Idiot's guide to using a wireless access point to extend wifi coverage of Uverse router?

[daf999999]

My uverse gateway/router is the NVG589. I want to hardwire a TP-Link TL-WA901ND to the Uverse router and use the TPLink solely to extend my wireless coverage. By that, I mean that I want both the Uverse router and the TPLink to transmit the same wireless coverage. Specifically, the Uverse is on one side of the house. I want to plug a Cat5 cable into the Uverse and plug the other end into the TPLink on the other side of the house. I want to walk from one side to the other of the house with my iPad having complete wifi coverage without switching networks.

My research tells me that this is doable - and, in fact, is precisely the point of the TPLink. But I can't find any idiot-proof step by step instructions on how to do it. Everything presumes a level of network knowledge I don't have. And I don't want to use trial and error out of concern that I screw up my network and lose all wifi coverage from the Uverse -- that would cause the family to string me up!

So, anybody care to take the time to describe how to do it - or to point me to a link that does so in detail.

Thanks very much.

 

[bill001g]

There are tons of posts on "how to use a router as a AP" there are youtube videos even.

The bad news is as you move from one radio to the other it will not just automatically switch. It many times will stay connected to the first radio even if the signal is much worse than the closer one. In fact you could put your device directly on the other router and it still will not switch.

On a pc you can change this with a parameter in the nic called roaming aggressiveness but if you set it too low it will spend all its time switching back and forth. not sure on a mac

Even in perfect switch over there is small delay/glitch because all the encryption keys must be renegotiated.