How to connect one router through another router

Based on the name, a reasonable question arises: why do you need to connect the router through the router, what is the meaning of these actions. The fact is that users are often faced with a situation where the Wi-Fi signal is not able to cover the entire area of their homes. This is a common occurrence for large private houses, for example, with an area of 100 m3 or more. Regardless of the model, routers have a limited coverage area, and to increase it, repeaters are used that can “expand” the space significantly. For the same purpose, two routers are connected to each other using a connection to the same network. The second router performs the function of a repeater, thus achieving both its expansion and expansion.

It is important to know! When setting up such a connection scheme, when you need to connect two routers in order to expand the existing Wi-Fi network, you will need to configure the router in repeater mode. But this method is not suitable for all devices; some models do not support this function.

To connect router to router, a LAN cable is most often used. This is easy to do: no specific skills are required, and it does not take much time. But not everyone knows how to connect a router to another router via cable. It is naive to believe that it is enough to connect one device to another and everything will work. No, of course, you will need to delve a little into the process and understand the intricacies, since there are two completely different connection schemes. Before taking any action, you should familiarize yourself with both, and then choose the most suitable option for yourself.

Network of routers cascaded LAN-WAN

This scheme is preferable for the majority of users, in any case, it is used more often. First, you need to figure out how to properly connect two routers with a cable: from the LAN socket to the WAN input. This is done for a simplified way of setting up the Internet, which will be a feasible task even for beginners in this matter. A tree-like “Wi-Fi” bridge is built using this principle: in this way, you can connect countless routers using one access point.

But first, this chain needs to be established. It is noteworthy that the last device in this chain uses the settings of the previous one, and this simplifies the task. The process of how to connect and connect two routers actually comes down to the fact that you need to enable the dhcp function on the main router:

After the changes are saved, wait until the connection appears and work quietly.

Communication between routers using an equivalent LAN-LAN scheme

With this option, you need to connect the routers with LAN ports, using a cable by sequentially inserting it into the LAN port of one device, and in the opposite direction. Such a connection creates one logical segment, and the wireless networks must have different SSID names with the same addressing. To configure and connect, unlike the previous method, you need, on the contrary, to disable the DHCP server. To do this, first go to the web interface of the primary router, the DHCP server tab, and remember the pool of distributed addresses. By default, the range of values is from 2 to 100:

Open the settings of the secondary device, go to “Network” - “Local network”.
If they have the same IP address, it needs to be changed. The address is not selected from the DHCP server pool, that is, we set the value to 192.168.1.101 or something like that.
Go to “DHCP Settings”, disable the server by checking the box next to “Disable”.
Click on the “Save” button, then reboot. We managed to connect.

Wireless connection

There is another recognized option for how to connect a router to another router via wifi. Connect them together by creating a wireless “Wi-Fi” bridge, as a result of which you can install routers at a great distance from each other, while increasing the coverage area. In this case, cables will not be needed, this is a positive thing: they will not interfere. But this option is not without its negative sides: it’s easy to connect, but the network loses stability, which is accompanied by a decrease in speed. If there are serious reasons not to use a cable for the connection, this would not be the worst option. When using the wireless method of connecting and connecting routers, you should keep in mind that not all devices support WDS mode; this mainly applies to outdated models.

Wireless bridge based on WDS

A wireless network bridge can be created simply by connecting two routers into one Wi-Fi network, but the process itself is complex and time-consuming. The detailed settings methods differ on different routers, but the principle of creating such a bridge with your own hands is unchanged: this requires WDS support.

To expand coverage, it is recommended to connect and connect one router to another via Wi-Fi, using devices of the same brand. In other words, if the main router is, for example, Asus, the operation and connection will be more stable when using an additional device of the same brand.

Configuring the main router for WDS mode

Different routers have their own settings, and many manuals have been published on this matter. But the process and sequence of actions described in them are so complex and confusing that a novice user is simply lost. And the principle of how to configure a router (main) in order to connect with an additional one comes down to one thing, regardless of the device model:

Setting up a second router for WDS mode

Everything is a little more complicated here, but figuring out how to set up a WDS wireless bridge for the second router before connecting is also not difficult. Setting up a router in bridge mode for an additional device looks like this:

First change the IP address of this device.
Set an identical channel as the main one, the same value is indicated.
Enable the “bridge” function (WDS) by checking the box.
Designate the network name (SSID) used by the main device.
Next you need to enter the mac address of the main router.
Specify its password, key type and Wi-Fi network password.
When you enable the WDS function, a Search button will appear. Click on it to scan available networks.
Select the desired network - “Connect”.
Specify the “Key Type” and “Password” of the main device network, then “Save”.
Go to “DHCP Settings”, disable the DHCP server.
Click on the “Save” button and reload. We managed to connect.

Connecting an access point (AP) to the router

Before connecting both routers to create and configure a wireless bridge, connecting them to each other, you will need to update the firmware and begin setting up the access point, which will help expand the coverage radius. The connection will help create a distributed network using multiple APs to obtain a connection through both devices.

Connecting APs to each other

In order to connect two devices, the process begins by entering the router address on your computer or laptop in the browser search engine via: http://192.168.1.1. Then press Enter and enter the user details in the registration window: admin and admin. Next, go to the router’s web interface:

In the settings, select “Wireless networks”.
In the network name - SSID - indicate the name, for example, WL550gE, and in the WPA2-PSK column create a password for the wireless network. Remember it or write it down.
In the IP Config folder, open WAN & LAN, where the IP address of the first access point is indicated. Remember it.
In the “Wireless Networks” folder, select “Bridge”.
In the new window, find AP Mode, where you select “Mixed Mode”, and as a bridge - the WDS Only option.
Here select a fixed WDS channel, value 1, 6 or 11.
Activate the “Connect to access points in the list of remote bridges” function.
Enter the MAC address of the second access point with the value 00:0E:A6:A1:3F:6E – “Add”.
Click on the “Finish” button, then “Save and reload”.

Setting up a second AP

To connect the second router to the access point and connect to the first, a similar sequence of actions is used. Then go directly to the device settings:

Open the menu and specify the network name (SSID), it must match the first AP.
Open the DHCP server in the IP Config menu.
In the “Enable DHCP server” line, select the “No” option, then “Apply”.
In the “Bridge” menu, specify the same channel as the first AP.
Enter the MAC address of the first access point with the value 00:0E:A6:A1:3F:87 – “Add”.
In the “Password” field, you must enter the code word created by the user for “WPA2-PSK” in the first router.
Click on the “Finish” button, and then “Save and Reload”.

Conclusion

The process of how to connect and connect one router through another can be difficult or easy depending on the option chosen. But first you need to ask yourself questions: is it worth it and why are we combining routers? If the answer is yes, and the goal is clear, all that remains is to choose the most preferable method to connect both devices into one.