Any issues with two wireless routers in one house?

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  • atgcpaul
    Veteran Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 4055
    • Maryland
    • Grizzly 1023SLX

    Any issues with two wireless routers in one house?

    I moved the wireless router to the bottom left corner of our house. Now the upper right section of the house and the shop (far right) get sketchy signal. The home office got moved to the upper right corner of the house and gets internet via Ethernet over power. I am thinking about adding a new wireless router in the office and plugging it into the Ethernet over power jack.

    Any problems with adding another wireless router? I would use a different SSID.

    Thanks
    Paul
  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20914
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    #2
    Wireless wifi systems coexist in many places. There are a limited number of channels. So I'm not sure if this leads to congestion when too many are in play. But definitely you can have 3,4,5,6 in the same area. You see it at a lot of commercial places and I can see 3 or 4 SSIDs on my wireless now at home.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

    Comment

    • cork58
      Established Member
      • Jan 2006
      • 365
      • Wasilla, AK, USA.
      • BT3000

      #3
      When we built the new house and shop I didn't think about the router, dumb move. The shop is about 300' from the house. I either had reception in the house or shop but not both. Called my IT guy and he showed up the next day with 2 of these http://www.dlink.com/us/en/business-.../access-points

      Now we have the router in the shop with an access point and one in the house. The signal is as strong in the house as it is in the shop. Problem solved, great friend and an even better IT wizard.
      Last edited by cork58; 09-15-2014, 07:10 PM. Reason: shop to house
      Cork,

      Dare to dream and dare to fail.

      Comment

      • gerti
        Veteran Member
        • Dec 2003
        • 2233
        • Minnetonka, MN, USA.
        • BT3100 "Frankensaw"

        #4
        It is possible to have one router be a relay for the other, so both use the same SSID and you can move around in the house. No idea how that is set up though, with my Apple routers that is pretty transparent.

        Comment

        • dkerfoot
          Veteran Member
          • Mar 2004
          • 1094
          • Holland, Michigan
          • Craftsman 21829

          #5
          A better solution may be a WiFi extender (a repeater really). Basically, it picks up the WiFi signal where it is still strong and rebroadcasts it. No need for an ethernet connection at all. They run as little as $20-$30 and are easy to setup.

          I use one to get WiFi out in my detached garage and it works great!


          .
          Doug Kerfoot
          "Sacrificial fence? Aren't they all?"

          Smaller, Smarter Hardware Keyloggers
          "BT310" coupon code = 10% for forum members
          KeyLlama.com

          Comment

          • atgcpaul
            Veteran Member
            • Aug 2003
            • 4055
            • Maryland
            • Grizzly 1023SLX

            #6
            Hmmm...I just remembered I bought a range extender years ago but was never happy with it and it's been sitting in the guest room--I hope--for years now unplugged. I was using it in wireless mode. Maybe in wired mode it will perform better.
            Last edited by atgcpaul; 09-16-2014, 08:11 AM.

            Comment

            • dbhost
              Slow and steady
              • Apr 2008
              • 9209
              • League City, Texas
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #7
              If you don't want to get into the nitty gritty of wireless / network / routing configurations and setting up a secondary wireless router as an access point, I would recommend picking up a range extender instead.

              If however you do want to futz with the whole access point configuration which would give you a more robust network, I would then recommend taking a look at the DD-WRT forums, you don't need to run that firmware but they have plenty to say on the general topic and can be quite helpful...

              FWIW, I am getting ready to pick up a new DD-WRT based Buffalo AC1750 wifi router and relegate my N600 to access point mode... I too want better coverage in my shop.
              Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

              Comment

              • leehljp
                Just me
                • Dec 2002
                • 8429
                • Tunica, MS
                • BT3000/3100

                #8
                Around every 3 years, I upgrade my router as new variations of router come out with new channel/frequency? and newer computers have the latest abilities. (I upgrade/buy a new computer about every 3 - 4 years on average). At this point, I take the old router and put it in the other end of the house, which is wired (ethernet) from the main router in my master bedroom.

                I have done this two different ways:
                1. Seperate system
                2. Relay-same SSID

                I prefer the seperate systems. Because I am not the expert and probably don't have something set right, when I have same SSIDs, It seems to be a bit slower. Done this twice with the same result. I am using the terminology that was used above by gerti and I use Apple routers. I just go through the set up to use as one with relay or as two seperate systems.
                Hank Lee

                Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                Comment

                • JSUPreston
                  Veteran Member
                  • Dec 2005
                  • 1189
                  • Montgomery, AL.
                  • Delta 36-979 w/Biesemyere fence kit making it a 36-982. Previous saw was BT3100-1.

                  #9
                  Without trying to get too technical, here's what I've done.

                  I have a low end server running firewall software. One ethernet to my cable modem, and the other to a small gigabit switch. Attached to the switch, I have two ASUS routers configured in AP/switch only mode. They both run the same SSIDs and passwords, which allows for roaming and AP failover. IIRC, both APs support 2.4 and 5GHz, and they channels are set to auto. Houses in my neighborhood are far enough away from each other that I really don't have to tweak my channel settings. I just let my two APs figure it out for themselves...and they're doing a pretty good job.

                  If possible, I suggest running 5GHz. However, in a lot of our homes (mine in particular), the 5GHz band doesn't do well. It's more prone to signal interruption due to walls, etc.

                  I personally tried the Ethernet extenders at my house, but due to having multiple breaker panels, that didn't work. When I used one AP as an extender (as previously mentioned), it cut our available wireless bandwidth in half (known issue), which meant no streaming videos, wireless devices were almost useless, etc. Basically, I tried everything reasonable before running an Ethernet drop from my study/office to the living room, which is where I put the second AP.

                  BTW: even though I do servers and networking for a living, I ran this config by a friend that is Cisco wireless certified. Although he wanted me to buy Cisco gear, he said that he couldn't see any issues with how I'm configured.
                  "It's a dog eat dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear."- Norm (from Cheers)

                  Eat beef-because the west wasn't won on salad.

                  Comment

                  • tfischer
                    Veteran Member
                    • Jul 2003
                    • 2343
                    • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                    • BT3100

                    #10
                    LOL being on a woodworking forum, it took me a minute to figure out what kind of "wireless routers" we were talking about! And I'm a Software Engineer too lol.

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