Connecting second router as a slave router via wifi?

Question

I want to connect another router to work as slave router from main router. I have a spare router for that. The problem is that main router is at our neighbors apartment which is on second floor and signal get weak in some places of our house (walls are quite thick). There is no way to connect second router via cable. I can only connect it via wifi.

So I'm guessing maybe I could just connect spare router in good spot to take signal from main router and then I could connect to slave router to have better signal.

I tried this guide: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/network-wifi/3494655/how-use-spare-router-as-wi-fi-acess-point/

I entered same SSID on slave router, same password, disabled DHCP, entered static IP address to be 192.168.1.50, changed channel to be different from main router.

Then tried connecting to network, and it connects to slave router, showing good signal. But just that. It shows that there is no internet. So it seems slave router does not pass signal to main router?

Now it just breaks Internet connection, because all computers connect to salve router with same ssid and password, but it does not work, ignoring main router.

Am I missing something here?

Answer 1

The tutorial you have followed specifically refers to connecting the two routers with a cable. They've suggested a power line connection as an alternative, but it amounts to the same thing here.

The majority of WiFi routers only operate their WiFi system as an access point. PCs, WiFi printers, smartphones, etc all operate as clients connecting to an access point. This means that you cannot connect two routers using the Wifi interface.

If you're running the DD-WRT firmware on your router it is possible to configure it to operate as a client and connect to an access point just as a PC would. In this case, though, the WiFi connection is no longer functioning as an access point so your PCs won't connect to it wirelessly - you have to use a wired connection from the PC to the second router.

Alternatively, you could add two new access points both configured to operate as a wireless bridge, plug one into the wired port on your first router and plug your second router into the wired connection on the remote access point. This works well (I had a similar set-up running for some years) but it means additional hardware.

For your requirement a long cable is probably the most cost effective solution, if you can find a way to run it between the two locations.

Answer 2

By default, a router will route all traffic from the LAN to its WAN port. If the WAN port is not connected, it obviously will not pass any internet connection. (see step 7 of that guide) If you connect this router to the other router using one of the LAN ports, and the other router does DHCP, it will work as it bypasses the WAN port. (you still have to set it to some fake info). This way you can extend the wifi signal.

In your case, both routers are not connected, so it will not work.

The only way you can do this without actually connecting the two routers, is by using WDS (wireless distribution system). Both routers will need to support this though. And as a result, both routers will work at half the speed, because the other half is to maintain its connection.

Note: the link you provided uses an Ethernet over Power adapter in its example. This will obviously not work, because your power is separated from your neighbors power.

Given that they're your neighbor, the best option is to drill a hole through the wall and place a cable there, or make a cable go through the window to their window and connect it like that.

Answer 3

HoboSapiens was on the right track. Using DD-WRT you can configure a second router to act as a "Repeater" or "Repeater Bridge". This allows you to share a wireless signal without connecting wires plus you don't have to worry about both routers supporting WDS (not to mention you need access to both routers in order to configure WDS).

Using the documentation from DD-WRT I was able to set up this configuration (which sounds a lot like what you want):

[Router w/stock firmware]....(wifi)....[Router w/DD-WRT]____(cable)____{Desktop}

The router with DD-WRT also repeats the wireless signal broadcast by the router with the stock firmware. This article from the DD-WRT documenation compares the differences between the options available for bridging two routers or repeating a signal.