How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal Using an Old Router

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Tin cans and network extenders with AliExpress are not needed.

There are some tricks to improve Wi-Fi in hard-to-reach places. One of the most effective is to purchase a wireless network extender, or, as it is also called, a repeater. But this is an additional expense, and it may not be particularly effective if several walls separate it from the router.

You can also create an additional wireless network in the back of an apartment or house using an old router. There are two options for how to do this:

• The first will require pulling a LAN cable through the apartment. Sometimes it is not very convenient, but the quality of the connection will be excellent.
• The second method is completely wireless. You will turn your router into a makeshift repeater. However, the speed and stability of the connection will depend on how far your old router will stand from the new one.

Opening the settings of the old router

Disconnect your computer from the main router by removing the LAN cable and turning off Wi-Fi. Then take your old device and connect it to your computer with a LAN cable. It is not necessary to connect it to the Internet. Turn on your router.

Go to the settings of the old router. To do this, open your browser and enter the address in the search bar 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.

The administrator password prompt appears. If this does not happen, take a look at the documentation of the router and find out which address is set by default in its settings by the manufacturer.

Enter your username and password - for most routers this is the same word admin … If it does not fit, again refer to the manufacturer's instructions. Congratulations, you have opened your router settings.

Option 1. We turn the router into a wired access point

This is the best way if you want a good connection speed and don't mind using a cable.

So, you went into the settings of the old router. The item names may differ depending on the model and manufacturer, but in general they are similar. There are three things to do here.

Go to LAN settings and assign a new IP address to the router. It should be the same as the main router, but with a different number at the end. For example, if the main router has the address 192.168.0.1, then the old one should have 192.168.0.2 … You can see the addresses in the documentation or on a sticker on the router.

Save your changes and wait for the device to reboot. Now, in order to enter its settings, you will need to enter a new address.

Open the settings again, go to the Wi-Fi settings and specify there the name of your new wireless network and the password to it. It is most convenient to give similar names so as not to get confused. For example, if the main router distributes a Wi-Fi network called Home, then the networks on the old router should be named Home 2.

Finally, go to DHCP settings and select the Disable DHCP Server option. Reboot your router.

Connect a long LAN cable to the LAN port of your old router. Plug the other end of the cable into the LAN port of your main router.

Then put the old router in a back room where the Wi-Fi signal is not very good - it will now have its own network with a good signal strength.

Option 2. We turn the router into a repeater

Go to the settings of the old router, as shown earlier, and open the wireless settings there. Give the device a new IP address - like your primary router, but with a different number at the end.

Set a name and password for the new Wi-Fi network that your router will share. As in the previous paragraph, it is better to make the names similar. Any password can be set.

Find the repeater function in the wireless settings section. It can be called Repeater, Wireless Bridge or WDS on different models.

Turn it on. Press the search button and find your main Wi-Fi router there. Connect to it.

Enter the password for your Wi-Fi network and save the settings.

Finally, open the DHCP settings again and select the Disable DHCP Server option. Reboot your router.

Now place your old router in a suitable location, preferably near the middle of the apartment. And the repeater is ready.

How to create seamless Wi-Fi

Consider one nuance. If you set the same Wi-Fi network name (SSID) on the old router as on the new one, your gadgets will think that it is the same network. But at the same time, if the device is connected to a router in one room, and you take it to another, it will continue to cling to the already connected router, ignoring the one that is closer.

Therefore, it is easier to create two Wi-Fi networks with slightly different names and switch between them as needed.

However, if the routers support Roaming Assistant, the network can be assigned the same name on both routers. And when you move from room to room, your gadgets will switch between them automatically.