Linksys WAG54G2 - no 'WAN' port, how to work around?

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Linksys WAG54G2 - no 'WAN' port, how to work around?

funnyfela

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#68429 21-Sep-2010 20:05

Hi guys,

I run the technology at my church on Sundays. Due to alot of requests for Youtube/Godtube/Websites on the projector I've installed a Wifi Router.

I had a Netgear WGR614 v7, and it has 4 Lan Ports and a Wan Lan port. But have decided I would rather use my Linksys WAG54G2.

With the layout of our church, there are Lan ports everywhere, so the ADSL Modem has Mac filtering on it, and wont give any IP's to any disallowed computers.
(DSL Modem feeds a 24 port hub and modem feeds the IP's via its inbuilt DHCP server).
The older gentlemen with the password to the modem doesn't quite understand what I am trying to do. And also because its a bit rushy to add a visiting pastors MAC address to the filter in the modem.

So, I've had the Netgear connected via the WAN port to the Hub, running its own DHCP server on a different range.
So this way the LAN ports in the building wouldn't work for anyone except the authorised computers, but the wifi is safe for those who I put the password on.

With my Linksys WAG54G2, it doesn't have a WAN port, so have come to a loss of how to run its own DHCP server, with getting the Internet from the LAN ports.

Yes I know this setup is a lil awkward, but its just the way it has to be...
So I guess what I'm asking, is that is it possible to like turn one of the LAN ports into a WAN port, thats the best way I can describe it.

Many thanks :)

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richms

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#382878 21-Sep-2010 20:42

You cant with the default configuration.

if you can reflash it with one of the open source distributions then you can reconfigure the switch in it to make one of the 4 ports out the back a seperate interface so you can do what you want, but the web interface is no help when I last tried it and its a right PITA editing scripts and config stuff.

Of get on trademe and get a craptastic router for $30 and save yourself hassle.

Really you want it the other way around, with the trusted computers behind the second nat router, and the untrusted ones on the wan side of that, so that the untrusted people are unable to access the IPs of the computers on the LAN, with the way you have it, any computer going thru the second router will show to the ones on the wired lan as a local IP which will have more access thru the firewall. Sure you could reconfigure all the computers on the lan to block the wan ip of the second router, but easier to just have it the other way around.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#382880 21-Sep-2010 20:43

Also are you sure the mac address filtering works on the wired port of the router? Last I checked mac filtering was wifi only. If you are just not giving out IP addresses, that will only stop the most casual of person who has no idea how to configure addresses manually.

Richard rich.ms

funnyfela

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#382881 21-Sep-2010 20:46

Yes I'm dead sure the mac filtering is on the LAN aswell as the WLAN, thats the reason they brought this particular DSL Modem (SMC I think)...
And even if you manually add the IP, you still can't get Internet, only internal access

Looking like a new router then...
Unless I can find open firmware, which I've tried before

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nickb800

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#382906 21-Sep-2010 21:54

The wag54p2 is suprisingly flexible - Im using mine for wireless and ATA functions, it 'gets' its internet from a router plugged into one of its LAN ports. See this discussion for how I achieved this http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=43&topicid=61023

I dont completely understand what your trying to achieve, but may be able to help.
Do you want the wag54gp2 to 'tell' the computers connected to it to 'source' their internet from the adsl router?
If so, you could either set the dhcp settings on the linksys to 'dhcp relay (on the basic setup page), and add the IP address of the adsl router in the 'dhcp relay server' field. Another option would be for the linksys to run its own dhcp server, giving out a different set of IP addresses, but reporting the IP address of the adsl router as the DNS server.

There are also plenty of options regarding the PVCs, in particular if you click 'enable' next to 'PVC mapping mixed mode' near the top of the basic setup page, it gives you a dialog box which appears to let you direct a particular lan port to an IP address that you specify in the advanced routing tab - this might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

Regarding open source firmware, I think it can only support the mini or micro installations as it has little memory, and this means it will have less functionality in some aspects than the linksys firmware.

But have a tinker with the settings, you might surprise yourself :)

funnyfela

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#382912 21-Sep-2010 22:12

nickb800: The wag54p2 is suprisingly flexible - Im using mine for wireless and ATA functions, it 'gets' its internet from a router plugged into one of its LAN ports. See this discussion for how I achieved this http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=43&topicid=61023

I dont completely understand what your trying to achieve, but may be able to help.
Do you want the wag54gp2 to 'tell' the computers connected to it to 'source' their internet from the adsl router?
If so, you could either set the dhcp settings on the linksys to 'dhcp relay (on the basic setup page), and add the IP address of the adsl router in the 'dhcp relay server' field. Another option would be for the linksys to run its own dhcp server, giving out a different set of IP addresses, but reporting the IP address of the adsl router as the DNS server.

There are also plenty of options regarding the PVCs, in particular if you click 'enable' next to 'PVC mapping mixed mode' near the top of the basic setup page, it gives you a dialog box which appears to let you direct a particular lan port to an IP address that you specify in the advanced routing tab - this might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

Regarding open source firmware, I think it can only support the mini or micro installations as it has little memory, and this means it will have less functionality in some aspects than the linksys firmware.

But have a tinker with the settings, you might surprise yourself :)

Its not a WAG54P2 though, its a WAG52G2... Haven't seen any PVC settings (dont know what they are anyway)

With the DHCP relay, what does it do? Haven't been able to find alot of info on this router...

The issue is that if it is the computer requesting the data from the DSL modem, the modem denys it as all our wifi computers aren't allowed in the modem. Which is why I used the wan port, so as far as the modem could see, the Wifi router was the mac address requesting the data.

So if the DHCP relay tells the computers to get IP from the DSL modem (which is my guess at what it does), it won't work due to the Modem not giving IP's to disallowed computers.

If you have to run heating in winter, you don’t own enough computers.

funnyfela

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#382915 21-Sep-2010 22:15

I hope this all makes sense,
Thanks alot for your help so far guys, helps alot :)

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nickb800

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#382919 21-Sep-2010 22:23

Ahh, so you want the dsl modem to think that it is just the mac address of the linksys requesting data, when in fact it is any of the computers allowed wifi access to the linksys?

Well dhcp is basically dishing out IP addresses to client computers, dhcp relay is telling the clients to get their Ip address from a different router/device, specified by its ip address. I dont think this will achieve what you want in this situation.

Going the PVC route would be the way to go, however from all I can see online it doesnt seem support this :(

funnyfela

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#382920 21-Sep-2010 22:28

Bugger lol

Was really hoping to get rid of the netgear...

It does have 'Advanced Routing' whatever that does, I'm guessing that its not the same though... Routing

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nickb800

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#382922 21-Sep-2010 22:32

Yeah the advanced routing is one half of it, but you would need the setting on the 'basic setup' page to 'port' one of the LAN ports.

Theres not a lot you can do with your current arrangement/equipment unfortunately

funnyfela

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#382925 21-Sep-2010 22:39

Hmm thats what I was afraid of...

I'll just stick with the Netgear for now, might spend money on a better one at some stage

Thanks Alot :)

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