How to use a spare router as a Wi-Fi extender - How-To - PC Advisor

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arge house or simply a problematic area where the Wi-Fi signal from your main
ong enough, it's possible to use a second, spare router you may have lying
e the problem. Here we explain how to set up a router to act as a wireless access

dine | 28 Sep 15
be a room in your house where Wi-Fi coverage is patchy. If you happen to have a spare router
u should be able to cure the problem. Here we explain how to set up a router as a repeater to
signal strength. See also: What's the best 802.11ac router you can buy in the UK?
e construction and size of the property you might find that there are Wi-Fi black spots where
al doesnt reach or gives a poor performance. Thick stone walls and long distances are the
but sometimes you might even have an outside building, shed or office where you would love to
get online at the same time. You may also find that wandering around your garden with your
blet is fine until you're out of range of your wireless network. See also: How to improve Wi-Fi in
wireless router as a repeater or 'slave' to your main router is one way of extending your
. This can be done in a couple of different ways, depending on your router and whether or not
led for Ethernet.
outers and setups where this is not possible. BT's Home Hub routers can be used for this
a slightly more involved process which is explained here. A few ISPs lock down their equipment
ot be used in this way. However routers purchased independently can almost always be used, as
supplied in the past by ISPs. An old router can be connected to a new router: they dont have
odel or even from the same manufacturer to work.
f the three methods below will work for you. If they dont and you still want better Wi-Fi
ht be worth investing in a powerline adapter kit with integrated Wi-Fi. When we originally
several years ago, powerline kits with built-in Wi-Fi were expensive but now they can cost less
than 40. But individual adaptors (without Wi-Fi) can cost as little as 10, so it may well still be worth using
your spare router instead of shelling out extra for a Powerline kit with Wi-Fi.
Another option is buying a dedicated range extender or bridge to go along with the existing router. Products such
as Netgears EX6100 AC750 (which as the name hints supports 802.11ac) can today be purchased for less than
50. So improved Wi-Fi coverage doesnt have to be expensive.

How to set up a router as a repeater: Using Ethernet or Powerline adaptors

Step 1. First you need to find out some details about the router you're currently using, including which channel it
is broadcasting on and what security type it is using.
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On any Windows PC connected to your network, go to the Control Panel and double-click on Network or
Network and Internet. In Windows XP, right-click the network connection that's being used to connect to your
router (either Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and choose Status, then Support, you will see a window showing how your

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network is set up.

For Vista, Windows 7, 8 and 10, go to the Network and Sharing Centre, choose Change adapter settings, then
right-click the appropriate connection and choose Staus, then Details.
This window will show your gateway and the computers IP address. Note down your gateway as this is the
address of your primary router usually in the format; 192.168.1.1 or similar.
Next open a web browser and, in the address bar, type the gateway IP address youve noted and hit Enter. You
should see a set up screen for your primary router. It may ask for a user name and password. If you know these
details, enter them. If not, the information may be on a label underneath the router, or the information may be
available by searching the internet for the default user names and passwords for your router model.
Once youve accessed the routers configuration screen you will see something similar to this.

Step 2. As you'll see there are lots of settings you can access and change, but we dont want to reconfigure the
primary router, just check its settings. Have a look at the wireless settings and find the detail which includes the
router name, the channel and the security type
This router's SSID is Belkin, is working on channel 6 and uses WEP for security (ideally you should set this to
WPA or WPA2 if available, as it is here). The SSID is the name you find when searching for wireless networks
from your laptop, tablet or smartphone. Make a note of the security type because you'll try and set the slave
router to the same setting. When you have finished there is usually a log out option. You have only looked at
the settings and made no changes, so there is nothing to save, if asked.
Step 3. Having unearthed that old router which you kept when you changed ISPs a few years ago, the first thing
you need to do is reset this router to its factory settings. Find a small hole at the back of the router, usually
marked reset.
With the router powered on, insert a paper clip or similar, and hold in for a few seconds. When you release the
paper clip you should see all the lights on the router go out and come back on again. You have reset the router to
its factory settings.
Step 4. Connect this second router now, with a network cable, to a PC which is not on your network. The best
way to do this is to turn off your main router for a few minutes while you set up this slave router. If you only
have one PC you will have to disconnect it from your working network temporarily. Once attached, go through
Step 1 again with this router until you get to the stage where you have accessed the configuration page. Here,
we're using a D-Link router.
Step 5. Ignore any setup wizards, and go to the Wi-Fi settings page. Enable wireless, change the wireless
network name to be the same as the primary router and choose a channel well away from channel 6, which is
what the primary router is using. Match the security type exactly and type in the same password you use for
Wi-Fi on your primary router.

Step 6. Finally you need to make the slave router work alongside the primary router by giving it a fixed IP
address which the primary router will recognise and work with.
Head to the LAN setup page (or simialr) and give the router an IP address in the same range as the IP addresses
given out by my main router, but outside of the range that is automatically assigned by DHCP. Dynamic Host
Communications Protocol is the process by which a device issues IP addresses to equipment on the
network. You need to stop the slave router giving out IP addresses to devices, leaving that task in the hands of
the primary router.
Disable DHCP by un-ticking it on the relevant configuration page. To assign a fixed IP address, let's assume the
main router has an address of 192.168.1.1 and that it's setup to to issue addresses - by DHCP - between
192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.49. Give the slave router an IP address of 192.168.1.50. Remember this address as
you might need it to access this router later.
On each configuration page, confirm your choices by clicking save settings at the bottom of each page as you
go. Remember, too, that once you've change the router's IP address you will have to wait for it to reboot, and
then access it by typing the new IP address into your browser's address bar.

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Step 7. Now we are ready to connect it all together. The ideal way to connect two routers together is with a long
network cable. However, this is usually impractical so the best alternative is to use powerline networking
adapters.
These work by using the mains power cables in your walls and floors to act as network cables as well as passing
electricity through them. They work only on ring mains which are all connected back to a single consumer unit
(fuse box). If you have two separate buildings or an extension which has its own electricity supply and meter,
then powerline adapters aren't going to work.
See How to set up powerline networking adapters for a full guide to getting your adapters connected. Also: The
best Powerline adaptors you can buy right now.
Step 8. With both routers now turned on, its time to test your network. Take a wireless device, (smartphone,
tablet or laptop), and check to see the signal strength when close to each of the routers. You will find that you
have successfully extended the reach of your wireless network and now have a second wireless access point.

How to set up a router as a repeater: The wireless way

If youre lucky or you chose well when you bought your old router it might already have the features necessary
to be reused to improve Wi-Fi coverage. Without neeting network cables, or powerline adaptors, that is.
We arent going to list all the routers that have some sort of bridge or repeater mode, but all the usual suspects
(including Apple, Belkin, Linksys, Netgear and TRENDNet) have the functionality in most of their recent
products. One feature to look out for is WDS (Wireless Distribution System).
The nomenclature vendors use differs, but the basic steps for setting up are quite similar. In a nutshell, the key
steps are finding the bridge or repeater mode in the configuration tool, choose it, and then enter whatever
network information the tool asks for. That could be a MAC address, network name (SSID), spectrum
band and security mode, for example.
Its important to note that this functionality isnt standard, so there is no guarantee routers from different vendors
will work together.

How to set up a router as a repeater: Custom firmware

An alternative solution for routers that dont have built-in WDS or similar functionality is to install custom
firmware such as DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato. To use them takes some technical knowledge and the ability
to follow instructions very closely.
This is how the DD-WRT website describes the process: Installing DD-WRT on a router in most cases is
almost as simple as installing a program onto your computer. However, doing it incorrectly can leave you with a
router that you have to throw away. Installing programs on a router, known as firmware, is achieved by a method
called flashing.
For this to be possible, the router has to be compatible with DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato. You'll have to
search online for your specific router model to find out if a custom firmware can be installed. Once
compatibility has been established, there is plenty of information, including precautions, for each manufacturer
and router on how to install the firmware.
Once thats done, turning on the repeater function is fairly straightforward. There is again information on the
DD-WRT website that describes the process.

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81 Comments

Simon

This is using the second router as an additional access point, not a wireless repeater. A
wireless repeater doesn't need the ethernet connection.

Erdogan Erturkoglu

You are right. The title is misleading!

Cuthbert J Twillie

I found this article of great interest until I got to step 7 - go out and buy a set of powerline
networking adaptors! Duh!

FORMERxZOMBIE

It does not say that.

"The ideal way to connect two routers together is with a long network cable."
And when its not practical, the (best) alternative is...

Botter

One would think that if you needed to connect two devices in two different
areas, that a network cable would not be the solution...
It is a great tutorial, but I must agree, I would have stopped reading if I knew I
had to still get other alternatives. :-)
Thanks anyway, do appreciate your efforts to help us simple folk.

Walt D in LV

I, too, must note what others have reiterated: "The ideal way to connect two routers
together is with a long network cable. However, this is usually impractical so the best
alternative it to use powerline networking adapters."
In my home, every telephone jack also has an ethernet port. So, for me, following the
instructions above, I just plug in my spare router to the "black spot" area's ethernet
port and voila! I have Wi-Fi in that "black spot" area!

Mark Risch

You can buy the power line adapter set for about 25 USD. That's a lot less than a new
extender or repeater which may still have the same blackout problem. This is an
excellent article and an inexpensive approach to a for sure fix. Quit your bitchin guys.
It's a good one.

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