Two internet connections - one private lan

[Antar]

Hey guys.

I have just orderen another internet connection, since my girlfriend and I is living at a student hostel who provides us with a 20 Mbit connection, but with a max. up-/download of 2 GB.
The new connection will be a 512/128 Kbit connection with no max whatsoever.

We got all-in-all 4 computers but might add a couple more if needed.

2 Home computers, 1 laptop and 1 server.

My problem here is, that I would like to use them all in a single LAN where the 2 of the computers have access to the 20 Mbit connection and the other two have access to the low-speed connection but where they all are able to see each others on the LAN.

Any suggestions?

 

[riser]

Wow.

Just get a router and share the internet connection for all four of them. Make your life simple..

I'm not exactly sure what kind of internet connection you have since you were all over the place with it..

 

[Antar]

Just get a router and share the internet connection for all four of them. Make your life simple..

Yes and no.
I normally play Counter Strike: Source and need the bandwidth I can get with a high ping. Also it is nice to have a large bandwidth, but since I am only able to download 2 GigaByte pr. week before the connection shuts down, it means that this line is good for gaming, chatting and other low-traffic stuff.

Secondary - the new internet subscribtion is a low-bandwidth thing that give me 512/128 Kilobit, which is not a good bandwidth for playing and doing whatever else at the same time, so I might just as well use it for downloading stuff and not much else.

Since I have 2 stationary computers, one used by me, the other by my girlfriend. They need access to the internet where they can game and generally do all the low-download/upload stuff.
I got a laptop as well who might swing between the high and low download/upload and at last I got a file-/emailserver.

The server will be the one taking care of the high-download rate which doesn't need a good ping and will therefor be given the new connection.

My problem here, is to connect all 4 computer to a collected LAN that makes them able to speak with each others and thereby move files back and forth internally. If I do it otherwise, I might risk WAY TOO FAST that my high-bandwidth connection will be shut down.

I'm not exactly sure what kind of internet connection you have since you were all over the place with it..

This is my reason for the request.

 

[riser]

You should assign each computer a static IP and static gateway. One could point to the gateway of your 2gb connection, the other points to the 512/128 connection.

I'm figuring you have a router on each end or multiple IP addresses from your ISP?

If not, get a router on each internet connection to serve as gateways. Router 1 could be 192.168.1.1 and router 2, 192.168.1.2

PCs could be 100-104.. just set the gateway of each PC to point to the ISP you want it to use.

Disable DHCP on each router..

You could also do mac filtering, but that wouldn't be fun and a lot of unnecessary work.

That should do the trick for you.. being that they'll all be in the same workgroup and have the same subnet scheme, problem solved.

So you basically need 2 routers to do what you want and you can connect the routers together via crossover or standard patch if MDIx is supported on them.

Or you could toss a switch into play and have all traffic hit the switch which branches out to your 2 routers.

 

[Antar]

You should assign each computer a static IP and static gateway. One could point to the gateway of your 2gb connection, the other points to the 512/128 connection.

If possible, then it would be the best.

I'm figuring you have a router on each end or multiple IP addresses from your ISP?

To each of the connection I got a router. Meaning for the small bandwidth am I still waiting to see what kind of router I will get. I expect it to be a 1 port, which means I need to buy a switch as well.

If not, get a router on each internet connection to serve as gateways. Router 1 could be 192.168.1.1 and router 2, 192.168.1.2

If possible, then cool, not sure the hardware from my new ISP is able to handle this, though. It comes preinstalled.

Or you could toss a switch into play and have all traffic hit the switch which branches out to your 2 routers.

I will have a li'l chat with my girlfriend and get a switch. Sounds like it might be the most reasonable to do and then find a way to point the computer to each their own routers. Not sure how to handle it. It should be possible though. But here we talk about using static IP, am I right?

 

[riser]

You're set as long as you use static IPs in what you want to do.. if the routers are preinstalled, just know the IP of each one.. set your computers up to point to whichever ISP you want them to use.

It's not bad at all.. if they don't give you a router, you can buy a router/switch combo, like a linksys, for around $50US.

 

[Antar]

I contacted my new ISP today and were told that the router I will recieve from them will be a ZyxelP660R.
This means that I need to go buy som Cat5e and a new switch and then I should be set for the day when they deliver the package.
I used a bit extra time to see what I would get. The new ISP delivers staticIP along with a router that I can configure for my need. This along with everything else, should make your solution perfect, so thanks a lot, Riper.

 

[riser]

Did they say if the router they were sending has a builtin switch? If it does, you'll have 4 extra ports and might be able to avoid that switch.

The switch will act as a repeater though if you have to run a long cable or splice two shorter cables together.

Static IP is good.. most tend not to give that out.

Sounds like you have a good plan going on..

 

[Antar]

The router is without switch but that is not a problem any longer.
We got some cheap switches here in Denmark that can be used for the same thing and looking on the bright side.
I was told today by one of our local supporters on the student-hostel that the LAN/WAN has built in capacity for more computers to connect at the same time from each appartement. This would work with dynamic IP only, though. So my plan is to keep the router I got now. Add the router I get from the new ISP as well and then put it up as you told me and use static IP.
There is no other reasonable way to set it up or is there?

 

[riser]

If there router will hand out DHCP you can disable DHCP on your router and just make it work as a switch.. otherwise you'll run into some conflicts.. don't use the WAN port on the router and you shouldn't have any NAT problems with 2 routers in-line.

 

[Antar]

If I set it up so that my connection out to the rest of the student hostel will be through the wan-port along with doing the same with the other ISP - and then use the switch to set up a bridge between the routers to the computer. I liked that idea. Also because I still can use static-ip on the inside, while the router then will recieve a dynamic ip whenever connecting.
Beside - I can request a static ip if I want from the student hostel - but I don't see how it should help me.

 

[aspicer]

His new Internet Service is Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). 512Kb down, 128Kb up is pretty standard ADSL. Newer stuff has DSL Light which is slower than that, and ADSL2 and 2+ which costs more and is much faster than that. 2 and 2+ require you to be a bit closer to the fiber than most people used to be. But these days with the Fiber Extenders out closer to the people it's often no longer a problem.

Zyxel Modem/Router Model Prestige 660R...

The default IP (and web page for management) is: 192.168.1.1

For a web browser: http://192.168.1.1/

The username: admin

The password: 1234

There is only 1 LAN port, which has auto-cross-over (MDI/X)
(a switch to a router or a workstation both uses a straight cable anyway)

* I like the idea suggested of the Static IPs and the Switch with 2 routers and any computers plugged into it. I have a minor change suggestion for the DHCP issue on the Inside LAN though. (I have to admit that Riser already hinted at this idea though...)

The automatic IP Address assignment and sharing which his support speaks is built-in to the Zyxel (as so many others we know have as well)
This is a DHCP Server in the Zyxel. Since the New DSL Internet is the the one that will not run out of Megabits or Gigabits you could leave this DHCP in Zyxel turned on ... for guest or other computers added later. When you will set Static IP Address and Gateway and DNS in the Computer(s) going to 2GB Internet Connection those computers will be ignoring DHCP on the Subnet anyway. (any computer not Static IP automatically falls through to the new DSL connection. No need for everyone to be static IP.) Pre-configured IP DHCP Pool in Zyxel is 192.168.1.33 to 192.168.1.64 so as long as you don't make any Static IP Address inside that range (or infringing on 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.2) you will be good to go. Using 192.168.1.3 to 192.168.1.32 for routers or servers would be like a customary plan, and similarly using say 100 - 254 for other regular computers would be good.

If he matched the other router (The 2GB Internet Connection) by making that router 192.168.1.2 then he would be in business with this set-up.

Set special machines Static to goto 192.168.1.2 for the FAT PIPE that has only 2GB ... and all the rest can be configured "Automatic" and automatically fall into the New DSL Connection.

As added benefit you could add a Wireless Access Point (with no DHCP turned on obviously) [and remembering to turn on wireless security!] you could have guests over with almost as much ease as popping the lid on your favorite Ale or Liquor.

File sharing and Printing, assuming no settings screwups in Windows or Firewalls mucking things up should *just work*! Because we are all happily staying on the same IP Subnetwork. We are also going to put each other on the same WORKGROUP name and allow File and Printer Sharing if we use the built-in Windows XP-SP2 Firewall.

(Keep in mind with a "Switch" you have seperate Collision Domains as everyone talks full duplex only to what other machine they want to, but you still have one big Broadcast Domain. Normally this isn't much trouble for smaller network. When you get to 15 or 20+ very busy computers you could see a broadcast caused slowdown.)

( **** Oh there isn' a whole lot you can do about the WAN/Internet Side as far as being Static or Dynamic. It's whatever you agree to and your ISP Sets up. Don't let that get confused with the inside lan stuff.)

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My fee for this little consultation $250.00 or two pints of ale, whichever is smaller ;-)