I have a split-level home where the attic is diconnected between the middle level of the home and the upper level of the home. For me, this means it's very difficult to run ethernet from one side to the other. To overcome this, I want to add a second router to my home network. If this is called "cascading" routers as described in a sticky in this part of the forum, please stop here and tell me to follow those directions. If not, please read on.
I have 2 netgear routers - primary, in-use router is a Netgear R7000 and the old, in-a-box right now router is a Netgear N750 (wdnr4300). The R7000 is in a basement office on the corner of the house. I currently get inconsistent wifi on the opposite of the house and, importantly, on the main level in the kitchen and dining area where my kids use their chromebooks. My plan to overcome this is to run ethernet in buried conduit on the exterior around one side of the house and into the crawlspace under the main level and punch it up through the floor to the N750 and, as I conceive it, use the N750 as a second router to extend both wired and wireless network to that side of the house.
I followed a case study link found at the netgear forums and also read the N750 manual online and it appears that to use the N750 this way, then I must use WEP or no security at all. That was a hard stop for me. From the manual,
"To configure the wireless modem router as a repeater unit:
1. Log in to the wireless modem router that will be the repeater. Select Basic > Wireless
Settings and verify that the wireless settings match the base unit exactly. The wireless
security option has to be set to WEP or None"
I think this means that the second router will have no security, therefore, it wuold be open to anyone who can see it. Is that correct?
However, I have also found that folks have been successful in installing ww-drt onto their netgear routers to get around this, but I'm totally ignorant of flashing drt to routers.
I have now since read the sticky thread here about cascading routers. Is this a solution for me? If not, can I overcome what appears to me to be a security issue with connecting these 2 specific routers together to extend my network?
Please don't hesitate to ask for more information...I am unsure how much to provide since I am a networking rookie.
I have 2 netgear routers - primary, in-use router is a Netgear R7000 and the old, in-a-box right now router is a Netgear N750 (wdnr4300). The R7000 is in a basement office on the corner of the house. I currently get inconsistent wifi on the opposite of the house and, importantly, on the main level in the kitchen and dining area where my kids use their chromebooks. My plan to overcome this is to run ethernet in buried conduit on the exterior around one side of the house and into the crawlspace under the main level and punch it up through the floor to the N750 and, as I conceive it, use the N750 as a second router to extend both wired and wireless network to that side of the house.
I followed a case study link found at the netgear forums and also read the N750 manual online and it appears that to use the N750 this way, then I must use WEP or no security at all. That was a hard stop for me. From the manual,
"To configure the wireless modem router as a repeater unit:
1. Log in to the wireless modem router that will be the repeater. Select Basic > Wireless
Settings and verify that the wireless settings match the base unit exactly. The wireless
security option has to be set to WEP or None"
I think this means that the second router will have no security, therefore, it wuold be open to anyone who can see it. Is that correct?
However, I have also found that folks have been successful in installing ww-drt onto their netgear routers to get around this, but I'm totally ignorant of flashing drt to routers.
I have now since read the sticky thread here about cascading routers. Is this a solution for me? If not, can I overcome what appears to me to be a security issue with connecting these 2 specific routers together to extend my network?
Please don't hesitate to ask for more information...I am unsure how much to provide since I am a networking rookie.