How to Extend Your WiFi Range with Another Router?

Extend Your WiFi Range with Another Router:

For a larger home, a single WiFi router is insufficient. You'll eventually come into a dead zone, and then everything is lost — especially if you have children. Fortunately, there is a solution to avoid all of the drama, and it just needs a second router.

A secondary router operates as an extender, receiving and re-transmitting your WiFi signal. That's a brand-new data stream that appeared out of nowhere. Here's how to extend your WiFi range with another router.

Do a 30/30/30 Reset

Before we get started, double-check that your DD-WRT router is configured to default settings. To accomplish this, we perform a hard reset — also known as a 30/30/30 reset — which clears any configurations from your router's NVRAM. Here's how to accomplish it.

Note: There are times when you shouldn't do a hard reset or a 30/30/30 reset, according to the DD-WRT Wiki. They should not be done while the router is being upgraded. They should not be used with Linksys EA series routers (as doing so can brick them). Don't do these for any ARM routers, either.

Step 1: Hold the Reset button on the bottom of the router for 30 seconds while it is plugged into the power supply. It's common for your router to reset. Maintain your hold on the button.

Step 2: Continue to hold the Reset button while unplugging the router. Allow 30 seconds to pass.

Step 3: Hold the Reset button down while connecting the router. Keep the Reset button down for 30 seconds.

That's right: you'll hold the button for 30 seconds with the router turned on, then 30 seconds with the router turned off, and finally, 30 seconds with the router turned on again. When you've completed this, you're ready to begin configuring.

Using DD-WRT to Create a Wireless Repeater

Keep in mind that some router models (particularly older routers) allow you to set up the router as a repeater without the requirement for DD-WRT. However, even if things look different, many of our steps below may be used with native settings that allow it: Linksys, for example, has a different interface, and Netgear's Nighthawks employ a different technique, while the Asus model is also different. Before you download DD-WRT, check for these options to make sure they aren't available. This will help you save time. Otherwise, you can use DD-WRT to its full potential.

Unplug the router if it's currently connected to a network; we won't need any Ethernet wires for the repeater. Connect wirelessly to the router now. You'll need to set an admin username and password because the default SSID is "dd-wrt."

Step 1: First, go to the Wireless section and select the Basic Settings tab from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Set Wireless Mode to Repeater.

Step 3: Set your router's Wireless Network Mode to that of yours. Though Mixed is generally universal, it may necessitate some research on your part.

Step 4: Make sure the SSID matches the one on your router. We went with Podcasting because it's the name of the router we'd like to replicate.

Step 5: Click Add under Virtual Interfaces.

Step 6: Assign a unique SSID to the new virtual interface. We called it Podcasting-Repeat, but you can call it whatever you like. Just make sure it's not the same name as your main network.

Step 7: Save, but don't apply the settings just yet. It would help if you waited till you've accomplished everything.

Let's Go on to the Wireless Security Section Now.

Step 1: Make sure the settings in the Physical Interface section match those in your primary router. Set things up the same as you would if you were connecting from a PC or phone, for example, if your primary router utilizes WPA2 Personal with TKIP encryption.

Step 2: You'll then set up the settings for connecting to this router under the Virtual Interfaces section. Please match them to the Physical Interface section's settings.

Step 3: Save the file, but don't apply the settings yet.

We're almost done! Now go to the Security section and uncheck everything under Block WAN Requests, as well as the SPI Firewall. Then press the Save button.

Finally, pick Basic Setup from the Setup menu. Change the Router IP to a different subnet than your primary router under Network Setup. If your main router's IP is 192.168.1.1, for example, set the repeater's IP to 192.168.2.1. Only this number set in the address should be changed (192, 168, etc.).