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Last active September 27, 2020 18:01
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Setting up Home Wifi with Multiple Routers
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home_wifi_multiple_routers.md

Setting up home wifi with multiple routers

The setup: one gateway ethernet router with two wifi routers attached, to provide wifi coverage throughout the house. Is this better than buying a brand-new 3-pack of eero routers? Probably not, but because I already had two good wifi routers on hand this was a lot cheaper.

Disclaimer: I am not a networking expert, but this is what worked for me.

  • seems okay to have multiple routers broadcasting the same SSID
  • consumer routers try to be too clever. Using their “bridge mode” never worked.
  • the important end-state configuration on each wifi router:
    • plug the upstream connection into a normal ethernet port, not the WAN port.
    • set a static IP
    • disable DHCP
  • wifi router config is tricky & path-dependent:
    1. attach the upstream connection to the WAN port so you can access the router’s web admin interface through its gateway address (eg 192.168.0.1)
    2. set a static IP & disable DHCP
    3. plug the upstream connection into a regular LAN port & reset the router
  • if you do not follow those steps in order you may end up in a state where it is impossible to access the router’s web admin interface!

My gateway ethernet router is at 192.168.1.1, and my wifi routers are at 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3. The gateway router runs DHCP and assigns addresses starting at 192.168.1.100.

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