Connecting Two Routers In One Home Network

If you’re living in a large family home with lots of devices to connect, you’ll probably be experiencing a patchy or slow WiFi connection. But installing a second router could give you wider coverage for much better performance. This article explains how to connect two routers on a home network so you can extend the signal range, support more devices, and have a better, more stable connection.

Why combine two routers to one home network?

With plenty of devices being used in your home at any one time, from phones and tablets to smart home tech, desktop computers, and games consoles, you’ll likely struggle with poor WiFi connection and signal strength issues. It’s a common issue, especially in larger properties where a WiFi connection just won’t reach.

One of the most common ways to tackle this is to use more than one WiFi router. Connecting two routers will give you that extended reach – one pushing the signal out and the other acting as a range extender – so the WiFi signal can be picked up more easily and give you a stronger connection on more devices.

How to use multiple routers

Using two routers in one home network is highly recommended if you’re suffering from poor WiFi signal and connection. You’ll need to ensure both routers are positioned in the right place and that you can still physically connect to each of them too. 

Whether you’re using a wired or a wireless home network, configuration is best done wired through ethernet cables with your computer. Once configured, you can then move the routers to wherever they’re needed.

For the uninitiated, this part of the process can cause some issues as it can be quite technical and complex. If you have some understanding or experience in this area, you should be able to configure your routers successfully. If not, the Geeks on Wheels team can give you the advice you need to work through any router configuration settings and protocols, so contact us today.

Benefits of having two routers on the same network

We’ve mentioned the overall benefits of connecting two routers on the same network – namely extended WiFi signal reach and better connectivity – but there are other benefits too. Depending on your set-up, these include:

• More support for your wired devices

If you’re on a wired home network using ethernet cables, your main router might only have 2 or 3 LAN (local area network) ports. By adding a second router, this can increase to 5 or 6 ports, or more depending on the model.

• A better mix of wired and wireless devices

Even if you’re on a wireless network, sometimes it’s essential to have wired devices connected to give a higher rate of speed, reliability, and security. A second router allows for more wired devices to be installed while freeing up the bandwidth for wireless devices as well.

• Network isolation for certain devices

Some devices will be more of a drain on your network connection than others, like games consoles, where freezing or lag can detract from the experience. You can isolate those devices to just one router so other network traffic is unaffected by the heavier use.

• Improved WiFi signal range

Your second router can be positioned elsewhere in your home to act as a WiFi signal extender. This will help the signal go further, reaching areas it wouldn’t normally reach with a single router, such as attic rooms.

How to set up two routers on the same network

Setting up two routers can work whether you want your home network to be wired or wireless, though there are differences in how they’re set up. 

First, you’ll need to decide which will be your primary and which will be the secondary router. This doesn’t make much difference, but if you’ve bought another newer model with more features and LAN ports, then it makes sense for that to be your primary router. Make sure both routers are near your PC/Mac to start with so you can configure them easily.

You’ll also need to decide how the second router will work: Either as a LAN to LAN connection to extend your current local area network or as a LAN to WAN connection to create a second network within your LAN – ideal if you want to create network isolation for certain devices.

Ethernet network set up

1. Connect your primary router to your computer using an ethernet cable
2. Type the router’s IP address into a web browser and log in using the router’s password/username
3. Change the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) settings only if you’re setting up as a LAN to WAN connection. 
4. Configure your second router by connecting to your computer and logging in as above
5. Change the IP address depending on which network connection you need:

– LAN to LAN: use the same IP address to match the primary router IP, but increase the 

second-to-last digit by one (i.e. from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.2.1)

– LAN to WAN: Change the IP address to 192.168.1.51

6. Change the DHCP settings on the second router depending on which network you need:

– LAN to LAN: turn off DHCP settings

– LAN to WAN: Change the DHCP to between 192.168.2.2 and 192.168.2.50

7. If both your routers are wireless, change the wireless channels so they don’t interfere with each other. Set the primary router to any channel between 1-6 and the second router to channel 11
8. Save your changes and position the routers where you need them
9. Connect your routers by ethernet cable as follows:

– LAN to LAN: plug one end into a LAN port on the primary router and the other end into a LAN port on the second router

– LAN to WAN: plug one end into a LAN port on the primary router and the other end into a WAN port on the second router

Wireless network set up

1. Check both routers’ compatibility with each other. Most wireless routers should be compatible for a LAN to LAN network, but if you want a LAN to WAN network, you’ll need to make sure your second router has a ‘bridge’ or ‘repeater’ mode.
2. Connect your primary router to your computer using an ethernet cable
3. Type the router’s IP address into a web browser and log in using the router’s password/username
4. Complete the set up then log out. 
5. Configure your second router by connecting to your computer and logging in as above and look for the setup page, called ‘Internet’ or ‘Wireless’
6. On that setup page, look for ‘Network Mode’ and select ‘bridge’ or ‘repeater’ mode
7. Set your second router’s IP address to anything between the DHCP range of your primary router
8. Rename your second router so you can easily tell it apart from your primary router
9. Save your changes and position the routers where you need them

Need help? Geeks On Wheels are ready to connect you

This article should help explain how to connect two routers on a home network, whether for home use or home office use. But in setting up and configuring your routers, you might need some expert advice. This is what Geeks On Wheels does best and we can help you with any practical or technical help you need to get you started – or finished. Contact us to improve your WiFi reach today.