Wireless routers are designed on the assumption that there will be just one for your home or place of business. For larger areas, you need more than one router to provide better wireless coverage. Install a second one, however, and it will not work -- without some preparation.
(Even in my house, which is just 25' by 50', I find we need two wireless routers, because one is in my office in the far corner of the basement, which ends up being too weak to reach the bedroom in the opposite corner, upstairs. Plus, it can be nice to have coverage in the backyard. Plus, we have all the sheetmetal of the furnace in the center of the house, which blocks part of the signal.)
The Cisco Linksys Website provides information on how to set up a second wireless router, but the information is hard to find, inaccurate (follow their instructions, and it won't work), and out of date (instructions are for a very old model) -- as I found as I spent parts of two days trying to figure it out. I mean, how are you supposed to follow a set of instructions that lists Step 1 and 2 seven times!
Here is how to have two wireless routers on one network:
1. Set up the first one as you normally would. (IP address is 192.168.1.1).
2. Connect the second one to a computer by following these steps:
a. Disconnect the computer from the network (turn off wireless and/or unplug its network cable.) See notes.
b. Turn off the computer and the new router.
c. Plug an ethernet (network) cable between a network port on the router and on the computer.
d. Turn on both.
Notes: This computer is used only to setup the second router before it is added to the network, so it needs to be isolated from the network. I recommend a notebook computer that is disconnected from the network. Turn off the computer's wireless network connection.
When you connect the second router to the isolated computer with an ethernet (network) cable, use the router's ethernet port. (Do not plug the cable into the router's Internet port.)
3. Start a Web browser on the computer, and then enter the following address:
192.168.1.1
4. When prompted, enter the username and password. See the router's documentation for the defaults, but usually they are admin and admin.
User name = admin (or blank)
Password = admin
5. The following instructions are for Linksys routers, but might work for other brands as well:
a. Choose Advanced Routing, and then change Operating Mode to Router. (On new Linksys models, change NAT to Disable.)
b. Click Save Settings, and then wait for the router to respond.
c. Choose Basic Setup, and then change DHCP Server to Disable. (On newer Linksys models, change this option to Disabled.)
d. In the Basic Setup page, change the Local IP Address to 192.168.1.2. (On newer Linksys models, this option is named simply IP Address.)
e. Click Save Settings, and then wait for the router to respond.
6. The router is set up and is ready to use after you follow these steps:
a. Disconnect the router from the isolated computer.
b. Connect the router to the first (existing) router with the ethernet cable. Again, connect the cable between network ports on the two routers, do not use the Internet port. I use a 25-foot ethernet cable to locate the second router 25 feet away from the first one. An alternative is to use a powerline network connector, which plugs into nearby power outlets and transmits the network signal through your house's electrical wires.
c. Remember to turn on the wireless network on the notebook computer.
Your computers and other wireless devices should now see both routers. Connect to whichever one has the strongest signal.
If you need to configure the second router, use its new IP address: 192.168.1.2. You should, of course, ensure its security system is running.
(Even in my house, which is just 25' by 50', I find we need two wireless routers, because one is in my office in the far corner of the basement, which ends up being too weak to reach the bedroom in the opposite corner, upstairs. Plus, it can be nice to have coverage in the backyard. Plus, we have all the sheetmetal of the furnace in the center of the house, which blocks part of the signal.)
The Cisco Linksys Website provides information on how to set up a second wireless router, but the information is hard to find, inaccurate (follow their instructions, and it won't work), and out of date (instructions are for a very old model) -- as I found as I spent parts of two days trying to figure it out. I mean, how are you supposed to follow a set of instructions that lists Step 1 and 2 seven times!
Here is how to have two wireless routers on one network:
1. Set up the first one as you normally would. (IP address is 192.168.1.1).
2. Connect the second one to a computer by following these steps:
a. Disconnect the computer from the network (turn off wireless and/or unplug its network cable.) See notes.
b. Turn off the computer and the new router.
c. Plug an ethernet (network) cable between a network port on the router and on the computer.
d. Turn on both.
Notes: This computer is used only to setup the second router before it is added to the network, so it needs to be isolated from the network. I recommend a notebook computer that is disconnected from the network. Turn off the computer's wireless network connection.
When you connect the second router to the isolated computer with an ethernet (network) cable, use the router's ethernet port. (Do not plug the cable into the router's Internet port.)
3. Start a Web browser on the computer, and then enter the following address:
192.168.1.1
4. When prompted, enter the username and password. See the router's documentation for the defaults, but usually they are admin and admin.
User name = admin (or blank)
Password = admin
5. The following instructions are for Linksys routers, but might work for other brands as well:
a. Choose Advanced Routing, and then change Operating Mode to Router. (On new Linksys models, change NAT to Disable.)
b. Click Save Settings, and then wait for the router to respond.
c. Choose Basic Setup, and then change DHCP Server to Disable. (On newer Linksys models, change this option to Disabled.)
d. In the Basic Setup page, change the Local IP Address to 192.168.1.2. (On newer Linksys models, this option is named simply IP Address.)
e. Click Save Settings, and then wait for the router to respond.
6. The router is set up and is ready to use after you follow these steps:
a. Disconnect the router from the isolated computer.
b. Connect the router to the first (existing) router with the ethernet cable. Again, connect the cable between network ports on the two routers, do not use the Internet port. I use a 25-foot ethernet cable to locate the second router 25 feet away from the first one. An alternative is to use a powerline network connector, which plugs into nearby power outlets and transmits the network signal through your house's electrical wires.
c. Remember to turn on the wireless network on the notebook computer.
Your computers and other wireless devices should now see both routers. Connect to whichever one has the strongest signal.
If you need to configure the second router, use its new IP address: 192.168.1.2. You should, of course, ensure its security system is running.
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