How to Connect 2 Routers to Extend Network

This article shows you how to add a second router to your home or small business network. If you want to add more computers or other devices to your home or small business network but don’t have enough ports, try adding a second router. Besides expanding the network, the second router is also installed in locations where Wi-Fi is “dead” due to weak or non-existent wireless signal.

Table of Contents

Set up the first router

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Connect the modem (modem) to the first router. Use an Ethernet cable to connect the router’s WAN port to the high-speed modem’s WAN/Internet port. For the purposes of this article, the router connected to the modem will be referred to as “router 1”.

Some routers incorporate the functionality of a high-speed modem. If router 1 has this function, you only need to connect it with a network cable.
The WAN port is also known as “Internet.”

Spike Baron

Network Engineer & Desktop Support

Spike Baron is the owner of Spike’s Computer Repair. With more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry, his business specializes in desktop and Mac repair, used computer sales, virus removal, data recovery, software upgrades, and more. Hardware. He has a CompTIA A+ certification and is a Microsoft solutions expert.

Spike Baron
Network Engineer & Desktop Support

Carriers often limit your internet speed. So connecting to a second router won’t help. You should talk to your carrier first to see if adding a second router improves internet speed or if they can increase the limit for you.

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Connect router 1 to the computer. Use an Ethernet cable to connect one of router 1’s LAN ports to your computer’s Ethernet port.

You can also connect to the router without wires by entering the wi-fi name and password.

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Turn on the modem and router 1. You need to wait while both devices start up.

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Open a web browser. You will need a web browser to connect to router 1’s admin interface.

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Enter the IP address of router 1 in the address bar. Type the IP address of router 1 into the address bar above the web browser. The screen will show the router’s administrator account login page. ^{[1] X Research Source} You need to check the manual or the manufacturer’s website to find the router’s default IP address 1.

Here are a few default IP addresses of routers that are used by many people:
- 2Wire: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, 10.0.0.138
- Apple: 10.0.0.1
- Belkin: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.2.1, 10.0.0.2, 10.1.1.1
- Dlinks: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.101, 192.168.0.30, 192.168.0.50, 192.168.15.1, 192.168.254.254, 192.168.1.254, 192.168.0.10, 192.168.15.1, 10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, 10.1.1.1, 10.90.90.90,
- Netgear: 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.227 ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Log in with your router’s username and password 1. This opens the router’s admin interface 1. Check the user’s manual or the manufacturer’s website to find the username. and default password for router 1.

Most routers choose “admin” as username and password. You can also try entering “Password” or “12345678” in the password field. With some routers, the username or password is left blank. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
If you entered the correct password but still can’t connect, check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for how to factory reset your router. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Enable DHCP on router 1. ^{[5] X Research Source} This will allow router 1 to assign all IP addresses on your network.

These settings are usually found under “Network settings” or “LAN settings”. The router’s admin interface will vary by manufacturer and model.
In most cases, the DHCP server is enabled by default.

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Check the network system and internet connection. Visit any website (such as https://www.wikihow.com) to see if you have an Internet connection. You need to make sure the network configuration still has room for an open LAN port on router 1.

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Disconnect router 1 from the computer. You just need to remove the Ethernet cable connecting router 1 to the computer and leave the rest of the connections intact.

Set up a second router

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Connect and start the second router. Make sure you have enough power outlets and that the computer is close to where you want to install the second router. Now you just need to connect and start the device. This is the device named “router 2” in the scope of this article.

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Connect the computer to the router 2. First, you use an Ethernet cable to connect to the LAN port on the router 2. The next step is to connect to the Ethernet port on the computer. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Enter the IP address of Router 2 in the address bar of your web browser. The screen will show the router’s administrator account login page 2.

With most routers, the IP address will be 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.0.1.

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Log in with router username and password 2. Use the default username and password to log in to router 2’s admin interface, similar to how you did with router route 1. You need to check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website to find the default username and password.

With most routers, the username and password is usually “admin”.

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Disconnect DHCP on Router 2. ^{[7] X Research Source} Since DHCP is enabled on router 1, you need to disable this connection on router 2 to avoid IP conflicts. Simply find the DHCP settings in the admin interface and push the DHCP server slider to “Off”.

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Assign a new IP address to router 2. From now on, the IP addresses of routers 1 and 2 will probably be the same. To avoid IP conflicts, router 2 needs a different IP address from router 1.

Look for the “LAN” or “Local Network” option on the admin interface. You will see a box containing the current IP address.
Replace the current IP address with the new IP address. The new IP address on router 2 must be in the same subnet as router 1. That means the first three groups of numbers in the IP addresses of both routers must be the same. You just change the number after the fourth dot of the new IP address so that it differs from router 1. This IP address must be different from the IP address being assigned to another device.

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Set a Wi-Fi name and password for router 2. This information will be the same as that of Router 1. ^{[8] X Research Source}

You’ll find these settings below a menu called “Wireless,” “Wi-Fi setup,” or something similar.
If you are not sure about router 1’s SSID and password, try looking on the device.
If router 2 is not a wireless router, skip this step.

Internet connection for your system

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Turn off the power of router 2. Once router 2 is set up, it’s better to restart the device – however, for this time you should continue to turn off the power instead of starting the device right away.

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Connect the first router to the second router. First, you use an Ethernet cable to connect to the LAN port on router 1. Next, connect to the first LAN port on router 2.

Make sure you don’t attach the connection to the WAN port because the two ports look similar.

Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many forums that provide useful information, and you can always call your carrier for technical support.
Write down the IP addresses of your modem, router, and all connected computers. This will help you fix connection problems.
To increase security, you should install a 3rd router (NAT). If you are adding a 3rd router, connect an Ethernet cable from that device’s WAN port to the LAN port on router 1 or 2. Next, enable DHCP on router 2 and assign it to a network child is different from the devices on the network.

Warning

If you allow strangers to access your Wi-Fi network, they will easily access the files of the connected computer.

Steps

Set up the first router

Set up a second router

Internet connection for your system

Advice

Warning

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