How to extend network coverage using a wireless access point as a repeater

Extending network coverage using wireless access points as repeaters because it has been encountered many times and is very representative (and will save a lot of money), so I decided to release the solution here. The situation is this: if you need to use a wireless network, but the scope is too large, a wireless router can not achieve full coverage of the situation. And, because the price is too expensive, so, the purchase of a professional router (can expand coverage) is not a viable option, and the effect of the enhancer does not seem to be good; this time, in order to let all customers and employees are covered by the same wireless network, what should be taken?

In fact, this work is quite simple. All required equipment and support projects are:

Two wireless routers. To make the job easier, I recommend using the same type of firmware.

An available network connection.

A machine that can be configured to adjust the configuration through a hard-drawn line connection to the router.

Because each kind of wireless router's specific setting is different, so, here I will roughly describe. It is not difficult to turn a generic approach into a specific operation for a specific router.

Let's confirm what to do first:

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Set the same service set identifier for two wireless access points (wireless routers) so that the coverage can be superimposed.

Set up the wireless security policy on both routers.

Adjust the router settings to prevent conflicts between DHCP or channels.

Now, we understand the principle of the work, and start to deploy it!

First step: Set the Service Set identifier

The first step is also the easiest step. All you have to do is set the SSID of the two routers to the same. Such an operation should be very concise and straightforward. If these routers adopt different SSID, when the location of a mobile device changes, there may be a need to choose to join the new network.

Step two: Set up the wireless security policy

Similar to the first step, there is a need to set the same wireless security policy for two wireless routers. This means that both the security type and the password must be the same. If the settings are different, the mobile device will not be able to roam seamlessly across the network.

Step three: Set up DHCP

Now, the operation is getting a little more difficult. We need to set up two routers to ensure that the IP address is properly handled and that the DHCP service of the respective router does not conflict. At this point, the first thing to do is to assign a static IP address to each wireless router. Here we select the 192.168.100.* address type. We decided to assign the address of 192.168.100.1 to the gateway, so we need to use 192.168.100.2 and 192.168.100.3 as the address of the wireless router. Now we will have the. 2 address as the address of the primary wireless router, and. 3 as the address of the secondary wireless router. Next, there is another key point. When you set a static IP address for a router, you want to use only one router at a time (or only one router at a time in the network). Therefore, the time to start the router is likely to default to 192.168.100.1, so the right thing to do is to first open the first router that uses a static IP address, and then turn on the second router that uses a static IP address.

In the case of a static IP address set, we need to use DHCP to assign an address. To prevent address conflicts, DHCP services can only be provided by one router. Therefore, the DHCP service on the secondary router must be closed. On the first router, you need to open it, but you also have to set it up to control the start of the address assignment after 192.168.100.4. Never allow it to use a. 3 address that has been assigned to a secondary wireless router.

Finally, we can set up the channel of the primary wireless router and the secondary wireless router to prevent the occurrence of a conflict using the same channel (in order to ensure that there is no problem with the channel, you can choose to use the 6 and 11 channels).

Fourth step: Install and enable network

The last thing to do is to find a place for two routers to cover the entire building in the wireless network. It is important to keep in mind that in Ethernet these two routers need to belong to each other "visible". The easiest way to solve this problem is to connect directly to the network (using the same IP address mode as the router) via a wall outlet. If this model is not implemented, it should be possible to connect them with 5 twisted pair (the cost of this small project is close to 0). When the installation is in place and the connection is complete, the device can be started and network coverage is achieved. Once you start running, you can connect to one of the routers using your mobile device. After the connection is established, it can be moved in the room to confirm the validity of the coverage. If there is no problem, then, congratulations, this can save a lot of money!