other" means. The best method would be using a "proper" ethernet cable, next best would be using HomePlugs to tunnel ethernet over the electrical mains supply, least preferable would be to hack the Buffalo with some custom firmware that avail it to be used as both AP and "wi-fi bridge" to the Sagem. The latter is least preferable because it at least halves your wi-fi throughput (and some people have killed the router during the upgrade process.)

One way you could test your router configuration would be to disconnect it from your IPTV box, take and connect it to your Sagem with an ethernet cable and see how well it works. For the purposes of such a test, it would be a good idea for to give each router different SSID so you can tell which you are connected to and in any case, it would be good to ensure they are using different radio channels to avoid interference between them.

If such a test proves to be reliable, you can be confident the problem is not with your routers but elsewhere which really only leaves your IPTV box and the coax connection.

 

[dr0xx3rz]

I will try connecting it to the sagecom tommorow. There is a lot of post on the buffalo forums talking about connection drop on that model so i'm pretty sure its the router. I think i will just RMA it. Can you suggest at the same time a router that can do wired bridge and do WAP?

Also thank you I've got more awnser on this forum that the other ones.

 

[dr0xx3rz]

tested on the sagecom.. worked on 1st try. Testing now if the connection drops. What bugs me is why it DID work on the cablebox 2 times...

UPDATE: 30 minutes after connection. Connection is slowing droping from 20mbits to 0.5-2.5mbits. Page are starting to show no network available something need to refresh before it loads. Will update tomorrow morning to see if its drop.

 

[mickevh]

Wi-fi link rates vary all the time, sometimes the network driver "lies" and only reports the "nominal" rate at which the link is established instead of the actual rate at any point in time.

Also, if you are using an Internet speed tester to verify your link rates, your Internet link is often slower than the local rates, so it is not a particularly good test. If you have a pair of Windows or Linux PC's, tools such as iPerf are much better (or NetIO which IIRC is Windows only.) They test local traffic only and can generate enough traffic to saturate your links.

Or you can copy a big file and time it in a watch (though that can run into problems because sometimes the hard disc drives in the source an sink devices can be a factor.)

Be very weary of anyone talking about "wi-fi signal" in discussion of equipment. The vast, vast majority of people, including some people who sell it, mis-understand how wi-fi works which leads them to incorrect conclusions. The biggest give-aways that someone is ill-informed is that they talk about things like "wi-fi signal" "wi-fi signal strength" and "dropped signal." Of course wi-fi does use radio signals, (as ethernet uses electrical and optical signals,) but the model most people have in their head is so far from the reality that it is pretty much useless. I've offered a better model of how wi-fi really works in the following post if you are interested...

[HOW TO] Diagnose Wireless Issues | Page 2 | AVForums