| How can I tell what wireless router I am connected to? I have two wireless routers in my house. One from the phone company (Actiontec) and the other (Linksys) connected to the first via ethernet and is set up as an access point.
How do I know which router I am connected to? I have been searching on the internet and finding answers related to the MAC address and ARP tables, but still not sure how to do this. |
|
 SerbtasticYou Know How Many People I Have Buried?Premium
join:2002-02-24
Stoney Creek, ON | Do they both have the same SSID? If so, change the one you control (Linksys) to something different. |
|
Reviews:
 ·voip.ms
·link2voip
| reply to mosley812
I don't see any way in Windows 7 to show which AP I am connected to, although I know some wireless drivers will give you that kind of information.
Unfortunately looking at your computer's ARP table won't tell you much, since your computer can see the MAC address of any device on your LAN, which would include both APs.
Some routers will show you which hosts are connected, so you may be able to log into them and see.
Another approach would be to install arping. arping both APs and see if one has significantly lower latency than the other. This is not a sure sign, since the distal router might be quicker at responding than the proximal, but it's a clue.
Finally, network mapping software may have facilities to detect layer 2 structure, and thus answer your question.
--
db |
|
 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to mosley812
Download and install this:
»www.pkostov.com/wipcfg.html
It will tell you everything you need to know...
--
Nothing makes an American want to do something more than telling them they can't.
|
|
|
|
| reply to mosley812
@Serbtastic: I thought the purpose of using the same SSID was so I could use the second router as an AP on my network. Wouldn't this just make it a second network and I would have to log on to it as well?
@clarknova: I dont think the Linksys shows me what hosts are connected. I cannot find a screen that will show me, but I will look closer. The Actiontec shows everything connected, but I was wondering if that is because it is connected via the Linksys router. I will try Arping - it seems a bit complicated to install.
@John Galt: I am using a Mac laptop (OSX). I do not have a Windows based laptop. Any other suggestions?
Also, I just checked and both routers are on the same channel. |
|
John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to mosley812
|
|
| reply to John Galt
Found an updated version here: »www.pkostov.com/  |
|
John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | Oh, thanks for that. 
Still no love for the AAPL folks, though.  |
|
| reply to John Galt
This link was very useful. First, I changed the channel of one of the APs. I can see the MAC address of the AP that I am connected to when I move from one AP to the other (they are on far sides of my house). It didnt happen immediately, but it did change. I am going to try a few more things when I have the time, such as disabling wirelss on one of the APs, and then doing the same to the other.
And, yes, no love for AAPL folks. |
|
 CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | reply to mosley812
Any particular reason why you need to know this? If it works - it should be seamless and it would not matter which one is connected to the computer.
--
Brian
"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain |
|
| Because when I was near my Actiontec my speed was fast, but when I was near my Linksys speed is was extremely slow. It appeared not to be working. |
|
 dellsweigExtreme AerobaticsPremium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY
kudos:1
·Vonage
| reply to mosley812
said by mosley812:@Serbtastic: I thought the purpose of using the same SSID was so I could use the second router as an AP on my network. Wouldn't this just make it a second network and I would have to log on to it as well?
@clarknova: I dont think the Linksys shows me what hosts are connected. I cannot find a screen that will show me, but I will look closer. The Actiontec shows everything connected, but I was wondering if that is because it is connected via the Linksys router. I will try Arping - it seems a bit complicated to install.
@John Galt: I am using a Mac laptop (OSX). I do not have a Windows based laptop. Any other suggestions?
Also, I just checked and both routers are on the same channel.
On your mac - click on the wireless icon on the status bar
note: put them on different channels and set unique SSID's and passwords. The speed issue you are seeing could be due to the fact they are both on the same channel
--
Nothin' left to do but smile smile smile |
|
CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | reply to mosley812
Did you already shut one down and check the speeds for each router separate of each other? |
|
| reply to John Galt
For AAPL, option click the wireless icon in the status bar. I believe the BSSID is the MAC address of the AP you are connected to. |
|
| reply to mosley812
Before when I had 3 AP's, each was manually set to it's own channel 1, 6 or 11. I knew which one was on which channel, so it was easy. SSider will tell which AP you are closest to, or the AP's I was using showed IP or connected devices. Easily see which AP my LAN IP was being picked up on. |
|
| reply to mosley812
Look at the home screen for the actiontec...
If you're connected to it wirelessly, it will show up as a wireless connection there.
If you're connected to the AP, it will show up as a wired connection to the actiontec.
(And, yes, they should be on different channels) |
|
| reply to mosley812
My Actiontec and Liksys routers are now set to two different wireless channels. And when I use the suggestion in the link provided by John Galt (press the alt/Option key and click on the Wi-Fi logo) I can see the MAC address of the AP I am connected to. Since making the wireless channel of the Linksys router different from the Actiontec router I have noticed the speed increase.
@dellsweig: I thought I should be putting them on the same SSID, so they are on the same network. Should they have the same SSID and different channels, or different SSIDs and the same channel?
@CylonRed: No, I have not had a chance to shut one down. but will try this evening. I have been using the Speed Test app on my iPhone. Is there a better way to test speed?
@knarf829: I will check this out later this evening. Thanks. |
|
| said by mosley812:@dellsweig: I thought I should be putting them on the same SSID, so they are on the same network. Should they have the same SSID and different channels, or different SSIDs and the same channel?
Same SSID, different (non-overlapping) channels. That way it's seamless as you roam about the house. |
|
