If the WLAN signal is too weak in some corners of the apartment or house, you can use a repeater. You don’t need a new device for this – an old router does the job just as well. TECHBOOK shows how this works.
Discarded routers do not have to be thrown away, but can be used as repeaters to strengthen the home WLAN. On the one hand, this saves money for a new repeater, on the other hand, it avoids unnecessary electronic waste. TECHBOOK shows step by step how best to proceed.
Use old router as WiFi repeater
As a repeater, the old router picks up the signal from the home center, i.e. the new router, and spreads it further, thereby enabling a better WiFi signal even in the most remote corners of your home.
With this type of radio amplification, remote rooms or even gardens and garages can also be supplied with Internet where the WLAN signal would otherwise be too weak for a stable connection. In addition, devices can also be connected to the router repeater via LAN cable – an advantage over many conventional repeaters.
In order to achieve the best transmission speed, it is advisable to use two devices from the same manufacturer. In principle, however, routers from different manufacturers can also be set up as control centers and as repeaters.
Also read: Should you replace the router that comes with your provider?
This is how the configuration works
In order to be able to use an old router as a repeater, you have to configure the device accordingly. The first step is to connect the old router to your laptop using a LAN cable or WLAN. Now enter in the address line of the browser for example fritz.box with a Fritzbox, speedport.ip for a telecom router or o2.box with a home box from O2. This is how you get to the respective router interface. If it doesn’t work, or if access is protected with a password you don’t know, reset the old router to factory settings.
Setup via router interface
In the next step, you usually have to activate the “Extended display” for more extensive setting options on the home page of the router interface. It is available in almost every router model. The following steps are based on a Fritzbox from AVM. However, you should be able to find them under the same or very similar name on routers from other manufacturers.
Go to the menu item “WLAN” and select “Mesh Repeater”. Now change the operating mode of the old router from Mesh Master to “Router as Mesh Repeater”. The Fritzbox automatically adopts the settings of the home center, i.e. the main router. You can also set whether you want to set up the old router as a WiFi repeater or connect devices via LAN cable.
Also read: How repeaters make your WiFi faster
Setup at the push of a button
Optionally, the old router can also be included as a repeater in the mesh at the push of a button. Depending on the model, press and hold the connect or WPS button on the repeater router until its WLAN button flashes. You should now have two minutes to press the main router’s connect button until its confirmation LED lights up. Both devices are now connected, with the main router transmitting all the important settings to the repeater here as well. After successful pairing, both devices should appear in the mesh overview.
Which button you have to press on the different Fritzbox models and which LED lights up when AVM on a help page listed.
Which router is right for me?
Various Fritzbox models, plus devices from Netgear, Asus and Co.: The market is full of different routers. If you can’t decide which one to buy – TECHBOOK’s big router buying guide will clarify.