Can I add a 2nd cascaded router for only for guest users?

I have a small wireless network of three computers with file sharing enabled and internet access via DSL. Two of the computers use Windows XP Professional and the other uses Windows XP Home. Everything works properly and users can access the internet and also each other's files as necessary.

I want to add a 2nd cascaded router connected to the first router that will be used only by guest users. The guest users should have access to the internet via the DSL connected to the first router, but NOT to the files shared by the three computers using the first router.

I realized that I hadn't entirely thought this through. Is this arrangement possible? If so, what, if anything, do I have to do to prevent the guests using the second router for internet access from accessing the files shared on the computers using the first router?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

Tony, thanks for your reply. Now I think that what I want to do is possible.

However, there are a couple of details that I didn't make clear:
1. I think I have to use a second router because I want wireless access at the location of the second router and the first router's wireless access won't reach that far. I'm hoping that your instructions will work in a similar way.

2. Is there any way to do it WITHOUT using passwords for the normal users? There's no security problem among the normal users and it's such a pain to have to fiddle with passwords all the time (although I haven't used passwords before on Windows XP so I'm not quite sure how much hassle there is).

Thanks for any further thoughts.

 

I have done this a few times in lite commercial applications but several things come into play.

If the DSL modem is also a router meaning it hands out private IP addresses:

Setup the Modem to handle login authentication.
Come out of the modem into a switch (assuming the Modem only has one port)
Plug your private router into the switch.
Plug your public router into the switch.

Change the public router to a different subnet.

Example: Private router: 192.168.1.1
Public Router: 192.168.2.1

 

Thanks to both Scott and Tony for your replies. Maybe I just need to experiment to see what works, but I was hoping to figure it out before buying more equipment. Anyway, here are a couple of additional questions:

Scott, if the two routers are on different subnets, then are the PC's on each of these subnets unable to see each other? of could they still see each other if they knew the address of the other subnet?

Also, I still wonder whether this would work with just a second router plugged into a port on the first router, avoiding the need for another switch.

Tony, it sounds like you are disagreeing with Scott if, as you say, the PC's can ALWAYS see each other. Is that correct?

Also, I have investigated Access Points a little bit and they seem to always be a little more expensive than routers so I'm not sure why anybody would buy one. For example, on Amazon, a Linksys WAP54G Access Point is $63.99 but a Linksys WRT54GL is only $59.95. Not much difference, certainly, but why buy an access point if a router will do the same thing a little cheaper?

Finally, I found a LInksys help screen which gives directions for cascading routers in two different ways. It sounds like the "Internet-LAN" option is what I want, but it's not entirely clear to me from the instructions how it would work. In any event, here is the website:

http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3733#Internet_to_LAN

Thanks again - maybe I just have to experiment, but, like I said, I was hoping to figure it out before buying anything.

 

It would be impossible for the public LAN to see the Private LAN because the public LAN would have to get through the WAN port of the Private LAN to get to it.
Remember, both routers are connected to the switch via their WAN ports.

 

one point if not covered already
the system admins can get sticky if the question has been answered before - even if restated and explained in a somewhat different or simpler manner
The second router ( acting as a switch) beaming out a wireless signal
You might want to set up that ssid as different than the wireless signal number one and any other wireless signals in the area
In addition ensure that the channel is different as well
Its surprising - if you set up a number of wireless routers ( different dhcp) with the same ssid and they are on the same channel - the network cards will bounce between the two and not have a solid connection , whereas if the channels are different they seem to latch onto the strongest signal and work fine
Make sure the ssids and channels are different

 

Thanks, visionof, for your additional comment and for previous comments. I found an old ethernet switch and so I am going to try some experiments to see if I can use two routers so that the users on one cannot see the users on the other. But I haven't tried it yet because I have to have the users off of the system to experiment. I will let you know what happens when I finally try it. Thanks again.