Accessing USB flash drive network storage and printing with 2 different subnet network and routers

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking advice regarding my current network setup. Previously, I shared my network configuration in this thread: Static Route on Marble GL-B3000 Beta Tester.

Although I had configured both routers successfully at that time, I’m now encountering issues. Devices connected to Router 1 (GL-B3000) are having trouble communicating with devices on Router 2 (GL-AX1800), including difficulties with printing and accessing the network storage on the flash drive connected to Router 2. This is despite the fact that I have set up static routes.

The goal:

  • 192.168.8.120 - Device that needs to print
  • 192.168.8.130 - Device that needs to access USB flash drive on GL-AX1800

The Target:

  • 192.168.10.001 - USB Flash Drive Network Storage
  • 192.168.10.121 - HP Printer

I suspect there may be a misconfiguration in my current network topology, but I’m not entirely sure. Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

   [1] FiberModem      <-> [2] Marble (GL-B3000) <-> [3] Flint (GL-AX1800)
   IP: 192.168.1.1/24   |  192.168.8.1/24         |  192.168.10.1/24
   Mode: Modem          |  Router                 |  Router
   Service: Passthrough |  DHCP                   |  DHCP
   WAN (Internet)       |  PPPoE with VLAN ID 500 |  Repeater (STA) 5GHz
   LAN (Clients)        |  Smartphone, Computers  |  IoT Devices
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                        |  WiFi 5GHz              |  WiFi 2.4GHz
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   SSID                 |  5GHz160MHz             |  2GHz
   Security             |  WPA2-PSK               |  WPA2-PSK
   WiFi Mode            |  Generic 802.11acan     |  Generic 802.11nacax
   Bandwidth            |  160MHz                 |  20 MHz
   Channel              |  40                     |  11
   Frequency            |  5.640 GHz              |  2.462GHz
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------

                        [INTERNET]
                             |
                             |-wan
                       [FIBER MODEM]
                       192.168.1.1/24
                             |-lan
                             |
                             |
                             |-wan->(PPPoE with VLAN ID: 500)
                        [GL-B3000]<--------------->[WLAN Devices]
                      192.168.8.1/24             2.4GHz: IoT ---------------->[Xiaomi Poco X3]
                     192.168.8.100-249              5Hz: Smartphones, Laptop    192.168.8.120 - Device want to print
                             |-lan                               |                    
                             |                           [Xiaomi Poco X5]             
                             |                             192.168.8.130 – Device want to access USB Flash Drive at GL-AX1800
                             |                                            
                             |-wan
           +------(Multi WAN Load Balance)-----+
           |-wlan                              |-lan (Using powerline but slow only 50-60Mbps)
           |                                   |
      Load Ratio: 0                       Load Ratio: 2       
   5GHz Repeater (STA)                         |
     192.168.8.2/24                     192.168.8.210/24
           |                                   |
           +------------[GL-AX1800]------------+
                      192.168.10.1/24 - USB Flash Drive Network Storage
                    192.168.10.100-249
                             |
                             +-lan
           +-----------------+-----------------+
           |                                   |
     [WLAN Devices]                      [LAN Devices]
   2.4GHz: (Disabled)                          |
      5Hz: IPCam, Smartphone,          [Mini-PC 2.5Gbps]
           Samsung Tablet, Laptop       192.168.10.121 – HP Printer

Static routes:

Static routes > General Settings:

Static routes > Advanced Settings:

Static routes > IPv6

AX-1800 Static routes > IPv4 rules

AX-1800 Static routes > IPv6 rules

Firewall > Zone Settings

According to the previous thread you mentioned:

Can the B3000 and AX1800 ping each other, including any of their devices?
Example, can ping 192.168.10.121 on the 192.168.8.120?

If the WAN -> LAN enables the forward to accept on the AX1800,

and configure add the route rule on the B3000,

The device from B3000, can ping to the device on AX1800, means that
192.168.8.120 - Device that needs to print
is able to access
192.168.10.121 - HP Printer

Device at 192.168.8.0/24 unable to ping to 192.168.10.0/24 not even the router itself.

Problem:

  • 192.168.8.120 not able to ping 192.168.10.1
  • 192.168.8.120 not able to ping 192.168.10.121

Please delete the other static route (or reset the router), and follow my previous comment to configure them again.
The laptop in 192.168.8.0/24, to ping the 192.168.10.0/24:


Hi @bruce,
Thank you for your response, I'm feeling a bit lost and unsure if I'm doing everything correctly.

By the way, I haven't reset the router yet. I've only been adjusting the settings. I'm also unsure if the firmware update to version 4.5.8r2 on B3000 has affected my static routing. I always keep my setting during the update.

Static Route:

Firewall Setting:

Ping 192.168.8.29.1 to 192.168.10.1 > RTO
image

Ping 192.168.10.238 to 192.168.8.1 > OK
image

During the ping test I only use 1 computer and switching between router to ping.

I also assume the configuration (route rule, or what) of your AXT1800 or B3000 is not correct.

Refer to this image:
image

image

For AXT1800:

For B3000:

BTW, WHY DO NOT you set the AXT1800 as AP mode? since so that you will not need to configure route rule, firewall, etc...

The placement of my B3000 and AX1800 routers makes it impossible to use a LAN cable. My original setup uses powerline adapters, but the speeds are slow, only 20-30 Mbps, so I configured as secondary link. I understand that STA Repeater mode is only available in router mode and can achieve higher connection bandwidth, which is why I can't use AP mode?

How about the extender in the network mode for the AXT1800? AXT1800 repeat and as LAN

I wanted to update you on this.
I’ve successfully resolved it by resetting both of my routers and applying the configuration you suggested and configuring them as follows:

  1. Router Configuration: I have set up the network with a failover configuration instead of load balancing. The GL-B3000 and GL-AX1800 routers are now configured to switch over in case of a failure. Here’s how I’ve set it up:
  • The "repeater" is designated as the primary connection.
  • Ethernet is assigned as the secondary.
  • Tethering is configured as the tertiary connection.
  1. Static DNS Configuration: I have configured static DNS settings for DHCP clients on both routers (Interfaces > LAN).

  2. Static IP Assignment: The GL-AX1800 has been assigned a static IP via DHCP. This is crucial for maintaining a fixed gateway. I configured both gateways as for primary and seconday.

  3. Static IP Route: I have set up a static IP route on the GL-B3000 for the GL-AX1800 IP gateway.

  4. Firewall Configuration: I have enabled the Zone Firewall specifically for the GL-AX1800 while GL-B3000 is none.


With this configuration, clients connected to either router can access devices and services across both routers.

2 Likes

Nice! Thanks for your update, I surely that will be helpful for other users which require like these requirements.