Linking Wireless Routers Together

Hi All,

I'm trying to do use a couple of wireless routers as "range extenders" and I was hoping to find some help help.

Here's the full story:

I have as my main router a D-Link DIR-655. It's connected to the Internet via a cable modem, and one of the wired ports is connected to an older laptop I use as a print server. The other computers in the house (between 2 and 7+ of them, depending on who's visiting) connect via wireless.

I have poor reception upstairs and outside and I wanted to expand the range and quality of the wireless signal. I am trying to do that using a couple of D-Link DIR-625 routers.

Based on the router manuals and some other information I found, I fire up a 625 and do the following:

Disable UPnP
Disable DHCP
Assign a fixed IP address on the 625
Reserve that IP on the 655
Give the 625 the same SSID as the 655
Give the 625 the same encryption as the 655
Assign the 625 to channel 1 and the 655 to channel 6

I do all that via a wired connection to the 625. If I unplug the network cable from the 625 and reboot it, I lose the ability to browse to its configuration console. However, the 655 "sees" the 625 in its current client list, correct IP and MAC.

Question 1) Why can't I browse the 625 if the 655 hangs it on the network and assigns the right IP address?

Question 2) Is the 625 working as an extender even if I can't browse its configuration console?

Anything else you notice about what I'm doing??

Thanks for your help in advance,

Chris