Curiosity - may lead to actually doing this: Router to Router question

Thread Starter

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,853
I have a Wi-Fi network (at home). I have security cameras and a recorder. The recorder can be hooked to the network via 50 foot ethernet cable. However, that would mean pulling down the ceiling (in the basement) to run the wire from where the DVR is located to the office where the router is located.

I have a couple different - older - unused routers. Perhaps the correct name for them is "Gateway Router", meaning they connect to a service via phone or cable lines. I would like to plug in one of these older routers and get it to talk to the base router (I'm calling it the base router because that's where my service comes in). It is my goal to be able to upload upgrades to my security system AND to be able to access the videos remotely.

How do I make the routers talk to each other? I know their mac addresses. So - is it possible? I'd like to not spend any money on this. It's a low priority project (if it even is a project at all). But knowing how to do it would be great.

Thanks.
 

Thread Starter

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,853
@nsaspook: Thank you. As far as the security aspect of it goes - it's just security cameras around the home. Two monitoring my driveway, one monitoring the front of the house and one monitoring the back. We recently had a "Transitional Housing" facility enter the neighborhood just three doors down from me and already I've been told a couple guys have been seen coming down my driveway. The biggest reason for upgrading from one camera (watching the garage) is because our safe and secure neighborhood has just become a little less safe. We have no cameras inside the house, and if anyone hacked in all they would see is what they would see if they were outside the house. So security isn't a big issue. Hardwiring the system is far more problematic, as when I finished the basement I never considered the possibility of wanting to run additional cables. Otherwise I would have installed conduits for such purposes.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
FWIW, at one there was another name for a bridge function. I have an old Netgear "Game Adapter" that can add wifi to any ethernet device and put it on your LAN. It's handy for putting old desktop computers, that didn't have wireless built-in, onto the wireless network.

@nsaspook: How would I know if any of the routers I have have "Bridge" functions?
In my experience, almost any wireless router offers this function if you can get at the settings.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,086
FWIW, at one there was another name for a bridge function. I have an old Netgear "Game Adapter" that can add wifi to any ethernet device and put it on your LAN. It's handy for putting old desktop computers, that didn't have wireless built-in, onto the wireless network.

In my experience, almost any wireless router offers this function if you can get at the settings.
I know he doesn't care about security but to those that do. Just about any old router will have almost no 'real' security because most of the older wireless security protocols can be broken in minutes.
https://www.krackattacks.com/

Update your firmware or use updated DD-WRT when possible.
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/KRACK_Vulnerability_and_DD-WRT
 
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