To improve the WiFi connection in homes, the truth is that we find many possibilities today. From using old smartphones like wifi repeatersi, like buying devices that allow us to expand the coverage of the wireless network or even building a home repeater.
Among all the possibilities that we find, one of the options most used by users is to resort to some old router that you have at home There are many who decide to change their router and put aside the one that came with the operator or simply have an old one for whatever reason. In that case, you’d better not throw it away. Basically, because you can save a few euros by using it as a repeater.
Turn the old router into a repeater
One of the most common solutions that people with an old router at home come up with is turn it into a wifi repeater. In this way, we will give another extra life to this device that we had kept at home and that we were even going to throw away.
The best thing about this is that, if we have a bad signal in our house, we can easily expand the WiFi signal. And not only this, but we will save a lot of money by not having to buy an extra amplifier for the home. So let’s see how reuse an old router to extend the coverage of the wireless network in your home.
How to do it step by step
Now that we know what use we can give to an old router, it’s time to see step by step how to turn a router into a wifi repeater. The best thing about this is that we will have to do it in a very similar way to what we would do with the main router. It does not even matter if it is an ADSL router, cable modem or neutral router. All of these must have the same configuration and will serve the same purpose:
- Set the IP and subnet
The first thing to check is that both the main router and the old router use the same subnet. Like the management IP address which is typically 192.168.1.1. Although, it can also be 192.168.0.1. In any case, before connecting both routers to each other, you will need to configure them separately.
The central device will have to have the configured LAN with IP192.168.1.1 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0 or also known as /24. In the case of the LAN for the old or secondary router, a different IP will have to be put on the LAN, always outside the main DHCP range. Although, always using the same subnet mask. For example, if the DHCP range of the central device goes from the IP 192.168.1.30 to 192.168.1.254, we will have the possibility of putting the IP 192.168.1.2.
- The DHCP server of the old router
When we have finished configuring the previous step, we will have to configure the dhcp server of the old device that we are going to use as a repeater. Therefore, it is important that let’s deactivate this server within your configuration to avoid problems. Basically, because I could assign an IP to the old router.
- WiFi network data
Another important aspect that we must configure in both routers will be the wireless network. More than anything, because on both devices we must put the same WiFi data that we are going to use. In this way, we will not have interference problems. Therefore, it will be necessary to put Wi-Fi network settings we have on the main router on the old router. Everything the same, except the WiFi channels, in order to avoid interference. As simple as that.
- Connect the old device to the Internet
Once we have completed all the previous steps, we will only have to connect the router to the Internet network. Here the simplest thing is to use an Ethernet cable. Therefore, it will be necessary to throw a network cable from the main computer to the LAN port of the old router. If we have a switch at home, in which we have connected the network cable of the main router, we can also take it to any LAN port of the old device. And, in this way, we will be able to use it as a repeater.
