Problem with connecting LAN to WAN routers
Problem with connecting LAN to WAN routers
I have two TP link routers set up. Router A handles the main internet WAN connection, while Router B connects to A via a LAN port and then to the WAN port on B. At first, I disabled DHCP on Router B because it had a LAN-to-LAN link, but devices like my Firestick would still refuse to connect after a few days, showing "connected but no internet." This problem also occurred with my phone occasionally. Switching to a LAN-to-WAN setup allowed DHCP to work, which improved connection speed, but the same issue persisted. Devices connect, but they can’t access the internet. Router B has a static IP, yet it remains unreliable. My wireless extender is connected to Router A and works fine, but its signal is only about 50%, so I don’t use it much. Changing between LAN-to-LAN and LAN-to-WAN hasn’t fixed the problem. The TP link router seems to be causing instability. There are reviews calling it unreliable for consistent connectivity. How can I resolve this?
Connect a LAN port from router A to the WAN port on router B. Turn off DHCP and switch to Bridged Mode. This should make everything function as a single network. You can verify if this resolves your problems.
This will only increase costs since the setup likely requires software bridging. Instead, turn off DHCP on router B and link both devices via their LAN ports. This lets router B connect straight to router A’s LAN, just like the extender will work. It’s best to assign router B a static IP that router A won’t allocate through DHCP, preventing future conflicts. Options include removing the DHCP range router A uses, giving it a dummy MAC address so it never gets assigned, or using an IP outside router A’s DHCP scope—though you’ll need to temporarily lock your PC to another IP in that range.
The sole reason I have is that the original poster mentioned they attempted it before and problems continued. I’ll remember your note about latency when suggesting improvements later.
Ah yes I missed that, I saw the long explanation at the top of WAN to LAN then missed the casual LAN to LAN comment. I can't see how bridging is going to help as its just adding even more processing compared to LAN to LAN. The CPU doing the bridging is unlikely to do a better job than the switch. I'm back to my first ponder then, that its a WiFi problem.
Based on my advice, I wasn't focusing on latency or unstable connections. Instead, I was addressing the "Connected - No Internet" problem between Router A and B. In the long run, the easiest option would be to purchase a separate switch. Router A is better than a switch, and everything else follows.
It doesn't seem to be the wireless access point causing issues. When both routers are connected via LAN ports, they function like internal switches with a router built into one port each. Testing by connecting a device directly to router B confirms it works fine. The problem likely lies elsewhere.
Thanks for the update! It seems like a complicated problem overall. The LAN connection was fine at first, then it stopped assigning IP addresses to my phone and DHCP failed. Other devices like phones and the Fire Stick could connect normally. Router B supports two speed bands: 5GHz and 2.4GHz. However, the Fire Stick couldn’t connect once ASLGO was enabled. Eventually, resetting everything resolved it, but when the issue returned, nothing connected properly—so I switched to WAN. It looks like the Wi-Fi might be faulty. Maybe choosing an ASUS router would have helped?