Don’t Throw Away Your Old Router, It Still Has Life Left In It

Most consumers who purchase a newer and more powerful router, have a propensity to discard or shelve their older units. The general consensus is that having the older unit laying around seems counter intuitive. It’s slower and less capable than what you’ve replaced it with, so what’s the point?

Though this may seems logical, your old router can still help with certain tasks. It can be used to extend your WiFi signal to areas of your home where your main router simply cannot reach. This can be done by either configuring the old unit as an Access Point (AP) or Repeater.

The former is a lot more effective because it isn’t as detrimental to internet speed as that of the latter. However, a repeater is simpler to set up, because all it’s doing is repeating your WiFi signal to a further distance. But, either method should help you provide internet coverage to all four corners of your home.

Most routers have quick settings that help you set it up as either a router, access point or repeater. If you’re unsure about this, refer to your router’s user manual or visit the manufacturer’s website for further information.

Related Article: WiFi Tips You Need To Know

Credit: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Point To Note: This article has been written on the assumption that the reader has basic knowledge of networking and experience of accessing router UIs.

Access Point
Setting this up is pretty easy but requires the use of a long ethernet cable. The old router (AP) needs to be daisy chained to your main router through an ethernet cable. Devices that connect to your AP will be able to access the internet through this cable. Make sure that you connect both ends to the respective LAN port not WAN port.

But before you do this, the AP needs to be set up as an AP. If your device lacks the quick settings mentioned earlier, then all you have to do is access its user interface, disable DHCP and give it an IP that doesn’t clash with that of your main router but is still in the same subset, i.e if your router is 192.168.1.1, then the AP should be 192.168.1.x

The X denotes a number that is between 2-199. Then set up your WiFi login credentials. Ensure that your WiFi channels do not clash with that of your neighbors. Keeping them on less crowded channels will ensure that you get the best internet speed possible.

Repeater
Setting up a repeater is far more simple. All a repeater does is picks up your main router’s WiFi signal and amplifies it to cover more ground. This doesn’t require the use of ethernet cables. All you have to do is place the repeater (old router) where there’s decent WiFi reception, log in to its user interface and set it up as a repeater.

Fill in your main router’s WiFi login credentials, and that is it – your router should pick up your WiFi signal and extend its range further. Though this might seem like the easiest way to boost your WiFi signal, this simplicity comes at a cost to your internet speed. Expect significantly diminished speeds while online.

This is why, most people prefer to set up access points instead of repeaters. The former are tethered to your main router via an ethernet cable, which guarantees that you receive the same speed as that delivered by your main unit.