There are times when you need to connect a second router in series to one already installed and working router. For example, to connect neighbors or expand the coverage area of a wireless WiFi network. This simple task can confuse an inexperienced user. But in fact, everything is done very simply. There are two options for connecting a second router through an existing router:
- wired
— wireless
Let's consider both methods in detail.
The wired option, that is, connecting a second router via a network cable, is suitable for any model and is especially convenient over long distances - 50-120 meters. Its meaning is that you connect a second router to the LAN port of an existing one, that is, you expand its network.
There are two connection schemes:
That is, we connect the WAN port (on some it is signed as Internet) of the second router with a free LAN port of the first. In this case, on the second device you need to configure the connection type Dynamic IP (Dynamic IP).
It will have its own local area, from which the network of the first router will be clearly visible. But from there the mesh of the second router will no longer be visible.
We will connect the LAN port of the second router with a cable to the free LAN port of the first. With this connection method, both routers will be on the same local network and clients connected to them should see each other without problems. The only caveat is that the IP addresses of the routers may be the same. The fact is that most Wi-Fi routers use the default IP 192.168.1.1 (on some models, such as D-Link, the address may be 192.168.0.1). Therefore, you need to go to the web interface of the second router and change the IP address in the LAN settings section:
For example, on 192.168.1.2 (it is clear that the first one will have the corresponding - ).
It is also necessary to disable the DHCP server on the second router, otherwise it will turn out that there will be 2 active DHCP servers in the same subnet, which cannot be allowed!
Many modern wireless routers can operate in repeater mode and support WDS technology. Then the second router can be connected to the first as a repeater to expand the coverage area of the WiFi network. It’s very convenient that you don’t need to change anything on the first device.
You just need to go to the settings of the second router, select the repeater mode (or enable WDS):
After that, select the WiFi of the first router and connect to it. Of course, to connect you need to know the password for his Wi-Fi network and enter it in the settings.
OK it's all over Now. If you haven’t made a mistake anywhere, now the second router is connected to the first and distributes its Wi-Fi network.
Despite the wide range of fairly powerful devices capable of providing stable WiFi, the question of how to connect a second router to the Internet via a router is still relevant.
After all, installing a router-to-router bridge is often much more profitable and effective than purchasing a more expensive modern router. Such bridges will be of particular benefit in a private home or small office, where it is possible to “cover” the required square meters with the Internet at the lowest financial cost (and radiation power).
And in this article we will look at whether it is possible to connect a router to a router and how to properly connect two routers to the same network.
There are two ways to connect two routers into one network - using a LAN cable or wireless WiFi connection.
For a clearer understanding of this task, let’s briefly consider the meaning of a bridge in connecting router to router and distributing the role of routers. For example, let's call one of them “A” and the other “B”.
We will assign the “main role” to router “A” – a direct connection to the Internet, and router “B” will act as a “repeater” or “repeater” and broadcast the signal from emitter “A” to other devices on the network.
First, let’s look at the connection of “LAN-WAN” routers (using the Tp-Link model as an example). This option has a more stable connection than LAN-LAN.
Router A settings.
To connect a tp-link router to a tp-link router, you need to make sure that in its settings.
The first router does not require any other settings.
Let's move on to router "B".
In the settings you need to set the dynamic acquisition of IP addresses:
First, let’s set up a wireless connection on router “A”:
Now let's move on to router "B".
Nowadays, most network devices support WDS technology - this is a kind of repeater.
As already mentioned, a LAN-LAN connection is less stable than a LAN-WAN connection. However, for the “integrity of the picture”, we will still look at how to connect a tp-link router to a tp-link router with such a connection.
No settings are required for router “A”; all changes are made only on router “B”:
Settings are complete.
Now how to connect the same two routers “A” and “B” to the same network, but of the D-Link brand:
In the WiFi settings, simply specify the network name identical to router “A” and save the configuration.
As practice has shown, the most stable connection is supported by bridges with Tp-Link models. With identical network parameters, D-Link devices provide lower communication quality: connection breaks often occur, speed drops, etc.
The question of how to connect two routers on the same wifi network is of interest primarily to those who want a signal. Using several routers or access points at once is advisable to increase the coverage radius. Let's say you have a two-story house or a large room. One router cannot completely cover it with its signal. One of the options for expanding the reception area is to connect router to router via cable or via wifi on the same local network. Or a regular old router with Internet access and wireless. Thus extending it by several tens of meters.
You can do this in two ways:
The first option to connect two routers on the same network is to use the second router, connecting to the first via Wi-Fi. For this purpose, or WDS is used, when the second device is configured to the network from the first and, as it were, extends the wireless signal over a certain distance. The only disadvantage of this type is losses during signal transmission, which can occur due to obstacles or electromagnetic interference from other equipment and household appliances. I will not dwell on this option in detail, since it has already been discussed in another article, and it is very easy to do this on Asus, TP-Link, Zyxel Keenetic, D-Link and others routers with the latest firmware.
It’s much more interesting now to see how to connect two routers on the same network via cable - after all, the signal will be much more stable. In addition, for this type of connection, an old model without a WiFi module, which was still collecting dust on the shelf, and it was a pity to throw it away, might be useful - what if it comes in handy? Useful! But there are some subtleties here - after all, then you will need to stretch the wire, which means providing a place for laying it in advance so that it does not spoil the appearance of the interior of the rooms.
But these problems can be solved, so let's take a look at the diagram:
The procedure is as follows - don’t get confused!
Now, after connecting two wifi routers, configure the first router to connect to the Internet and set the wireless network parameters - everything as usual. How to do this has been written in detail.
In order for the network to work through two routers, do not forget to enable automatic distribution of IP addresses on the first one.
Now let's move on to the second - make two settings:
This completes the connection and configuration of the two routers - now you should have a stable wifi network with Internet access through both devices.
Local computer networks can be tiny, consisting of a couple of computers and a smartphone, to huge, covering entire areas and hundreds of subscribers. For routing in a small network, you only need one budget router; even a USB 3G router the size of a matchbox will do, but for large networks, dozens of routers are used, and they often operate in different modes. How to connect two routers in different modes will be discussed further.
The task is the following - to connect these two networks with a twisted pair network wire, so that there is communication between all computers, printers and network storage devices of both networks, and each computer of both networks has access to the Internet through that single gateway. In other words, create a single network with a common Internet connection.
Connecting networks with routers
To implement this scheme, you need to configure both routers. Let's start with the first one, which looks at the Internet.
Go to the router settings menu and configure Internet access. The settings are entered through the web browser to which the router is connected. The router's IP address is indicated in the quick installation instructions, and can also be found on the label under the bottom of the device. As an example of configuration, we will use the TP-Link 741 ND router.
Go to the “WAN” menu item.
Setting up an Internet connection
The type of WAN connection is specified in the agreement with the provider, select it from the list, and, if necessary, enter a login and password (if the type is PPPoE).
Enabling DHCP
We specify a range of addresses by assigning a start and end address.
Wi-Fi setup
In the SSID field we indicate the network name, all other fields are left at default. If you need to protect the network, then in the security settings we specify a password for connecting to Wi-Fi.
And, lastly, we assign an IP address to the router 192.168.1.1.
We also connect the computer to the second router and go to the settings. Go to the LAN settings and assign the router the IP address 192.168.1.2.
Next, set up wireless Wi-Fi. The settings may be absolutely identical to those on the first router, or they may be different - it doesn’t matter. For convenience, of course, it is better that they coincide, there is only one wireless network, but during the search they will be reflected as two networks. It's not fatal though.
Save the settings and reboot the router.
Attention! Only after setting up both routers do we connect them with a twisted pair network cable! Not before setting up!
Both ends of the patch cord must be connected only to the LAN ports of both routers. The port number is not important.
That's it, we launch routers, computers, and enjoy a perfectly working computer network.
Next, let's look at another mode that works in bridge mode. The difference between this scheme and the previous one is that the routers are configured for a wireless Wi-Fi network. Routers from TP-Link are again used as an example.
In bridge mode, you can combine more than two routers, and, accordingly, more than two networks. The only important condition is that if other routers are used, they must support bridge mode.
Let's start by setting up the first device.
Go to the settings of the first device in which you need to change the standard IP address. This is done in the Network menu, LAN submenu.
Changing IP address
It is necessary that each router has its own address, otherwise an address conflict will occur and the network will not work.
Change to 192.168.1.2. Click “Save”.
Setting Bridge Mode
Set the network name, select the channel, and check the box next to “Enable Bridges”. In the “Mac of AP1” field we enter the mac address of the second router. The address can be found in the setup instructions or on the label under the bottom of the second router.
Save the settings and reboot the router.
Important note - Wi-Fi channels (Channel) must match on both routers! If the first router looks at the Internet, then be sure to disable DHCP on the second router! The network names (SSID) of both routers may be the same, but you can assign different ones, it doesn’t matter.
