Windows 7 HomeGroup Question

[Phayzon]

Ok, so I have my network set up like this; I have a router in one room which connects to my main PC, laptop and an Xbox 360, and I have another cable from that router running through the house to the WAN port of another router, which has my second PC and another 360 connecting to it.

The 3 PCs mentioned all run Win7, so I'm trying to setup a HomeGroup. My main PC and laptop can join the group without issue, but the PC on the other end of the house (which connects to a different router) cannot see the HomeGroup. I imagine it cant see it because it connects to a different router (which is then connected to my main one).

However, I'm not sure what to do to get around this issue and let the other PC join the HomeGroup. Does anyone know what I can try?

Quick Edit: If this info helps any, my main router and devices connecting to it are 192.168.1.x IPs, while the second router is 192.168.2.x

[The Stinger]

Why do you need the 2 routers?
You could use one router as a network hub.
Just don't connect the cable from router 1 to the wan port, just put it in the 1st lan port.

[Phayzon]

I need 2 because I have more wired devices than can go on a single router (both are 4 port). Also, when I connect it to anything but the WAN port, I get no internet connectivity. I'd rather have that than HomeGroup :p


EDIT: Somehow completely missed the second line of your post. Yes, thats essentially what the 2nd router is doing for me.

[Rellik66]

The other router has nat and firewall that blocks stuff like homegroup through the wan port.

Easiest solution is to get a cheap network switch with an uplink port and use it instead of the second router

otherwise....

Get a or make a crossover cable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_crossover_cable) plug it into the LAN side and turn off DHCP & change the IP on the second router so it doesn't conflict with the first router.

edit: do those steps backwards before connecting the crossover cable.

example: 1st router 192.168.0.1, 2nd router 192.168.0.250

make sure you know how to access the 2nd router in case you need to revert, otherwise you need to know how to hard reset the router.

[The Stinger]

Just don't use the wan port on the 2nd, the router should sort whole thing by it self.

[Phayzon]

I didnt think of turning off DHCP on the second router :doh:

Plugging the cable into the LAN side and making that router a 192.168.1.x address got things going. :)

What I read elsewhere seemed to suggest I need to disable DHCP on both routers, which I really didnt want to do.