Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch

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Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch
Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch
2012-12-25 22:42:58
Region : UnitedKingdom

Model : TL-WR1043ND

Hardware Version : v1

Firmware Version :

ISP :


My house has thick internal walls, so WiFi does not propagate easily.
I am fortunate to have FTTP.
Therefore I have the following setup:
At one end of the house there is a Genexis HRG1000 Fibre Optic Modem / Router with WiFi and 4 ethernet ports.
One of its ethernet ports links to a Devolo 200Mb homeplug and there is a matching homeplug at the other end of the house which is linked to a WR1043ND.
We have tried two configurations each with various settings.
If we link into the WAN port it creates a separate network which cannot be seen from the fibre modem end (since the 196.168.1.n addresses are non-routing) and although this works, we cannot stream / transfer files from the PC (connected to the fibre modem by ethernet) to the smart TV connected to the WR1043ND. The TV can "see" the internet and things like iPlayer work. Various other gadgets can connect either by ethernet or WiFi and get successful internet access.
Alternatively
If we link into one of the LAN ports, AND disable both the DNS service and the DHCP server in the WR1043ND it all appears as one network, but although it is disabled, all the gadgets and computers try to use the DNS in the WR1043ND rather than that in the fibre modem and consequently there is no internet connectivity.
We have tried several combinations of fixed and dynamic IP addresses, rebooting the WR1043ND and the PC etc. but nothing seems to work.
What does work is giving both WiFi routers the same SID and password so that moving from one part of the house to another with, say, a smart phone transfers what connectivity there is seamlessly.
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Re:Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch
2012-12-26 08:54:16
As far as I'm concerned, if TL-WR1043ND is going to function as a switch, the fiber modem should be plugged into the LAN port and the DHCP on the router should be disabled. with that kind of settings, the computers connected to the router will get an IP address from the fiber modem router. It seems you did all of those, if you cannot access internet, I'm curious about the IP address and default gateway on the computer which is connected to TL-WR1043ND.
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Re:Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch
2012-12-27 08:30:33

Andrew wrote

As far as I'm concerned, if TL-WR1043ND is going to function as a switch, the fiber modem should be plugged into the LAN port and the DHCP on the router should be disabled. with that kind of settings, the computers connected to the router will get an IP address from the fiber modem router. It seems you did all of those, if you cannot access internet, I'm curious about the IP address and default gateway on the computer which is connected to TL-WR1043ND.


Andrew, essentially you are right. We've got it working now, but it depends on the order which you do things.You have to disable the DHCP and the DNS on the TL-WR1043ND first then reboot it with the ethernet from the fibre modem plugged into one of it's LAN ports.
After a little while it all settles down and the fibre modem becomes everyone's DNS and DHCP resource.
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Re:Using TL-WR1043ND as a switch
2012-12-27 13:23:51
How about disabling the connection after you set up the TL-WR1043ND and renew the IP address on the devices? sometimes the clients may keep the original IP addresses including the default gateway and DNS sever from the router it got from the first router.
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