Two Repiters in One Wi-Fi Network. How to Connect Several Amplifiers to One Router?

I finally got two repeaters (aka Wi-Fi network amplifiers or repeaters) and was able to test how they would work on the same Wi-Fi network. Is it possible to connect several repeaters to one router and thus increase the range of the wireless network. I checked everything out and will share that information now. What I was most interested in was how the repeaters would work if you connect them in series. That is, so that the second one takes the signal from the first one and not from the router.

What is a repeater, I have already written, you can read if you are not in the topic. I believe that this is the best, easiest and best way to strengthen the signal of Wi-Fi network and increase the range. Especially if it is not possible to lay a network cable. In a large house, apartment, office, not always even the most powerful router can provide the necessary coverage. In the far rooms, as a rule, Wi-Fi does not catch, or catches very poorly. And one or even several amplifiers can solve this problem. However, in offices I advise you to lay a cable and put access points.

Let’s consider two schemes for connecting Wi-Fi amplifiers:

1. Scheme #1. When all the repeaters are connected to the router (I have not thought of how to call this scheme). This is the simple scheme that is most commonly used. The whole trick is that the amplifiers are in the coverage area of the Wi-Fi network and are connected to the router itself. Kind of like increasing the coverage area around the router.
   I’ve connected two repeaters and everything works great.
2. Scheme #2. In series. Where the first repeater is connected to the router, and the second repeater is connected to the first. In a daisy chain.
   Checked it out, it works like that too. But there are some nuances.

I tested everything on the router ASUS RT-N18U and two amplifiers from TP-Link: TP-Link AC750 RE210 and RE305.

Let’s look at each scheme in more detail.

Scheme #1: connecting several Wi-Fi amplifiers to the router

Everything is very simple here. There is nothing much to tell. Just plug the amplifiers into the socket in those places where there is still more or less stable signal of Wi-Fi network and configure them. I configured them using the WPS button.

I didn’t even go into the repeater settings. Just press the WPS button on the router and on the amplifier (may be signed as RE). See the TP-Link AC750 RE210 setup as an example. A connection will be established and the repeater will start amplifying the wireless network. You will realize it by the network level on your devices. And the corresponding indicator will be lit. If you can’t configure using the button, you can go to the settings and set the connection to the router. If you have amplifiers from TP-Link, you can go to the settings at tplinkrepeater.net or tplinkextender.net.

According to this scheme, connect the necessary number of amplifiers. The main thing is that each one is connected directly to the router.

Scheme #2: serial connection of repeaters

When setting up this scheme, I encountered some difficulties. Let me explain. Initially I thought that I could connect both repeaters to the router, and then just turn them on in the necessary places. But what I got: the first repeater, which was installed closer to the router, connected to it without any problems. And the second one, which was already installed in the out-of-area Wi-Fi network of the router (but in the area of the first amplifier) did not want to connect. For some reason the Internet didn’t work.

It turns out that the second (third, fourth) repeater in this chain should be connected strictly to the previous amplifier, not to the router.

What I did: I set up the first amplifier in the usual way. Next, I switched on the second one in the place where there was a good signal from the first one (and not a very strong signal from the router, you may not have it at all). Next, I went into the settings of the second repeater and started the configuration. It saw two Wi-Fi networks with the same name. I chose the network with the MAC address of the first repeater.

That’s it:

It turns out that the second we will connect to the first, the third to the second, and so on. That’s actually all the settings.

Conclusions

You can use two or more signal boosters in one Wi-Fi network. But you need to be careful when configuring, depending on the connection scheme.

And probably the main question that interests many people: “whether such a network works stably, and whether the speed of wi-fi drops a lot”. Frankly speaking, I can not answer. When setting it up, everything worked fine for me. There is no need to use several repeaters for a long time, as the router gives normal coverage, which is enough. The speed was also not possible to check, as I have a low speed from the provider. If the speed was 100 Mbps, then you could measure it near the router itself, and near the second amplifier.

Write in the comments how you use repeaters. How many of them you have, how you set them up and whether they cut the speed. And ask questions. All the best!

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Ramón

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