Should I add a new router?

[budgetgamer]

Hello,

This is my first post on this nice forum. When I'm far away I'm not getting maximum speed from router. There will be approximately 4 concrete walls between the router and the wireless client. Will adding a new WiFi router with an Ethernet cable to the old router increase WiFi performance to the maximum?

Thanks

 

[thiggins]

Those concrete walls will kill Wi-Fi signals, especially on 5 GHz. So adding a router-converted-to-access point, connected by Ethernet, is the way to go.
The Best Way To Get Whole House Wireless Coverage

 

[Klueless]

When I'm far away I'm not getting maximum speed from router. There will be approximately 4 concrete walls between the router and the wireless client. Will adding a new WiFi router with an Ethernet cable to the old router increase WiFi performance to the maximum?

• Depending where you position (you'll want to locate it near your problem area) your new purchase - yes.
• You would not configure your new router as a router, you would configure your new router as a "Wired Access Point". Before buying make sure it can be configured as such (many to most can).
• You might also consider buying a product that already advertises itself as an Access Point.

Best of luck!

 

[budgetgamer]

Thank you both for your helpful replies. I'm very new to router things, so I'm confused by terminology like AP, Router, Bridge AP, Repeater, Extender, etc.

What is the difference between an Access Point and a Router? They both seem like synonyms to me. What is Bridge AP?

I have a Totolink router, it provides options to configure it as:

1. Router
2. Range Extender(Repeater)
3. Bridge AP
4. WISP Client
5. Wireless Client
6. Client

I don't understand what 3-6 mean, I presently don't have a long Ethernet cable to connect through hard wire, so I tried configuring it as range extender, this is how the setup looked like:

Internet connection------->[router (admin ip: 192.168.0.1) ]<-----wireless------>[totolink configured as repeater (admin ip:192.168.1.1)]<------wireless------>wireless client

In this setup I was getting higher WiFi signal than before but I couldn't access the repeater's admin page, my wireless client received an IP in router's local IP range. When I checked router's admin page, I saw that the repeater was assigned 192.168.0.102 but typing this address also didn't take me to repeater's admin page, when I connected to repeater through a short Ethernet cable provided by Totolink, the connected client received an IP in router's local IP range.

I read the suggested "router-converted-to-access point" web page. I'm thankful for this helpful guide. In it, it is mentioned that I should connect the connection from main router to the LAN port of 2nd router.

When I get a long Ethernet cable, what would have happen if I connected one end of it in the LAN port of the main router and connected the other end in the WAN port of the second router, this second router will get an IP from the main router and create a WiFi signal with Internet.

I'm new to routers and networking things so I don't know if this will work or if that is the way to do it.

Why do router companies advertise or sell routers as N300, N600, N150 when they put only 100Mbps WAN port in these routers, I mean what is the need to advertise a router as capable of providing 300Mbps over wireless when the most it can take is just 100Mbps, how can it give what it cannot receive? Is this a marketing gimmick to dupe innocent customers?

 

[Klueless]

I'm very new to router things, so I'm confused by terminology like AP, Router, Bridge AP, Repeater, Extender, etc.

Me too!

What is the difference between an Access Point and a Router?

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) typically gives you only 1 IP address but you'll probably have dozens of devices. How can dozens of devices share 1 IP address? How do devices know what's for them and what's not? Are you old enough to remember the Bob Newhart TV show with Larry, his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl : -) Imagine if every house on your street had the same number.

• Router
  • Allows you to create and manage your own subnet with over 200 IP addresses.
  • Built-in DHCP server - automatically assigns IP addresses to clients (rather than you have to do it all manually).
  • NAT (Network Address Translation) - Tags traffic so that it can all be delivered to the right clients.
• Access Point
  • All the complexity and overhead of the above is disabled or eliminated. It simply uses what the router already provides.
  • It simply provides more Ethernet ports (from a farher location) to the router
  • It simply connects additional wireless clients to the router (that, likely, wouldn't have otherwise reached the router).
• 2nd Router adds complexity, overhead and/or performance hits
  • of a 2nd subnet and 2nd set of IP addresses
  • of a second DHCP server serving up a different set of IP addresses
  • of setting it up so both subnets talk to each other, e.g., a PC on router 1 trying to print to a printer on router 2.
  • of Double NAT

it is mentioned that I should connect the connection from main router to the LAN port of 2nd router ... Ethernet cable, what would have happen if I connected one end of it in the LAN port of the main router and connected the other end in the WAN port of the second router?

I think (and I'm too lazy to look it up)

• Connecting it to a LAN port of the 2nd router suggests/reinforces that it's being set up as an Access Point.
• Connecting it to the WAN port of the 2nd router suggests/reinforces that it's being set up as a Router.