I want to use a secondary wireless router to connect to my primary, all wirelessly. Do I need a bridge, access point, or repeater?

Question

I realize there is plenty of documentation on this subject throughout superuser and the internet overall. However, it's almost like there's too much information and I need help sorting through it.

For my specific situation, I have a TiVo HD in my living room with no wireless adapter, and my cable modem + wireless router in a separate room. Instead of spending the cash on a TiVo proprietary adapter, I decided to use my spare wireless router as the connection point (via ethernet cable) for the TiVo.

Both wireless routers are older models: Airlink AR430W and Buffalo WHR-G54S but both have been pretty well documented to work with DD-WRT if that's the route I need to go (no pun intended). They are interchangeable as far as I'm concerned, too. In other words, I don't mind moving either one to serve as the primary connection to the cable modem.

As far as superuser articles are concerned, here is the closest match to my situation that I can find:

• Wireless router with repeater setup

And here is a good article on utilizing DD-WRT from makeuseof.com:

• How To Turn An Old Router Into A Wireless Bridge

The only problem with either of these references is that the former is not specific to my hardware/software setup, and the latter is very general as well as being 2 years old (I don't know if the instructions for setting up DD-WRT have changed in that amount of time).

I started reading through the process of installing DD-WRT on my Airlink router first, but all of the cautions about "bricking" my equipment have made me put a hold on it until I get a better opinion. I'm not incredibly tech-savvy when it comes to electronics or programming.

Ultimately, I want to keep a wireless router connected to my cable modem in one room that transmits wirelessly to all devices including my laptop, iPad, and secondary wireless router at the TiVo. I don't care if the secondary router repeats the wireless signal, as long as I can get an ethernet connection out of it.

Is there just an easier way to do this?

Answer 1

No there isn't an easier way of doing this. Using DD-WRT is the easiest way that you'll find without having to spend money. As far as your concerns about "bricking" your routers, they are valid, but if you follow the instructions on the documentation then you'll be fine. If by chance something gets messed up, there are still ways of recovering the router via a cable that connects to the router directly.

When setting up your wireless bridge with DD-WRT I suggest using their own documentation.

Ultimately you have to decide whether you want to go through the "hassle" and assumed "risk" of doing something like this yourself, or buying new routers that are either already flashed with DD-WRT or have wireless bridging capabilities built in.