Blue Curve/3rd Party Router

[msilverton]

Anyone have their BC configured with 2 IPs, desktop wired, Wifi and a wired 3rd Party router sharing wifi and network printer/other network devices?

I'm stumped on configuration on how to get the desktop to talk to the 3rd party router.

Suggestions?

Mike

[shaw-tony]

@msilverton the BlueCurve modem on bridged mode would be able to provide you 2 IPs. While in the regular un-bridged mode, plugging your router in would cause an IP mismatch error (cause of slow speeds and connection drops). The BlueCurve modem does not have any IP passthrough features to enable a 3rd party router when it's un-bridged.

[msilverton]

I have 2 IP addresses, one for each ethernet port. I want to have the wifi working on both the BC and the 3rd party, so no bridge mode.  I have it working now except for local desktop access to my wifi printer.  I can connect with USB and use wifi for other device connections to the printer.  I need to delve deeper into networking to get access across the IPs

Mike

[mdk]

> I have 2 IP addresses, one for each ethernet port.

Are you implying that you have "bridged" the BlueCurve, so that you get a "public" IP-address on each of the 2 ports?

> I want to have the WiFi working on both the BC and the 3rd party, so no bridge mode. 

As you know, by bridging, you are disabling the BlueCurve's WiFi capability.

> I have it working now except for local desktop access to my WiFi printer. 

Are you stating that one of the Ethernet ports on the BlueCurve is connected, via Ethernet cable, to your desktop computer, and your computer is using one of those "public" IP-addresses?

Presumably, your own router, that is using the other "public" IP-address, is also connected to your BlueCurve. Correct?

Also, I presume that your printer is connected, via WiFi, to your own router, not to the BlueCurve's WiFi.

> I need to delve deeper into networking to get access across the IPs.

Your desktop computer needs to be configured to connect to the "public" IP-address of your router, AND your router needs to do "port-forwarding" of the printer-traffic to the specific "private" IP-address of your printer.

PATH:  Desktop -> BlueCurve -> Shaw router in your city -> BlueCurve -> your router -> printer

By default, your router sees incoming "print" traffic as being "unsolicited" traffic, and will just "drop" it. That is why you need to use "port-forwarding" to tell your router to route that specific traffic to a specific device (your printer).

[msilverton]

Not "bridged"

two IPs, one for desktop, one for 3rd party router.  Wifi on both BC and 3rd party.

>Your desktop computer needs to be configured to connect to the "public" IP-address of your router, AND your router needs to do "port->forwarding" of the printer-traffic to the specific "private" IP-address of your printer.

>PATH:  Desktop -> BlueCurve -> Shaw router in your city -> BlueCurve -> your router -> printer

>By default, your router sees incoming "print" traffic as being "unsolicited" traffic, and will just "drop" it. That is why you need to use "port->forwarding" to tell your router to route that specific traffic to a specific device (your printer).

Thank you.  I'll give that a try.  Also, I can connect my printer via USB, so it will work on 3rd party wifi and desktop.

I will see if I can use this information to have my desktop get access to the 3rd party router as there are some things that I like to adjust from the desktop. (smart home stuff, etc.)

I will mess with this information and see how it goes.

Thanks, Mike

[mdk · Accepted solution]

> I will see if I can use this information to have my desktop get access to the 3rd party router, as there are some things that I like to adjust from the desktop. (smart home stuff, etc.)

Maybe, connect a WiFi adapter into an empty USB port on your desktop computer. Then, within Windows, disable the Ethernet adapter, and connect the WiFi adapter to the SSID offered by your own router. That will let you logon to your router, and make the adjustments. When done, disable (or disconnect) the WiFi adapter, and enable the Ethernet adapter.

Actually, it does not need to be a WiFi adapter, if you physically add-in an Ethernet adapter card into your computer, instead of plugging-in a USB-to-WiFi adapter. Run an Ethernet cable from this second adapter into one of the LAN ports on your router.

Of course, physically disconnecting the Ethernet cable from your desktop computer will work, but it might be physically difficult to reach "behind" the desktop computer, to unplug the cable from the socket, and then to later reconnect it. Or, disconnect the Ethernet cable from the port on the BlueCurve, if that is physically easier.

It might be possible to create two ".bat" files, to "route through secondary adapter" or "route through primary adapter".  Just launch the appropriate ".bat" file, instead of disconnecting/connecting cables.

Or, with a little networking knowledge, the Windows "route" command might work to route some TCP/IP traffic through the "second" network adapter to the "private" IP-address of your router, while routing the majority of the traffic through your "primary" Ethernet adapter to the Internet. This way, no physical plugging/unplugging will be needed. 

[msilverton]

You have earned your "Master" title.  Thanks for the direction.

Mike  (Grasshopper)

[Newtothis]

Hello,

How do I keep the BC wifi and add a Guest ssid with a 3rd party router? what is the procedure to create 2 IP's?

Thanks

[mdk]

@Newtothis -- How do I keep the BC wifi and add a Guest SSID with a 3rd party router?

Straight "out-of-the-box", the BlueCurve will provide WiFi (2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz) and two "wired" Ethernet ports.

Use a "CAT 5e" or a "CAT 6" Ethernet cable to connect from one Ethernet port on the Shaw box to the "WAN/Internet" port on the 3rd party router.

Use another Ethernet cable to connect from one of the LAN ports on the 3rd party router to the Ethernet port on your computer.  Then, via your web-browser, connect to the web-server "inside" the 3rd party router, to configure your choice of SSID.

> what is the procedure to create 2 IP's?

Although the above instructions do NOT require a second "public" IP-address, the procedure is to contact Shaw, and ask for it.

[Newtothis]

@mdk Thank you!

I just want a guest wifi, so if there is no need for the 2nd IP your solution is all I would require.

I was  confused from all the information  on this topic out there, as it seemed that adding another wifi network was going to slow down or interfere with the BC...