Can I connect 2 Huawei 659b together?

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Junta

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#249163 28-Apr-2019 19:20

Sorry if this has been asked before; I did search but couldn't find anything quite right...

I have just had Fibre Max installed. Currently, my setup looks like this:

ONT > Huawei 659b > Ethernet cable connections through the house to PC, TV, Xbox etc; plus 659b regular Wifi connectivity for various mobile devices

My question: Can I connect a second Huawei 659b in my office, where a LAN port is, to act as a mini switch between the devices I have in there? So it'd end up looking like this -

ONT > Huawei 659b > Ethernet cable to Huawei 659b (at other end of the house) > PC, TV, Xbox etc; plus 659b regular Wifi connectivity for various mobile devices

Cheers in advance.

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#2226946 28-Apr-2019 19:24

Yes.

Disable dns, dhcp etc, change IP for the second hg659b.

Plugin your ethernet cable to the LAN port, it will act as a dumb bridge.

As a side note, time for a name change george?

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Junta

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#2226950 28-Apr-2019 19:33

Thanks @hio77 :D

Yeah I will contact the bossman about a name change. Just hadn't gotten round to it!

hio77

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#2226951 28-Apr-2019 19:35

no problem, sing out if your still having issues with it :)

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Junta

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#2227128 29-Apr-2019 10:06

Another question @hio77 - if I do the above, can the 2nd dumb bridge also essentially be used as another AP? Like an extender?

(also, is this guide essentially what i need to do: https://www.spark.co.nz/help/internet-data/equipment/huawei/hg659-gateway/setup-bridge-mode-huawei-hg659-hg659b/ ?)

Dratsab

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#2227130 29-Apr-2019 10:10

Yes. I did exactly this in my 2 storey house with three HG659b's. After doing all the things @hio77 says, make sure your SSID's and passwords are the same so you can wander around with no dropouts.

I had this set up for a couple of years before getting a Grandstream router and AP. The one AP covers the entire house and 1/4 acre section quite nicely :-)

Junta

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#2227135 29-Apr-2019 10:23

@Dratsab - awesome! Thanks for confirming. :)

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hio77

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#2227139 29-Apr-2019 10:42

You dont want to put it in bridge mode like that guide shows.

It's simplier than that :)

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jonathan18

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#2227144 29-Apr-2019 10:55

Also, I think it's important to make sure the IP address of the second 'router' (the one acting as an AP) is outside that of the address range the primary router (the one with DHCP enabled) will be dishing out, but within the same subnet. As an example you could allow your router to assign IP addresses in the range of 192.168.1.3 - 192.168.1.100, and set the 'AP' to use 192.168.1.2 [assuming your router's IP address is 192.168.1.1]).

This is something I failed to do for many years when I was using a second router as an AP, and I think may have been behind the ongoing but irregular problems I had with the setup.

(Note: I'm not a networking expert, so those who are please correct me if what I've suggested above is incorrect.)

hio77

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#2227184 29-Apr-2019 11:01

It's good practice, but DHCP is designed to not blindly offer an in-use IP....

In an ideal world, it wouldnt be a problem.

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Junta

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#2227506 29-Apr-2019 16:49

@hio77 i disabled DHCP, and set the router IP to 192.168.3.254 ... but can't see where to disable DNS? Google searches are a bit unreliable. Any pointers?

Edit: I changed the IP address, and now the router won't let me connect at all ... have factory reset it

Edit: DHCP disabled, DNS disabled, and plugged the cable into the LAN (not WAN) port of the 2nd Huawei...and it's working, but reaaaallly slow, and loads of sites have security errors. I'm sure it's something simple...? :D

Jase2985

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#2227523 29-Apr-2019 17:21

you should only be changing the last 3 digits of the IP address, as thats whats in the subnet you are using.

changing anything else puts it outside the subnet meaning it wont work as you have found out

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Junta

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#2227535 29-Apr-2019 17:45

Hmm @Jase2985 something's screwy: sometimes it connects to let me admin the unit, and sometimes not. I get 'Host unreachable'. To clarify, I am connected via LAN cable, directly from a Mac to the Huawei