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I have basically the same problem as this guy: In my house there is a ferroconcrete ceiling that almost kills the WiFi signal in the second floor. Therefore, I hesitate to use a wireless repeater as the reception is already bad.

When I was in a hotel this summer, I saw that they had WiFi routers on each floor. The thing was, that you were always connected to the same wireless network and I cannot believe these were wireless repeaters.

Question: Is there a way to extend the range of the same WiFi network by connecting 2 routers with a wire?

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    This is not a router or a repeater, it is called an ordinary wireless access point. You can literally make one by taking a wireless router and disabling the router bit, or buy a separate, access-point only device.
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 15:30
  • The emphasis in my question is "extend the range of the same WiFi network". Setting up an AP with a different SSID is exactly what I want to prevent. I read all your comments in question I linked and I am/was very pessimistic whether a solution exists.
    – halirutan
    Sep 16, 2016 at 15:50
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    Nobody told you to set up an AP with a different SSID. I suggest you go learn what a "WiFi network", SSID, and ESSID actually are before arguing against someone who is profesionally certified to build these networks for a living. sourcedaddy.com/networking/bssid-ssid-and-essid.html
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 16:46
  • Obviously I came here to be pointed in the right direction. I suspected you missed the same part of my question because even when I turn off the router part, the problem persists for me: How can I basically create one WiFi network with two "antennas"? I never questioned your professionalism neither did I argue. If a simple answer is so obvious, why didn't you just write it up? I came here after reading this.
    – halirutan
    Sep 16, 2016 at 17:15
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    You configure them the same way, and plug them into the same network. That is literally all there is to it. Like I said, a "wireless router" is just a wireless AP and a router in one box. "Dual band" routers literally just have two APs and a router in the same box. There's nothing special about the built-in AP, you can have one, a hundred, or none and it would all work exactly the same
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 19:46

2 Answers 2

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Yes, there is a way. What I can think of now (and partly support it with an article) it should go as simple as that:

Router 1:

  1. Set up router with static address 10.1.1.1/24
  2. Enable DHCP from 10.1.1.3 - 10.1.1.254
  3. Set channel 6 (for example)
  4. Set some SSID and password

Router 2:

  1. Set up router with static address 10.1.1.2/24

  2. Disable DHCP

  3. Set channel 11 (for example)

  4. Set the same SSID as the first router (have in mind tht the password and the security protocols should also be the same)

  5. Connect Router 2 through the LAN port, not the WAN port to Router 1

I would suggest to take a look at this article as it describes how to do that with more details.

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  • This sounds like an interesting approach! You definitely have my upvote and I would like to see what others think. I really like to know whether my devices do indeed switch smoothly between the two routers if just the channel is different.
    – halirutan
    Sep 16, 2016 at 15:47
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    This is the poor man's/average joe's "solution" to a problem they created themselves. Since a "wireless router" is simply a wireless access point and a wired router glued together in one box, it's rather counterproductive to buy a "wireless access point + router" only to then disable the router part, rather than just buying an access point without router to begin with. BUT with that in mind, it's what's easiest to get hold of for regular consumers and it's easy to find cheap, second hand routers on Ebay, whereas APs are often more expensive.
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 16:37
  • @PotatoCat "This is the poor man's/average joe's "solution" to a problem they created themselves." Let's say I have 10 real AP without the router functionality in a large house and I want to extend the WiFi range with them then 14 channels are not enough to ensure a separation of frequencies when I, as noob, understand this correctly. How would a professional solve this problem with the hardware at hand? What are the settings for the AP?
    – halirutan
    Sep 16, 2016 at 17:20
  • @PotatoCat And no, I really don't want to attack you personally! I'm really glad that people like you are here to help make me/us understand this.
    – halirutan
    Sep 16, 2016 at 17:25
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    @halirutan: There is no need to place every AP on a separate frequency. It's advisable to ensure that APs nearest each other don't use the same channel, and stick to 1-6-11 (US) or 1-5-9-13 (EU) layouts, but it's not mandatory. WiFi is designed from the ground up to share frequencies, with neighbours, bluetooth, microwaves, and tons of other stuff. Putting ten APs on the same frequency won't break anything, and it'll still be faster than a wireless repeater (or none at all) Settings: The same ESSID and security (authentication/encryption type and passcode).
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 19:38
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If you want something that appears as one network to devices and have portable devices be able to move between coverage areas very seamlessly, then what you are looking for is a set of devices that work together as a wireless mesh network. This is typically an option only found on higher end equipment. Usually from most of the name from brand name equipment providers. You cannot do this with the average consumer grade wireless devices (access points and/or range extenders).

My direct experience with wireless mesh networks have been from these enterprise types of equipment providers. It usually consists of a centralized controller that works in conjunction with however many wireless Access Points (AP) you need to get complete coverage over a given area. You must use the purpose built AP with these controllers and they are not usually interchangeable from vendor to vendor. You cannot use generic consumer level APs with a mesh controller. This is the type of solution that is used to provide wireless access over large areas or where the signal from one AP is not adequate. For example: hotels, stadiums, warehouses, auditoriums, corporate or educational campus, etc.

If you don't care that it looks like one network to any mobile roaming devices, then using multiple APs as suggested by the answer from @breakpoint is a good way to go for home use. The downsides are that some applications that want a constant connection may have some issues if you move from one wireless network to another. For example, streaming video may pause and stutter when you switch networks since the connection gets dropped on one AP and picked on on another. This is of course assuming or after your device is already configured to automatically re-associate with both/all of your APs.

Additional note: I mention this only as an aside, I have no first hand knowledge of or relationship to the following.... An associate used equipment from open-mesh.com which seems to be priced much lower than you typically see on enterprise level equipment and he seemingly had a good experience with it. Again, I have no direct first hand knowledge of this vendor but only mention it as most equipment you will find when you start searching will easily start well into the thousands of dollars range.

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  • You don't need a controller, and wired APs by definition don't form part of a mesh network.
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 16, 2016 at 16:34
  • @PotatoCat I was answering the question in regards to the original posters comment about how it is done in large venues such as the hotel that was mentioned in the question. I added some more detail to my answer to help clarify that point.
    – dmarietta
    Sep 16, 2016 at 20:48
  • @dmmarietta: The original poster's question has nothing to do with mesh networks, and it appears you don't even know what a mesh network is. The OP specifically asked for a wired link between APs. A wireless mesh is when you do not have wired links between the APs. Large venues never use wireless mesh networks internally.
    – qasdfdsaq
    Sep 17, 2016 at 16:31

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