Static Routing Between Two Routers
A Step-by-Step Cisco Packet Tracer Tutorial
Cisco IOS 12.4 | Cisco 1841 Routers | Packet Tracer
1. Network Overview
This tutorial demonstrates how to configure static routing between two Cisco 1841 routers in Cisco
Packet Tracer so that PC0 on LAN A can communicate with PC1 on LAN B.
Figure 1 — Final working topology: all links green, full connectivity between PC0 and PC1
Network Address Plan
Network Subnet Devices Role
Network 1 (LAN A) [Link]/24 PC0, Router0 Fa0/0 Left LAN
Network 2 (WAN) [Link]/24 Router0 Fa0/1, Router link
Router1 Fa0/1
Network 3 (LAN B) [Link]/24 Router1 Fa0/0, PC1 Right LAN
⚠ Goal: PC0 ([Link]) must ping PC1 ([Link]) across both routers using manually configured
static routes.
2. Configure PC0
Open PC0 in Packet Tracer. Click the Desktop tab, then open IP Configuration. Enter the following
values:
IPv4 Address [Link]
Subnet Mask [Link]
Default Gateway [Link]
ℹ The Default Gateway ([Link]) is Router0's Fa0/0 interface — the router port on the same LAN as
PC0.
Figure 2 — PC0 IP Configuration: static address [Link], gateway [Link]
3. Configure PC1
Open PC1 in Packet Tracer. Click the Desktop tab, then open IP Configuration. Enter the following
values:
IPv4 Address [Link]
Subnet Mask [Link]
Default Gateway [Link]
ℹ The Default Gateway ([Link]) is Router1's Fa0/0 interface — the router port on the same LAN as
PC1.
Figure 3 — PC1 IP Configuration: static address [Link], gateway [Link]
4. Configure Router0 Interfaces
Click Router0, select the CLI tab. Press Enter to dismiss the startup dialog, then enter the commands
below to configure both FastEthernet interfaces.
Figure 4 — Router0 CLI tab showing the IOS Command Line Interface startup screen
Router0 — Interface Commands
● ● ● Router0 — IOS CLI
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
! ─── Configure Fa0/0 (connects to PC0 / LAN A) ───
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
Router(config-if)# exit
! ─── Configure Fa0/1 (connects to Router1 / WAN) ───
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# end
Router#
✅ The %LINK-5-CHANGED messages confirm each interface is now active. If you do NOT see these
messages, check the cable connection in the topology.
5. Configure Router1 Interfaces
Click Router1, select the CLI tab, then enter the commands below. The structure mirrors Router0, but
with different IP addresses for LAN B and the other WAN end.
Figure 5 — Router1 CLI showing both interfaces configured and link-up messages confirmed
Router1 — Interface Commands
● ● ● Router1 — IOS CLI
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
! ─── Configure Fa0/0 (connects to PC1 / LAN B) ───
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
Router(config-if)# exit
! ─── Configure Fa0/1 (connects to Router0 / WAN) ───
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/1, changed state to up
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# end
Router#
6. Add Static Routes (Critical Step)
At this point both routers have their interfaces configured, but neither router knows how to forward
packets to the remote LAN. Without static routes, a ping from PC0 to PC1 will fail. We manually tell
each router where to send packets destined for the remote network.
Command Syntax
ip route [destination] [mask] [next-hop IP]
On Router0 — Route to LAN B ([Link])
Tell Router0: 'To reach LAN B, forward packets to Router1's WAN interface ([Link])'.
● ● ● Router0 — Static Route
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# ip route [Link] [Link] [Link]
Router(config)# end
Router#
On Router1 — Route to LAN A ([Link])
Tell Router1: 'To reach LAN A, forward packets to Router0's WAN interface ([Link])'.
● ● ● Router1 — Static Route
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# ip route [Link] [Link] [Link]
Router(config)# end
Router#
⚠ Static routes must be added to BOTH routers. If you only add one, traffic flows one way but replies
cannot return — the ping will still fail.
7. Verify & Test
After adding the static routes, verify the routing table on each router, then test end-to-end connectivity
with a ping from PC0 to PC1.
Check the Routing Table
● ● ● Router0 — show ip route
Router# show ip route
Codes: C - connected, S - static, I - IGRP, R - RIP ...
C [Link]/24 is directly connected, FastEthernet0/0
C [Link]/24 is directly connected, FastEthernet0/1
S [Link]/24 [1/0] via [Link]
ℹ The 'S' prefix confirms the static route is active. 'C' entries are directly connected networks — these
are created automatically when interfaces come up.
Ping from PC0 to PC1
Open PC0, go to Desktop → Command Prompt, and run:
● ● ● PC0 — Command Prompt
C:\> ping [Link]
Pinging [Link] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from [Link]: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126
Reply from [Link]: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126
Reply from [Link]: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126
Reply from [Link]: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=126
Ping statistics for [Link]:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss)
Figure 6 — Successful configuration: all link indicators are green, routing is working
8. Troubleshooting
If your links show red triangles (as in the screenshots below), use this section to diagnose and fix the
problem.
Figure 7 — Red indicators on the Router0–Router1 WAN link — interfaces not configured yet
Figure 8 — Mixed indicators: Router1–PC1 link down, suggesting a missing 'no shutdown' or wrong IP on Fa0/0
Figure 9 — All red links — typical state before any router configuration is entered
Common Issues & Fixes
Symptom Likely Cause Fix
Red link between Router0 & Fa0/1 not configured or no Re-enter interface commands on
Router1 shutdown missing both routers
Red link between Router and PC Wrong IP address or no Verify IP matches the plan; re-
shutdown not applied apply no shutdown
Ping fails (100% loss) Missing static route on one or Run 'show ip route' — add
both routers missing 'S' route
First ping times out, rest succeed ARP resolution delay (normal in No action needed — this is
Packet Tracer) expected behaviour
Ping: 'Destination host PC gateway is wrong or router Check Default Gateway on PC
unreachable' route missing and routing table
9. Summary
You have now configured a static routing topology with two Cisco 1841 routers connecting two separate
LANs. Here is a recap of every command used:
Complete Command Reference
● ● ● Router0 — Full Configuration
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# ip route [Link] [Link] [Link]
Router(config)# end
● ● ● Router1 — Full Configuration
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address [Link] [Link]
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit
Router(config)# ip route [Link] [Link] [Link]
Router(config)# end
✅ Static routing is complete. Both PCs can now communicate across the two routers. Test with 'ping
[Link]' from PC0 and 'ping [Link]' from PC1.
This configuration is used to:
Assign IP addresses to router interfaces
Enable interfaces
Connect two routers
Allow communication between networks using static routing