# expanding a router over network



## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

teamo said:


> I have a wired home network with a Leviton structured media panel. I am using Verizon FIOS through a Verizon Actiontech mi424 wired/wireless router. I have used up all of the ethernet ports and I need to expand. I have a Leviton 5 port switch. Do I just come out of one of the ethernet ports and go into the switch or do I use the WAN connection on the router? Thanks


you gotta make sure your computer can recognize your switch; can you program your router, like a cisco model, or is it off the shelf Best Buy? You could get an expansion hub also, probably allot easier and then hard wire or set up your various wireless devices.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

You can add new routers to your setup. 
Switched routers work best but cost a little more. I have 3 routers and a printer hub downstream of my DSL hub. Only one is a wireless and haven't had any conflicts. I did once with an old router but I just gave it a static address.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Wirenuting said:


> You can add new routers to your setup.
> Switched routers work best but cost a little more. I have 3 routers and a printer hub downstream of my DSL hub. Only one is a wireless and haven't had any conflicts. I did once with an old router but I just gave it a static address.


Is that your home setup? What kind of print server do you have? I have a P.O.S. Netgear print server. It works fine from my PC and my wife's PC but it shuts itself off whenever I try to print from my laptop. It's weird. The driver on the laptop is the current version.


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## teamo (Oct 24, 2009)

The print server comes next. After I iron out this expansion thing then I am going to set up some kind of print server. With three desktops going I would like to have the printer over a server into the network instead of having the computer with the printer hooked up having to be left on all of the time.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

erics37 said:


> Is that your home setup? What kind of print server do you have? I have a P.O.S. Netgear print server. It works fine from my PC and my wife's PC but it shuts itself off whenever I try to print from my laptop. It's weird. The driver on the laptop is the current version.


It's a netgear PS-101. I use in on my 10 year old HP laser. You have to set the address using their software and then never turn the power off to the Ps-101. 
I have newer printers that are USB and the netgear server I tried, didn't work. 
I have about 9 computers at the house and a phone router also. I get voice messages as an e-mail. I have a few XP's , 1 vista that crashed this weekend and a few windows 7 rigs. I also have a Vista HP touch screen built into my kitchen wall. That's on a slide out tray. I like everything hardwired and the laptops & netbooks are wireless. I plan to re-pull all my network cables for cat-6e and go with the U-verse tv thru ATT as soon as I get a big flat screen. 
I still have a windows 98 that's not online and I use it to play an old games called Naval Battles and Janes Fleet command.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Forget the print server, I've been through a few and have had bad luck. Just get a new printer that is wireless and/or Ethernet ready.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Jlarson said:


> Forget the print server, I've been through a few and have had bad luck. Just get a new printer that is wireless and/or Ethernet ready.


Good point. My old HP laser won't die. 
But my wife has a new HP laser all in one. 
An HP CM1415fnw. It's network and wireless. Nice unit with 4 color cartridges. 
She also has a few inkjet for her old photo business.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Y'all are using the wrong terms. Op needs a switch with an uplink port. Go out of your router, any port, to the uplink port on the switch. You now have more room for expansion.

-Matt


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Wirenuting said:


> It's a netgear PS-101. I use in on my 10 year old HP laser. You have to set the address using their software and then never turn the power off to the Ps-101.
> I have newer printers that are USB and the netgear server I tried, didn't work.
> I have about 9 computers at the house and a phone router also. I get voice messages as an e-mail. I have a few XP's , 1 vista that crashed this weekend and a few windows 7 rigs. I also have a Vista HP touch screen built into my kitchen wall. That's on a slide out tray. I like everything hardwired and the laptops & netbooks are wireless. I plan to re-pull all my network cables for cat-6e and go with the U-verse tv thru ATT as soon as I get a big flat screen.
> I still have a windows 98 that's not online and I use it to play an old games called Naval Battles and Janes Fleet command.


I have a Netgear PS 121 print server. The Netgear software that came with it is crap; half the time the installation program freezes up and won't install. I went to the Netgear forum and figured out how to jury-rig the setup and run the print server without the software. So far it works okay, except if I try to print a butt-load of copies of the same document (like 30 or more), then it just freezes up. And I'm not able to utilize all the printer's functions. And my print queue gives me fits sometimes and I have to manually clear it. And sometimes my wife's computer will just randomly not be able to print stuff.

Actually after all that, I now realize that my Netgear print server is garbage. The other Netgear stuff I'm using (8-port ethernet switch and a Wireless access point) works great. Just the print server. Grrrr.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

erics37 said:


> I have a Netgear PS 121 print server. The Netgear software that came with it is crap; half the time the installation program freezes up and won't install. I went to the Netgear forum and figured out how to jury-rig the setup and run the print server without the software. So far it works okay, except if I try to print a butt-load of copies of the same document (like 30 or more), then it just freezes up. And I'm not able to utilize all the printer's functions. And my print queue gives me fits sometimes and I have to manually clear it. And sometimes my wife's computer will just randomly not be able to print stuff.
> 
> Actually after all that, I now realize that my Netgear print server is garbage. The other Netgear stuff I'm using (8-port ethernet switch and a Wireless access point) works great. Just the print server. Grrrr.


Is the Ps-121 the network to USB adaptor? 
If so I tried to hook that up to my wifes old printer and it didn't work. After a few minutes I boxed it back up. She had to get back to her Farm on FB. LoL
But the 101 is the Bi-directional to network and the only times I have problems like you is after restoring power to the print server. It keeps loosing it's address. 
I agree that the older netgear print servers stink. 
I have a draft N wireless router from linksys that died after the first firmware update. It's a $125 door stop now. I bought it after someone gave me it's matching wireless card for an old laptop.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

You don't even need a switch with an "uplink" port. The true use of an uplink port died in the late 90's early 2000's. Basically the uplink port would automatically turn the network cable into a crossover when you connected from another switch / router. Now adays all the ports are auto negotiating and a cross over cable isn't needed, you can just use a straight patch cable. 

Switches do still have specialty "uplink" ports, but are usually used for example if the switch is 10/100 then it would have one or two gigabit uplink ports to use as a backbone of sorts to another gigabit uplink port or switch. 

In the OPs case the router is probably only going to be 10/100.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Edrick said:


> You don't even need a switch with an "uplink" port. The true use of an uplink port died in the late 90's early 2000's. Basically the uplink port would automatically turn the network cable into a crossover when you connected from another switch / router. Now adays all the ports are auto negotiating and a cross over cable isn't needed, you can just use a straight patch cable.
> 
> Switches do still have specialty "uplink" ports, but are usually used for example if the switch is 10/100 then it would have one or two gigabit uplink ports to use as a backbone of sorts to another gigabit uplink port or switch.
> 
> In the OPs case the router is probably only going to be 10/100.


He will need an uplink port or a crossover cable... the consumer crap is not auto negotiating on every port.

~Matt


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

TOOL_5150 said:


> He will need an uplink port or a crossover cable... the consumer crap is not auto negotiating on every port.
> 
> ~Matt


I suppose it depends how cheap he goes I've never installed a consumer router in the last at least 5 years that needed a cross over or uplink port.


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## ethaninmotion (Sep 28, 2010)

Edrick said:


> I suppose it depends how cheap he goes I've never installed a consumer router in the last at least 5 years that needed a cross over or uplink port.


Pretty sure anything gigabit auto-negotiates


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

ethaninmotion said:


> Pretty sure anything gigabit auto-negotiates


The cisco GBIC's I use on one of my switches doesnt. The 5 port netgear gigabit switch I had didnt auto negotiate either..

I wouldnt make that general of a statement, just sayin...


~Matt


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## ethaninmotion (Sep 28, 2010)

TOOL_5150 said:


> The cisco GBIC's I use on one of my switches doesnt. The 5 port netgear gigabit switch I had didnt auto negotiate either..
> 
> I wouldnt make that general of a statement, just sayin...
> 
> ~Matt


That's fine, I just haven't run into that. I only use commercial equipment though.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

ethaninmotion said:


> That's fine, I just haven't run into that. I only use commercial equipment though.


Yeah, most of my cisco switches are auto-negotiate, but there still is stuff that is not.

~Matt


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## ethaninmotion (Sep 28, 2010)

TOOL_5150 said:


> Yeah, most of my cisco switches are auto-negotiate, but there still is stuff that is not.
> 
> ~Matt


Oh and the reason I made that statement was because 1000 base-t has auto negotiation required in the spec.


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## Grounded-B (Jan 5, 2011)

TOOL_5150 said:


> He will need an uplink port or a crossover cable... the consumer crap is not auto negotiating on every port.
> 
> ~Matt


You are correct. Usually there is one port with a pushbutton switch on the back - either "normal use" or "uplink/crossover use".
That is the one to connect to any LAN port on the router. Set the switch to "uplink/crossover"

Steve


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Grounded-B said:


> You are correct. Usually there is one port with a pushbutton switch on the back - either "normal use" or "uplink/crossover use".
> That is the one to connect to any LAN port on the router. Set the switch to "uplink/crossover"
> 
> Steve


Or if not marked it's port 1


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Wirenuting said:


> Or if not marked it's port 1


Sometimes port 8, sometimes port 24...... It will be marked somehow.:thumbsup:

~Matt


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## ce2two (Oct 4, 2008)

My condolences that you chose verizon FIOS ,customer service is the worst when you have a problem...I have to constantly help ,assist their techs in troubleshooting comm. problems,there freakin morons ...it took 7 techs out my to my fathers mobile to find and fix a corroded splice enclosure in order to restore his DSL service...they could not find problem even with a T.D.R.....:laughing:MERE yellow school bus dit da deeeeees?I hate verizon IMO ONLY THANK YOU.The company is way toooo big for smallfry.:no:


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## egads (Sep 1, 2009)

I have FIOS, I feel your pain. My only other choice is Charter cable......


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## teamo (Oct 24, 2009)

What is the difference between a switch and a gateway? I thought that I had a regular switch but I looked at it and it says gateway on it. I haven't used it for a few years because I have been using the fios router and had enough ports. I used to use the gateway with the old dsl router and had no problems. I assume that I need to get into the settings page for the current router to configure it with the new switch. I cannot get into the username/password page. Does anyone know what the default user/password is for the MI424 router. What should I do with the built in firewall on the router and on the gateway? Should one be on and the other be switched off?


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## Grounded-B (Jan 5, 2011)

teamo said:


> What is the difference between a switch and a gateway? I thought that I had a regular switch but I looked at it and it says gateway on it. I haven't used it for a few years because I have been using the fios router and had enough ports. I used to use the gateway with the old dsl router and had no problems. I assume that I need to get into the settings page for the current router to configure it with the new switch. I cannot get into the username/password page. Does anyone know what the default user/password is for the MI424 router. What should I do with the built in firewall on the router and on the gateway? Should one be on and the other be switched off?


A gateway is another name for a router. It is the "gateway" between a WAN (internet) and a LAN (your private network). I believe when you used the gateway in the past, it was with a DSL modem (not a router) or it might have a modem built-in (if it connects directly to your phone jack via a RJ-11 (4 or 6 pin plug).

typically, to get to the log-in screen you browse to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 with your web browser.

Try Google for the default username/password.


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## teamo (Oct 24, 2009)

Thanks,
I got into the set up page with the 192.168.0.1. I got it to work but I have to read up on some of the settings, mainly how to configure the two firewalls (one on the router and one on the gateway router). Does anyone have any suggested settings? Should one of them be off and one be on?


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