How to boost your Wi-Fi signal with an old router

How to boost your Wi-Fi signal with an old router

There are a few tricks to improve Wi-Fi in hard-to-reach places. One of the most effective is to purchase a wireless network expander, 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 far part 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 this is not very convenient, but the quality of communication will be on top.

The second way is completely wireless. You will turn your router into a makeshift repeater. True, the speed and stability of the connection will depend on how far your old router will be from the new one.
Open the settings of the old router
Disconnect your computer from the main router by unplugging the LAN cable and turning off Wi‑Fi. Then take your old device and connect it to your computer with a LAN cable. It does not need to be connected to the Internet. Turn on the router.

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

How to boost your Wi-Fi signal with an old router

The administrator password request menu will appear. If this does not happen, look at the documentation of the router and find out what address the manufacturer sets by default in its settings.

Turn your router into a wired access point
This is the best way if you need a good connection speed and don’t mind using a cable.

So, you went into the settings of the old router. Depending on the model and manufacturer, the names of the items may differ, but in general they are similar. Here you need to do the following three things.

Go to the LAN settings and set the router to a new IP address. It should be the same as the main router, but with a different number at the end. For example, if the main router has an address of 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.

Turn your router into a wired access point

Save the 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 enter the name of your new wireless network and password for it there. 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 it is better to name the networks on the old router Home 2.