Help with adding a router/AP to a modem correctly

[bdbr]

I apologise if there are already hundreds of threads about this. I had a search and couldn't find what I needed help with specifically.

My problem is I'm assuming very common. I keep getting different advice, often people who seemingly know a decent amount are telling me it's super complicated and very easy to stuff up, especially if the two devices are different brands.

I just want to get a second device (which will be wired from the first modem/router) on the other side of our long house to extend the wifi. We have cable internet (about 100mbps) and I want the second device to have at least one ethernet output (although I have a gbit network switch so perhaps instead of needing that output, I could use the swtich in between the two devices so that my PC in the far end of the house can still have a wired connection?)

I've currently got a Telstra/Netgear cg3100d modem. Ive been recommended various devices such as a TP-link archer c90 or an ubiquiti uac-ap-lite (which doesn't have a wired output).

I just need a device that isn't super expensive and will connect effectively to our current modem. The second device will be in a room at the end of the house and needs to reach through one brick wall close by.

Some people say it's as simple as setting the 2nd device in AP mode, setting the same ssid and setting a different bandwidth channel, others say you need a special type of Ethernet cable, others say it could take days of troubleshooting.

Would be super grateful if anyone could shed some proper light and give some router/ap recommendations and instructions on how to set it up so they work together.

Thank you!!

 

[Jesse_20]

Let’s call our main router MASTER (this is the router that is connected to the ISP modem) and the other one as SLAVE (the second router will work as a ‘repeater’ to increase your wireless range).

Step 1: First we need to determine the IP address and the Subnet Mask of our MASTER router.
Open command prompt in Windows, type the command ipconfig /all and note the value of “Default Gateway.” That your main router’s IP address. If you are on a Mac, open the Terminal window, type the command route -n get default and make a note of the gateway value.
For this example, let’s assume that our MASTER router’s IP address is 192.168.30.1 and the Subnet Mask is set as 255.255.255.0.

Step 2: Open your web browser and type the router’s IP address into the address bar. If you are using IE, you might want to add http:// to the address else IE may throw an error.
You’ll now have to provide the user name and password for accessing the router settings. This will vary depending on your router’s manufacturer – just Google for “<brand name> default router password” or try the standard combinations like admin/admin, admin/password and admin/<blank> (no password).

Step 3: Once you are inside the router settings, switch to Wireless Settings and make a note of the Wireless mode, the SSID and the channel.

If you have protected your Wi-Fi with a password, also note down the security mode used (WPA, WEP or WPA2) and your password (or secret passphrase). Close the browser window.
B: Configure the Second Router as a Repeater
Step 4: Next we need to configure SLAVE, our second router. First reset the router to factory defaults by hard-pressing the reset button with a pin for about 10 seconds.
Now connect the SLAVE router to your computer using the physical Ethernet cable. Put one end of the cable in any of the LAN (Ethernet) ports available on the router and the other end in your computer’s Ethernet port. Make sure the router is powered on.
Step 5: Open the browser again and type 192.168.1.1 which is likely the the default internet IP address of your SLAVE router. If you are not using a Linksys router, try 192.168.0.1 which is the default IP for Netgear and D-Link routers.


Once you are in the router settings, you need to change the values of the Wireless mode, the channel, the security mode and the passphrase such that they match with your MASTER router. You can use a different SSID name for this router so it is easier to distinguish which router your phone or laptop is connect to.
Then go to Setup – > Advanced routing and change the current mode from Gateway to Router. In some routers, this is listed as NAT and in that case, you need to disable it. Next disable DHCP Server since our main router will handle the task of assigning IP addresses to devices connecting to the wireless network.
Finally, change the IP address of the SLAVE router to any free address in your LAN. For instance, if the IP address of MASTER router is 192.168.30.1, you can safely assign a fixed IP address of 192.168.30.2 to SLAVE. Also make sure that the Subnet mask is the same as determined in Step 1. Save the settings of the SLAVE router and close the browser window.
C: Connect Two Routers with a Cat-5 Cable
Now that we have configured the routers, it’s time to connect them with an Ethernet cable. Your MASTER Router probably has five (1+4) ports. The WAN port (or the Internet port) should be connected to the ISP modem. Pick any of the available LAN ports on the MASTER router and connect it to any of the LAN ports on the SLAVE router using an Ethernet cable. We’re done.

Since the two routers are part of the same home network, all your shared folders, music libraries, photos, and other files will be accessible from all computers and mobile devices that are connected to the network.

 

[Jesse_20]

You can follow those instructions for pretty much any home router on the market. The variation will be where things are and what they are called in the router settings. For best throughput, look for a wireless AC router (offers the fastest transfer speeds). Within the AC router group, they offer various speeds as well, ranging from 300Mbps to 3 Gbps. Any of these should suffice because your existing modem/router caps at 100Mbps. If several devices are to connect wirelessly to this router, I would increase the speed somewhat to a mid-level model. Any standard Cat-5 cable is sufficient to connect the two. Just make sure you connect it into one of the Lan ports on the slave and not the Wan port. The wan should never be used on the slave router.
There's probably a lot I'm forgetting, but this should get you going.

 

[bdbr]

Thanks heaps.

I have a few questions,

1. If my first device is a modem/router in one, will that change any of the configuration instructions?

2. If I set the same SSID what's the advantage/disadvantage of that? If they're the same does that mean devices will automatically switch to which device they're connected to depending on reception and it'll just be the same name of the devices?

3. When looking to buy a router, what specs should I look at? Don't really want to spend more than around $150.

4. Should I buy a Netgear router as opposed to any other brand so it's easier to get the devices working together? Or can I get any brand.

Edit: just saw your response so you probably answered some of those questions!

 

[Jesse_20]

1. It will not change the necessary steps, but some of the router settings may be labeled differently or found other a different tab in the interface. It might also use a different IP address to access the interface (192.168.0.0, or look it up online).
2. Yes, this allows seamless switching between routers based on signal strength. It also allows all devices to see each other. Devices on different SSID's will not see each other without further, more difficult configuration.
3. The key things to look for are a base 100 or Gigabit router (for wired connections). Also look at the wireless Mode it offers. The best currently is Wireless AC, but only devices with a matching AC mode can take advantage of it. With that being said, they are backwards compatible, so they offer all the modes that the older routers have as well. You are basically future-proofing with an AC router. You also have a range of wireless speeds for each mode. See above post for more details.
You may also be interested in extra features, such as the number of hardwired lan ports it has, a push-to-sync button that can easily authenticate devices with this feature, or a model that has Dual-band (5.0 and 2.4) frequencies. The band determines how fast it can transmit as well as the area of coverage. The 5.0 band offers better speed, but only at close ranges. The 2.4 band is slower at close range, but will offer better speeds than the 5.0 as the distance grows. The price is mostly dominated by wireless mode/transfer speeds, but the features do add to the cost.

4.Any brand should be fine. I highly recommend looking up a review online before buying any of them though, as there are definitely good and bad routers for the same price, and even company.

 

[bdbr]

You are a lifesaver, thanks so much.

I will have a look at some routers and check reviews.

Do you have any recommendations before I start looking?

 

[Jesse_20]

I prefer the Ubiquiti products, but they can be a bit challenging for the common user to set up. They really shine when matched with other Ubiquiti products. That being said, I usually recommend Netgears or linksys routers. The Netgear R6300 would be a good fit for you while offering some future-proofing for a decent price.

 

[bdbr]

Hmm the r6300 seems to be over $200 and also not easily available to purchase in Australia?

What about the ubiquiti uac-ap-lite? They're only about 120-150. They don't have an Ethernet output however I could use a gbit switch h inbetween the two routers?

Ideally don't want to spend more than around 150 if possible. Might call some stores

 

[Jesse_20]

My fault. Here they are easily found around $100.00 US dollars. I'm afraid I can't guide you on what you might find locally there.

 

[bdbr]

No worries.

Would something like this do the job well?
http://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R6220.aspx#tab-techspecs

It's only $119 AUD.

Then there's this https://www.tp-link.com/au/products/details/cat-9_Archer-C7.html
which is $145.

Our max speed is only 110mbps download so I can't imagine them making any difference?

 

[bdbr]

Also what's the difference with doing this method with a standard router compared to using a mesh-router?

 

[bdbr]

Ok I got the archer c7 and it was really easy to set up. That's good news.

Is it normal for an access point to reduce the speeds by a small amount? Getting about 10-20% lower download speeds through speedtest when my pc is connected to the c7

Also sadly even though both routers have the same SSIDs, when I go onto the far side of the house, my phone won't automatically connect to the router with the stronger signal. I have to reconnect it. Is that normal? TP-Link support says its not the router but the functionality of the devices connecting to it (I use a google Pixel 2)

Thanks