Router as an access point: adding a second router to your ISP router
You have a good router from your previous home, or a new router you bought, and you want it to boost the WiFi alongside the ISP’s router instead of replacing it? You can, as long as you set it up correctly. This guide explains the principle, the steps, and the common mistake that creates two networks in one home.
What is an access point, and why not just connect router to router?
An access point is a device that only broadcasts WiFi, without managing the network. A regular router does three things: connects to the internet, hands out addresses to the devices in the house (DHCP), and broadcasts WiFi. In a home, only one device should hand out addresses. If two routers do it, the house has two networks.
When you plug a second router into the WAN port (the port labeled Internet or WAN) and it stays in router mode, it creates its own network inside the ISP’s network. This is called Double NAT, double address translation. Regular browsing usually works, so you do not notice right away. But later strange faults appear: the phone cannot find the printer, the TV does not see the phone, a game console reports a NAT problem, and cameras or smart home devices work only when they are on the “right” network.
In access point mode, the ISP’s router stays the only manager, and every device in the house is on one network.
How do you set up a router as an access point?
Most new routers have a ready-made option called Access Point Mode or Operation Mode, and then it takes a few minutes. The names vary between manufacturers and models, so check the manual for your model.
- Connect a computer to the new router by cable or by its WiFi, before you connect it to the ISP’s router.
- Open the admin interface. The address is printed on a sticker on the bottom of the router. On TP-Link, for example, it is tplinkwifi.net, and on ASUS it is asusrouter.com.
- Find the operation mode. According to TP-Link’s guide, on many models it is under Advanced, then System, then Operation Mode. According to ASUS’s guide, it is under Administration and then Operation Mode.
- Choose Access Point and save. The router will restart. In this mode its DHCP, NAT and firewall are off.
- Connect a network cable from a free LAN port on the ISP’s router to the new router, into the port the manufacturer specifies in the manual for this mode.
- Set a network name and password (see below which name to choose).
- Check: connect to the new WiFi, and verify that the phone gets an address that starts the same way as the addresses of the other devices in the house.
What do you do if the router has no Access Point mode?
If there is no ready-made mode, you can do the same thing manually with three changes. TP-Link describes it in the same guide:
- Change the LAN address of the new router to an address on the same network as the ISP’s router, but outside the range of addresses it hands out. That way there will be no conflict.
- Turn off the DHCP server on the new router.
- Connect a cable from LAN port to LAN port, not to the WAN port.
The ISP router’s address is easy to find: open the command prompt (search for cmd in the Start menu), type ipconfig, and look for the line “Default Gateway”. That is its address. Do not rely on an address posted online for “the Bezeq router” or “the HOT router”, because it varies between models.
How do you know if you have Double NAT?
You check whether a computer connected to the second router gets an address from a different network than the ISP’s router. It is a two-minute test:
- Connect a computer to the ISP’s router (by cable or by its WiFi), run ipconfig and write down the “Default Gateway”.
- Connect the same computer to the second router’s WiFi, and run ipconfig again.
- If the default gateway is identical in both tests, there is one network. That is the situation you want.
- If the gateway is different, for example 192.168.0.1 in one test and 192.168.1.1 in the other (the numbers here are only an example), the second router is managing its own network, and you have Double NAT.
Another check: on the ISP’s router, in the list of connected devices, every device in the house should appear. If only the second router appears, instead of the phones and computers connected to it, that is the same sign.
Maybe an extender unit from the ISP is better?
Sometimes yes. Bezeq, HOT, Cellcom and yes rent or sell Mesh units designed for their router, and then there is nothing to set up yourself. A router you already have at home is worth trying when you do not want a monthly fee, or when it is better than the unit the ISP offers. The full comparison is in the range extender or Mesh guide.
Choose the same network name or a different one?
The same name and password are convenient, but a different name gives you control. There is no single right answer.
- Same name and same password: devices connect to both on their own. The downside: a regular access point is not Mesh, and the phone tends to “stick” to the far transmitter even when the near one is stronger. Sometimes you have to turn WiFi off and on for it to switch.
- A different name (for example with the suffix “-study”): you choose where each device connects. Suitable for a desktop computer or a TV that does not move.
When the devices are close to each other, it is also worth choosing different channels on 2.4GHz (usually 1, 6 or 11, which do not overlap each other), so they do not interfere with one another.
Can you connect an access point without a cable?
You can, but then it is no longer a true access point but a range extender, and it loses part of the speed. Many routers offer a Range Extender or Repeater mode exactly for this. Why it slows things down, and when it is still enough, is explained in the comparison between a range extender and a Mesh system. If there is no way to run a cable, Powerline adapters (network over the electrical wiring) are a reasonable compromise in most cases.
A common case where a cabled access point is almost the only solution is the mamad (the reinforced safe room), because the signal from outside does not pass through its walls. There it is especially important not to drill to run a cable. The safe options are explained in the guide to WiFi in the mamad.
Common faults table
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do | When to call a technician |
|---|---|---|---|
| There is internet, but the phone cannot find the printer or the TV | The second router is still in router mode (Double NAT) | Switch to Access Point mode, and connect from a LAN port | If the router has no option to turn off DHCP |
| Devices get an address that looks different from usual | Two DHCP servers on the network | Turn off DHCP on the second router | If it is unclear which router is handing out addresses |
| After the change you cannot open the new router’s interface | Its address changed | Look for it in the device list on the ISP’s router | If you cannot find it, factory reset and set up again |
| The phone stays connected to the far transmitter | An access point does not manage handover like Mesh | A different network name, or move to Mesh | If you want smooth handover throughout the house |
| No internet at all through the new router | The cable is in the wrong port, or a conflicting LAN address | Check the port and the address | If the checks do not help |
What not to do?
- Do not change settings on the ISP’s router such as turning off DHCP or Bridge mode, if you are not sure what it does. If it stops working, the ISP’s support will ask you to reset it, and all the settings will be lost.
- Do not leave the original admin password on the new router. Change it during the first setup.
- Do not connect a second router “just to try” and forget it in router mode. That is exactly the fault that is hard to track down later.
When to bring the computer to the lab
When only one computer does not connect, or connects but is slow, while every other device in the house works well, the problem is probably in the computer and not the network. In that case it is worth bringing it to the lab. When the problem is in the network itself, the fix is at home: it is worth calling a home technician if the ISP’s router does not allow what is needed, if there are several routers and extenders in the house and it is impossible to tell which one hands out addresses, or if a cable needs to be run to another room.
Did it not work out?
We wanted you to be able to connect the second router yourself and get one tidy network. If there are still two networks in the house, or devices that do not see each other, we will come, map the network and set it up correctly. The details are on the WiFi that reaches every room page.