Using Dlink DIR615 as a switch - is my setup correct in principal

[sgj320]

I have a fairly complicated networking setup compared to your average household since I also have a webserver on a proper DMZ instead of the fake piece of crap Netgear gives u so you can bypass the firewall.

ADSL2+ router (internet gateway - 192.168.0.1) -> WNR3500L (DDWRT - 192.168.2.0 / 192.168.3.0/ 192.168.4.145) -> DIR615

So adsl2+ router is simply there as an interface to the internet which connected to the WAN port of the WNR3500L using it's default settings. The WNR3500L is the central hub which connects everything to the internet i.e. wireless ap and wall outlets.

DHCP Server setup:
Wireless devices are given an ipadress from the 192.168.3.0 range.
Wall outlets are given an ipaddress from 192.168.2.0 range.
Finally the one DMZ outlet is fixed at 192.168.4.145.
Each of these of these subnets are of course isolated from each other using the firewall on the WNR3500L except for certain devices since I need remote access to the server.

The DIR615 was a nice find I found in a dumpster. THe DIR615 internet port is connected to the WNR3500L. IT's used to connect the new additional outlets in the living room.

Also I read on a different forum you have to disable NAT for it to work as a switch. However am not sure why this is. Is it because the NAT is used to translate the local ip address to the wan ip address so that the internet can be shared amongst connected devices? However in my setup the DHCP server is on the WNR3500L so the DIR615 doesn't have anything to translate.

 

[eibgrad]

Wow, that's a lot of networks for a home user. I'm a software developer w/ more devices and needs than most ppl, and even I only use *one* network (192.168.1.x). The more networks, the more complexity, and the more difficult it is to share resources. But if it works for you, go for it.

Frankly, if it was my network, I'd probably reconfigure the ADSL modem+router in "bridge mode" (if it supports it) and thus eliminates its firewall, NAT, etc. And using the DMZ isn't my favorite solution for a PC. I leave the DMZ to appliances, such as a NAS, IP camera, XBOX, etc. (the fewer things something can do, the less likely it can be exploited). In fact, if the ADSL modem+router didn't support "bridge mode", I'd suggest placing the static IP of the WNR3500L in the DMZ, effectively eliminating the ADSL modem+router's firewall.

Anyway, to get to the central issue, the DIR615 is only being used as a switch when you're ONLY using the switch. What I mean is, if you connect the DIR615’s WAN to the WNR3500L, you're routing between them, not switching. And so the DIR615 becomes yet another network, w/ its own DHCP server, NAT, firewall, etc. So it just depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you just want to extend the WNR3500L's switch, then assign the DIR615 a static IP in the WNR3500L network, disable the DIR615’s DHCP server, and connect them LAN to LAN (never use the WAN of the DIR615).