By So, you decided to perform a DIY craft by connecting your Wi-Fi network with an existing old router instead of opting for a new connection and are now in need of simple step-by-step guidance?
You have come to the right place.
Many might even resort to skipping this procedure with the misconception that it involves many technical processes that are too complicated to be understood. But that is entirely false because it is as simple as it gets.
All you would need is your new router, old router, the appropriate cable connectors, and the laptop through which you wish to establish a stable internet connection. This article has taken into account special consideration to get to the basics of the operations involved so that anybody can understand with the utmost ease.
Without wasting much of anybody’s time, let us quickly dive into this process:
Before we proceed, it is essential to know the prerequisites of this task. It will be majorly divided into two categories-
One is to know the fundamental connections that will be made with the router (External Connection).
Second, once the external connections are set, the activations are implemented through the laptop (Internal Connection).
Steps Involved in The External Connection
- Turn over your old router to its switchboard- this is where you will find the LAN(Ethernet) and WAN(Internet) ports.
- From the LAN port of your new Wi-Fi router, use a suitable cable to connect to any one of the LAN ports of the old router.
- Since it is an old router, a simple reset must be performed to configure it to default factory settings. This can be done by pressing the old router’s reset button gently till there’s a light blinking on top of it.
- Once the lights start blinking, you will need a new cable to connect to another LAN port from the old router to the laptop so that you can access the router.
Now that the external connections are all set, the next steps consist of setting up the router’s configuration to your laptop.
This now leads us to the second category.
Steps Involved in The Internal Connection
- The first step is to turn on your laptop and then go to the command prompt and type in “ipconfig.”
- Next, it will generate several results, but you need to make sure to look for the one titled “Ethernet adaptor ethernet,” under which the default gateway number can be found.
- Copy the default gateway number and type it in your browser. From this, you will find a login. Generally, both the username and password are assigned as “admin.” But if that’s not the case, no worries! All you have to do is go to Google, type the wireless router’s model number, and ask for the default username and password.
- Now that you have logged in, you have officially gained access to your router. Under the “setup” section, find DHCP Server. We must disable the DHCP Server so that it does not conflict with the new Wi-Fi Network. Hence, select the option “Disabled.”
- The next step will show the new Wi-Fi Network and present the IP Address, as it should. Once done, scroll down to click on “Save settings.”
- Two routers most definitely should not have the same IP Addresses. Common IP addresses are given as 192. 168. 1. 1 and 192.168.2.2.
You can change the last part from 2 to 254.
Ex: Your new address now can be 192. 168. 1. 253
- Once again, make sure to click on the “Save Changes” button after completing.
- The Setup section is over. Hang on, there’s one last set to be done still, and for this, you would have to move to the next area called “Wireless” on the same page.
- Under that, click on “Wireless Security.”
- Over there, change the “Security Mode” from disabled, to say, WPA2 Personal, for example.
Then enter the passphrase of your choice and save it through “save settings.”
Now, this router has been changed to your convenience- it can be used as a Wi-Fi extender or an access point, or even a repeater. And there you have it.
There is no rocket science involved in extending your Wi-Fi network to an old network. It’s all based on understanding routers’ primary connections and the fundamental knowledge of accessibility through the same.
If you have an old router, unless there are some irreversible damages done to it, don’t throw it away- you could always reuse and recycle it. In the process, you learn more clearly about its entire working process and save money from buying a new one.
