[Ventrixius]

Hello,

I have 6 computers capable of connecting to a wireless network (2 PS3's, 3 laptops and 1 PC). I currently have a BT Voyager 2110 setup, which provides the wireless network. The 2110 is situated upstairs, where I use the network the most. However, I'd like to boost the overall range of the wireless network by utilising another router (A BT Voyager 2091, the 2110's predacessor), which would be situated downstairs, where the signal strength is very poor.

I know there are various other ways of extending the range, but I'd like to know if it is possible to use hardware I already have, without spending money on more hardware. As the 2091 would be situated downstairs, connecting the routers with a LAN cable is out of the question. Is it possible to setup the 2091 to connect to the 2110 wirelessly?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[JohnWill]

That router has no wireless bridge capability, so a wireless link is not possible with your existing equipment.

[Ventrixius]

Ok, thanks for the reply.

Suppose I was able to connect the two routers together with a LAN cable, what else would I need to do to enable internet access via the second router?

[JohnWill]

If you can run a cable, you don't need anything else. Here's the recipe for configuring the secondary router, leave the primary router's configuration alone.


Connecting two (or more) SOHO broadband routers together.

Note: The "primary" router can be an actual router, a software gateway like Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing, or a server connection that has the capability to supply more than one IP address using DHCP server capability. No changes are made to the primary "router" configuration.

Configure the IP address of the secondary router(s) to be in the same subnet as the primary router, but out of the range of the DHCP server in the primary router. For instance DHCP server addresses 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.100, I'd assign the secondary router 192.168.0.254 as it's IP address, 192.168.0.253 for another router, etc.

Note: Do this first, as you will have to reboot the computer to connect to the router again for the remaining changes.

Disable the DHCP server in the secondary router.

Setup the wireless section just the way you would if it was the primary router, channels, encryption, etc.

Connect from the primary router's LAN port to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. If there is no uplink port and neither of the routers have auto-sensing ports, use a cross-over cable. Leave the WAN port unconnected!

This procedure bypasses the routing function (NAT layer) and configures the router as a switch (or wireless access point for wireless routers).

For reference, here's a link to a Typical example config using a Netgear router

[Ventrixius]

Thanks. That seems to work alright

[JohnWill]

Glad we could assist.


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