Cascade Routers

A good way to expand your wired or wireless network is to cascade routers. A router cascade means that 2 or more routers are connected to each other through an Ethernet cable. There are 2 ways to cascade routers: connect an Ethernet port on the second router to an Ethernet port on the first, or connect the Internet port on the second router to an Ethernet port on the first.

Steps

Connect Ethernet to Ethernet (LAN to LAN)

  1. Designate which one of your routers will be the primary router and which will be secondary. Your primary router should already be configured as, or with, your modem.
  2. Connect your computer directly to your secondary router using an Ethernet cable by plugging the cable into one of the numbered Ethernet ports on the back of the router and to an Ethernet port on your computer. Make sure it is not plugged into your primary router.
  3. Access your router's web-based configuration menu. Connect to the router's IP address with a web browser.
    • Depending on the make of your router, you may have to navigate to a specific URL to access your router's web-based configuration menu. Consult your router's user manual to find out.
  4. Look for the local IP settings and reset the router's IP address from its default settings. The key here is to make sure that your secondary router has a different final digit than the IP address of your primary router.
    • An example IP for your primary router is 192.168.1.1. So an example of your secondary router's IP address could be 192.168.1.2.
  5. Locate the router's DHCP Server settings and turn them off.
  6. Make sure your router is set to router operating mode. This is often located in an advanced settings menu.
  7. Plug another Ethernet cable into one of the numbered Ethernet ports on the back of the primary router. Plug the other end of that cable into a numbered Ethernet port on the back of the secondary router. Your routers are now cascaded.

Connect Ethernet to Internet (LAN to WAN)

  1. Connect your computer to your secondary router and access the web-based configuration menu.
  2. Change the local IP address so that the second-to-last digit is different from your primary router.
    • If your primary IP address is 192.168.0.1 then your secondary router's IP address should be something like 192.168.2.1.
  3. Save your IP address changes. Disconnect your secondary router from your computer.
  4. Plug an Ethernet cable into one of the numbered Ethernet ports on the back of your primary router. Plug the other end of the cable into the Internet port of your secondary router. Your routers are now cascaded.

Tips

  • When you connect your secondary router's Internet port to the main router's Ethernet port, you can determine which router devices connect to since they will have different LAN IP segments.
  • When you connect your second router's Ethernet port to your primary router's Ethernet port, devices that connect to either router will be on the same LAN IP segment.

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Sources and Citations

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