Introduction
It is an annoying scene: you have set up your router and wi-fi functions in your new house or apartment. Until your downloads or streaming, cackle stops just beyond your router’s spectrum, like the precise spot of Apple TV’s sofa. Or you stream music expander workbench or binge movies in bed.
There are plenty of ideas to squeeze out a tiny bit more juice from your current equipment. I usually propose buying something new if your networking hardware is old or not going to cope with much difficulty.
A better router to manage the quickest wireless speeds, a mesh device with a dedicated backhaul link. And even a super-cheap wi-fi extension if you need just a little more space for more straightforward work.
If you do not want to place a penny longer on your set-up, you have another alternative. To expand the wireless signal of your primary router using the old router. You know what – the actual, trustworthy retired workhorse you kept around (or out of laziness) in emergency cases.
To increase your wireless network’s speed, adjust the old router in your house, rather than letting it gather more dust. This is not a perfect solution, particularly if you’re trying to push an older wireless router into your newest environment. You can also find more info on ways to access your router admin panel.
However, it will save you some money, at least, and can potentially give you better wireless performance. Better performance than just a simple extension. Don’t waste, don’t you want to?
Choice 1: Fresh Point Of Access
It is best to turn an old wireless router into an essential wireless access point that you can manage. As long as your house or apartment is connected to Ethernet, it is a simple way to provide an environment with Wireless Connectivity. Or with a weak signal that does not already have Ethernet cable connectivity.
Connect to your newer router (LAN) and the system with your older router to get started. Pull up your old router settings, and look around for some ‘access point mode.’ Depending on the router, this could also be called “bridge mode,” a confusing word that will be addressed later.
The job is to disable the router’s DHCP server — how connected devices receive an internal IP from your router. If you don’t, you commit a network sin to run a router within a router that can cause problems for any system connected to your second router.
Please note: If you take that measure, you change your IP address to access your router’s settings through the browser. You will also have to reinstall your router and move the WAN cable to one of its LAN ports. To find the current IP address of your older router, upload the configuration of your newer router.
Consequently, check the section in which your router lists the devices linked. One of them should be your oCKer router. (You certainly also can set the IP address of your router manually, if you want it, on your configuration screen.)
Set your router wherever you plan to increase your wireless capacity if you have sufficient Ethernet cable or wall cables. Put your router into the perfect place. It’s easy to set the same SSID and password as your current wireless networks to your old router.
I like to assign them names different from my existing wi-fi networks to decide which access point to connect to – the newer router or the old one.
Why does it happen? Since your devices are probably naive and stick to a less effective wireless signal for too far. Your older router will usually not tolerate bouncing tools that do not have weak signals beyond the access point.
Using different SSIDs for your various routers is complex. If you switch much between the two, you will have to make sure you are connected to the right wi-fi network. However, that is a minor concern for the performance benefits. If your newer router’s faster WLAN is a better choice (or vice versa), you won’t want your computer to stick to your old router.
Option 2: Use The Wireless Repeater Mode Of Your Router
Look at the settings (or manual) of your router to see if it has any “wireless repeater,” “extension,” or “bridge” mode. Yes, this is another bridge word, which router manufacturers love to use to mean various things.
If you are uncertain whether or not you’re choosing the correct model, please see if the manual (or the feature description in the router’s UI) shows that your older router will allow you to connect with another router using its wireless signal. More importantly, it is also necessary to accept wireless connections from devices from your older router.
When router manufacturers say that they are wireless bridges, they mean connecting two routers over wireless networks. And without allowing the use of another wireless client in connection.
This set-up will replace the previous step Ethernet Cable, which connects your new router and your old router with a wireless signal if you consider it. This type of set-up also comes with an important warning: if you run your old router as a wireless extension, the performance of your connected devices will be halved. A wireless bridge may be more accessible, but your speeds may be impacted.
If you do not have a router, DIY it!
There is a good chance your router, which is old or cheap, has no options in its user interface, which allow it as a point of access or as an extension. Resist the urge to drop this router into the recycling bin, as you can still do so to your liking.
The software you interact with to change your settings is a third-party firmware that can help you unlock features you could not play with previously. I like to use DD-WRT myself. However, if you want a prettier GUI, you can also try OpenWRT or Tomato or even Advanced Tomato.
To see which firmware works with (if there is one), you will have to dig a little and know you could have different versions of the router. (This is probably something to be referenced by consulting the bottom or rear label of your router against every third-party firmware).