Connecting old router to main router to extend network

happyhero

Hi I have a Netgear router to access Sky, who I get my service from but my router is in our attic conversion where I prefer it beside the computer. The trouble was that this means the wireless signal was virtually nonexistent in our lounge, basically 2 floors down so I googled the problem and possible solutions on the internet and first bought some Powerline adaptors (you know the ones that work through the house wiring) which are ok but the trouble is the wireless unit is not capable of broadcasting a signal beyond the room it is in.

It works fine in the lounge but leave the room and its gone. Really cannot understand why they didn't make them so that they give the same wireless range as a router.

Anyway I then found out you could use a second router if you have a spare to extend your range. So I tried this and it works great so far as I can tell, early days yet. Most pleasant part is that my mobile is super fast now whereas before we always had weak mobile signals and weak wifi signals in the lounge and no wifi in the kitchen where it is strong now.

This is one of the links I used to tell me how to do it.


http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/doityourself-it-guy/diy-extend-your-wireless-range-on-the-cheap-with-a-second-wireless-access-point/1585


I did find it odd that you link the 2 router via the WAN ports (I assume

that is the correct term) but it does work.


Anyway after all that my question is how do I access my second router on my PC like you do when you access a normal router typing in 192.168.0.1 or something similar and putting in the password?

I know how to access router normally through a browser and I realise I can disconnect my second router and temporarily connect it back to my PC to access it but is there a way to access the 2nd router through a browser with disconnecting anything? I looked up all attached devices in my main Netgear router settings and tried all those IP addresses but nothing comes up in the browser,I assume because of the way the routers are connected but is there a way to do this?


I realise also I could swap the leads over at my PC/main router end but this is fiddly with my layout and the best is obviously to just access router set-ups on the browser.


Any ideas?


Any help or info appreciated.

WilliamO

You should of given the second router its own IP Address and Network Name. One of the easiest ways to do these type of set up is to actually set up the second router on its own as if you were setting it up exactly as you would your first. In other words, unplug the first router, set up the second one as if it was the first one (so they are now identical) and then change the IP Address of the second one by two addresses (i.e. router one: 192.168.0.23 and router two: 192.168.0.25). Also give the second one a different Network Name. Now when you hook them up you can connect to their admin control panel via their respective ip address.

WilliamO

Johnmcl7

happyhero wrote: »

I did find it odd that you link the 2 router via the WAN ports (I assume

that is the correct term) but it does work.

I'm a bit puzzled what you mean by this, the article says *not* to link them by their WAN ports - on the main router the WAN port should be used for the outside internet connection and then one of the standard switch ports should be used on both the main router and secondary one to connect them. The WAN port on the secondary router will not have any connection.

John

bluboy

Yes the two routers should be connected LAN port to LAN port (i.e. not WAN\internet port).

happyhero

Thanks for the reply, can you guide me to where I can select IP address to set in the router menu system?

Do I select Lan IP setup or should I be looking a different heading, can't quite spot where I set the IP. In Lan IP Setup, under this heading I see Lan TCP/IP Setup as sub heading, and then under this it says IP address 192.168.0.1 (this is all on the menu system for my main router)?

The only thing with what you are telling me is, within the menu system of my main Netgear router there is a heading Attached devices and in here I can see my attached devices like my PC for instance which is 192.168.0.4 if I read it right, so I can also see what appears to be my 2nd router which if it is is coming up as 192.168.0.6 but I tried all the IP address in the Attached Devices in the browser and nothing comes up like it does when you access the main router in the browser, shouldn't it come up doing that?

I will try what you suggest but just thought to mention what is happening in case you had any ideas on it.

happyhero

Thanks for all the help.

Sorry I am an amateur with this, I think I have my Lan and WAN mixed up, I have connected them up Lan port 1 to Lan port 1. It would not be possible to connect the Wan with the Network cable as it is a different type of connection anyway, (that would be one of those cables from the filter to the router)

WilliamO

YES, the LAN TCP/IP Setup - you can nudge the ip address up by two ON THE SECOND ROUTER. You can then login to the control panel of router 2 on that ip address. The exact settings (i.e. LAN TCP/IP Setup) will depend on each router.....they may be called something different. The above are named in NetGear routers.

As said, you should ideally just setup router 2 as you would with router 1, changing the ip address and network name. This by the way will then work on a homeplug setup. So to clarify. With only router 2 plugged and working (identical to settings of router 1), with new ip address and network name, unplug it and then plug router 1 back in. Now plug router 2 into the back of router 1 via ethernet ports. Upon rebooting both you should then have router one as HOME NETWORK for example and router two as OFFICE NETWORK for example.

WilliamO

WilliamO

For those who are interested - Follow the steps below:


1 - On the computer with router 1 connected – type: ipconfig and press enter. Note down the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway values (numbers).

2 - Login to router 1’s control panel and jot down its SSID (Network Name), IP Address, Channel and Security type (WEP or WPA). Check the ip addresses of the other connected devices, if any, and make sure you can allocate router a spare ip address. So if router 1 is using 192.168.1.1 and the printer is using 192.168.1.2 you should allocate (reserve) router 2 the ip address 192.168.1.3.

3 - Disconnect router 1 and plug router 2 into the computer. Perform a factory reset on router 2 if need be and then set it up with router 1’s details. Connect to router 2’s control panel using its default ip address (i.e. after a factory reset).

4 - Under the encapsulation setting of router 2 select ROUTER or BRIDGED MODE ONLY to switch off (disable) the router’s ADSL Modem. Also disable the DHCP Server setting as the allocation of ip addresses will be handled by router 1.

5 - Now change the ip address of router 2 to the one you reserved above (i.e. 192.168.1.3). Make sure router 2 has the same Subnet Mask as router 1. Restart router 2. Make sure router 2 is working with Internet etc.

6 – Now unplug router 2 and plug in router 1. Reboot the computer and router 1 and make sure all is working fine, as normal. When it is, connect router 2 to router 1 via Ethernet cable or homeplug. Bingo!!

WilliamO