How To Add a Second Router to Your Wireless Network

Installing a router to work as the second on a home network requires a special configuration.

Can Two Routers Be Used on the Same Home Network?

An MIT graduate who brings years of technical experience to articles on SEO, computers, and wireless networking.

Updated on August 18, 2022
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• Western Governors University

Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years’ experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.

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If you have a large home network, you may encounter difficulties connecting to that network wirelessly from specific points in your home. A second router can improve network performance and help you stay connected from anywhere in your home.

Can Two Routers Be Used on the Same Home Network?

Yes, using two (or even more than two) routers on the same home network is possible. The benefits of a two-router network include:

• Support for more wired devices: If the first router is wired Ethernet, it supports a limited number of connected devices (typically only four or five). A second router provides more open Ethernet ports, allowing additional computers to join the network.
• Support for mixed wired and wireless network setups: If you have a wired home network and want to connect Wi-Fi devices to it, installing a wireless router as the second router allows those devices to communicate while allowing the rest of the network to remain on Ethernet. Conversely, a second router also helps when most clients in the home are wireless, but a few Ethernet devices in one room (like game consoles and file-sharing servers) could benefit from a wired setup.
• Improved wireless reach (signal range): Adding a second wireless router to an existing Wi-Fi network can extend its reach to accommodate far away devices.
• Network isolation: If you heavily utilize the network connection between specific computers (such as frequent large file transfers or LAN gaming), installing those computers to run from one router keeps that network traffic from affecting the other router and its attached devices.

Lifewire / Nusha Ashjaee

How to Choose a Router

There are many types of routers available. From routers that cost less than $50 to the best-rated long-range routers, here are some of the top ones on the market, and all are available on Amazon.com:

• Linksys EA6500: This is the first smart Wi-Fi router from Linksys and gives owners complete mobile control of their home wireless network.
• Netgear AC1750 (R6300): A perfect option for bigger homes with 12 or more wireless devices.

• Netgear N300 WNR2000: A great router that comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
• TP-LINK TL-WR841N: TP-LINK routers are some of the most popular in the industry. The TL-WR841N features external antennas that make for superior signal reception.

• Netgear WGR614: The WGR614 is a high-quality router with above average signal range (great for homes with brick walls or similar obstructions). It also comes with a three-year warranty.
• Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G: People have said that this Linksys router is a cinch to install and consistently has a strong signal range. If you run into problems, their customer support is helpful.

How to Use Two Routers in One House

Installing a router to work as the second on a home network requires a special configuration.

Setup involves choosing a good location, ensuring the right physical connections, and configuring IP address settings (including DHCP).

Alternatives to a Second Home Router

Instead of adding a second wired router to an existing network, add an Ethernet switch. A switch accomplishes the same goal of extending the size of a network, but it does not require any IP address or DHCP configuration, greatly simplifying the setup.

For Wi-Fi networks, add a wireless access point rather than a second router.

How To Add a Second Router to Your Wireless Network

If you experience poor wireless network connections in your home or business, then you might want to add a second router to extend the range of your network.

Adding a second router to your wireless network can improve the reach of your Wi-Fi. By now, you probably already know the Wi-Fi blackout areas in your home. Placing the second router in those areas should get you the full coverage.

For the most part, it’s not that hard to add the second router to your Wi-Fi, but there are still a few things you need to know. This article explains each method in detail and offers some tips on which equipment works best.

Before You Start

The Wi-Fi router range depends on the standard it supports. For example, Wireless N routers (802.11n) offer better range compared to Wireless-G routers.

It is best to use two 802.11n routers, but a Wireless-G as the second router may work fine as well. Make sure you know the passkey and SSID for each router if you set up a wireless connection.

The position of the second router is also important. You can keep it next to the computer for configuration and then move it to the blackout area in your home.

Different Ways to Connect Routers

To put it simply, you can connect routers in two different ways, LAN to LAN or LAN to WAN. An LAN to LAN connection involves connecting two routers via Ethernet cable, although you make a LAN to WAN connection in a similar way, it performs differently.

Connecting Two Routers with an Ethernet Cable

There are a few different ways to connect routers, let’s start with the simplest method.

1. Plug the Ethernet cable into any LAN port on the main router.
2. Now, plug the other end of the cable into the WAN port, sometimes labeled Internet, of the second router.

We’re not quite done, we need to do some configuring.

Configuring the Second Router

1. Now, login to the website of the second router. You can find all the necessary info on the bottom of the router.
2. From here, set up the internet connection as DHCP. This just means an IP address will be assigned automatically.
3. Set the WiFi name and password.
4. When ready, click Save and then Apply.

Connecting Two Routers Wirelessly

With this method, the second router functions as a switch.

1. As mentioned above, start by plugging one end of an Ethernet cable into an LAN port on the main router and the other end into the WAN port of the second router.

Now that the simple part is out of the way, let’s get to configuring.

Configuring the Second Router

To increase the reach of your Wi-Fi signal, you can use the second router as a repeater. The entire procedure doesn’t take too much time and there are only a few steps.

Step 1

You need to determine the Subnet Mask and the IP address of your main router.

1. Launch the Command Prompt on Windows and type “ipconfig/all”. The value you are looking for is under Default Gateway. Mac users should launch the Terminal app and type “ifconfig | grep inet”.

Copy and paste your IP address into a browser address bar. If you are using Internet Explorer, add http:// in front of the address to prevent error messages. Now you need to enter the username and password to access the settings.

Step 2

1. Select Wireless Settings and write down the channel, Wireless mode, and the SSID. Make sure to note your passwords and security mode (WPA2, WPA, or WEP). At this point, you can proceed to configure the second router.
2. Reset the second router to factory settings and connect it to the main router via Ethernet cable. Of course, the router needs to be turned on.

Step 3

1. Launch your browser and type 192.168.1.1, which is usually the default IP address. D-Link and Netgear routers have 192.168.0.1 as the default IP address.
2. Once inside Settings, change all the values to match your main router. These include the channel, the Wireless mode, and the security mode. The SSID can be different so it’s easier for you to distinguish between the two routers.

Step 4

1. Navigate to Advanced Routing under Setup and switch to Router Mode. Some routers might have the mode labeled as NAT, and you have to disable it in that case.
2. You also need to disable the DHCP Server because your main router assigns IP addresses to the connected devices.
3. Afterward, you need to change the IP address of the second router to any free address. For example, if the IP address on your main router is 192.168.30.1, assign 192.168.30.2 to the second router.
4. Don’t forget that the routers need to have the same Subnet mask. Once you are done, hit Save and exit the browser.

Benefits and Downsides of Connecting Routers

As said, the second router increases the wireless range, and you can even daisy-chain a few routers using the same method. But you should know that your internet speed might suffer, especially if you have only one outbound connection.

At the same time, two routers on the same network allow you to access all your shared files throughout the network. You can move, copy, and paste files, or play music, movies, and pictures on any computer or mobile device that’s connected.

However, file sharing comes with some security concerns. Anyone who has access to your wireless network can access the files as well. More connected devices translate to more security risks, which is why it’s important to install antivirus software.

Extending the Wireless Range

You don’t have to be super tech-savvy to add a second router to your wireless network. Also, if you have an old router, you can always repurpose it to get a better Wi-Fi reach.

But remember that this affects the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though, unless you are using streaming services and other Wi-Fi intensive apps.

How To Access A Second Router From The First (Detailed Steps)

However, the process to do this is quite fiddly and complex, so we’ll cover all the steps required on both routers to set this up.

Router Settings Are Best Accessed Directly

As a general rule, it is much easier and more convenient if router interfaces are accessing directly by connecting to the target router itself via Wi-Fi or cable, and then entering the router login IP/username/password, rather than indirectly, via a connection to another router’s network that is in turn connected to the target router.

Whilst it can often be done indirectly, and we’ll show you how in the following sections, it’s just a really fiddly, inefficient way of doing it, that requires some preliminary configuration on both routers.

If at all possible, it’s much easier and quicker to just connect to each individual router’s configuration interface directly. You do this just by checking the sticker on the back of each router, that will look something like this:

Simply note down the the router login IP, username and password (top left) on the sticker on the router you want to connect to (and store them away for future use if needed).

You then connect to that router’s network (either by finding the router’s Wi-Fi username on your device’s network list, and entering the Wi-Fi password on the sticker, or by simply plugging a LAN cable into one of the 4 LAN ports on the back).

Once connected to that router, you can then log into the settings menu directly by just typing in the login IP into any browser of a connected device, than entering the username and password noted down earlier.

This is how you connect directly to a router, and then the settings page, without going through another router. It’s the recommended method because it’s easy, and doesn’t need any preliminary configuration, so do it this way if possible.

However, in some cases you might want to do it indirectly, via another router connection which is turn connected to that router.

However, even the preliminary setup steps we’ll cover below require that you connect to, and log into the settings of, the second router directly anyway, so assess whether this is just what you can do longer term anyway (as laid out above) instead of the more fiddly, indirect method. You might just be able to connect to the second router directly anyway whenever you need to, if you note down the Wi-Fi network and router login details on it’s label and keep them handy for future use.

However, for users in specialized situations that really need the ability to do this indirectly, via another router, let’s run through the steps to allow a connection to a second router from the first one.

Preliminary Setup Steps

If you want to to set up your routers so that you can connect to the second one from the first one, here are the preliminary steps you need to take:

Step #1 – Note down the login IP (plus all other Wi-Fi and settings login details) on both routers on the stickers on the back of each.

Step #2 – Plug the second router into the first one with an ethernet cable – Only connect each router using the 4 main LAN ports, NOT the differently colored WAN port that is usually a separate from the other ports. Only connect via the LAN ports. The WAN port on the first router should go out to the phone line/master socket; the WAN port on the second router should be left unused.

Step #3 – Log into the second router as shown in the section above, by connecting a device to it using the details on the label or via LAN cable, then typing it’s login IP address (usually 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.254) into a browser address bar, and then entering the router username/password in the boxes. The router login IP/admin/password are always on the back of the router on a sticker.

Then you need to change a couple of settings on it:

1. Find and turn off DHCP settings on this second router (to stop IP address clashes).
2. Manually set the IP address of this second router with the last digit one number higher than the primary router. In other words, if the IP address of the first router is 192.168.0.1, then set the IP address of the second router to 192.168.0.2. Set the subnet mask to what it usually is in your region (often 255.255.255.0) if required.
3. Turn on remote management/remote admin settings on the second router.

Step #4 – Reserve Static IP For Second Router On First Router – Log into the first router, and reserve this IP for the second router as a static/reserved IP within the DHCP Reservation table on the first router. This stops IP clashes by ensuring that IP addresses are only ever assigned to devices by the first router, even if they are connected to the second router. You are turning the second router into more of an intermediary switch device, making it act more like a switch and less like a router.

How To Access The Second Router’s Interface From The First Router

Following the setup steps above, your second router should now be connected to the first one, with the settings modified as such that the first router just sees the second one as any other device connected to it on the local network, and IP and DHCP conflicts are prevented. The first router is in charge of the network.

Because you’ve set different IP addresses on the two routers, you can login to each one separately without there being any confusion (if both routers have the same login IP, how can you tell which router you want to access when they are both connected together? That’s why we have the step above the change the IP on the second router).

And because the second router is connected to the first by LAN cable, you should now be able to connect, even when connected to the first router’s network:

• Type in the second router’s (amended) login IP into any browser address bar of any device connected to the first router.
• Type in the second router’s login username/password as indicated on the sticker.
• You should now be in the settings interface of the second router, via the first router’s network.
• Amend any settings as required on the second router.

Online gamer and general home networking enthusiast. I like to create articles to help people solve common home networking problems.

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