Is it possible to have two routers hooked up to one internet connection?

Question

I know this is probably a dumb question but we have a lot of devices connected to the wifi here and I bought a second router but I don't know how we would set up a second one.
How would I do that?

Answer 1

If you go into the menus of the routers you can probably set one us as master and one up as a slave, repeater, or bridge. If the two routers are close to each other this is best done using a cable between them rather than the WiFi.



You'd then need to set up the two routers manually so that they are on different channels. You probably need to have someone who knows what they are doing set this up for you, as you'll want them both on the same subnet and need to tthink about how you are going to set up the network names etc! When you've done all that, you may then find that your connections are still no faster than before.



What you cannot do is hook up two cable or two DSL routers to the line that enters the property!

Answer 2

The ISP router supports a number of low security devices, and is also used occasionally when visitors need Internet access. Devices include E-readers, Chromecast dongles, Security Cameras, Raspberry Pi computers, smart phones, a Chromebook and some PCs that are using less effective free anti-virus packages. The cascaded second router is carrying PCs with my personal files on them and which are running some of the highest strength virus/malware protection. The firewall and NAT of the second router provide an additional level of protection the the PCs that are connected to it.

Answer 3

yes you technically could, but you can just keep many devices on one router

Answer 4

Yes

Answer 5

Why would you want to. You can run multiple devices from one router esp wireless.

Answer 6

yess you can do that ,its actually easy,i have been doing it.

Answer 7

Yes. Two routers can be hooked up in a cascaded manner. I have precisely this configuration at home.



The ISP router supports a number of low security devices, and is also used occasionally when visitors need Internet access. Devices include E-readers, Chromecast dongles, Security Cameras, Raspberry Pi computers, smart phones, a Chromebook and some PCs that are using less effective free anti-virus packages. The cascaded second router is carrying PCs with my personal files on them and which are running some of the highest strength virus/malware protection. The firewall and NAT of the second router provide an additional level of protection the the PCs that are connected to it.



Quite simply, the second router has its Ethernet WAN port connected to one of the PC/LAN ports on the ISP router. The two routers are configured to produce different subnets. Although the log files on the ISP router regularly show that the firewall has blocked attacks, the log files in the second router show no such attacks and have not done so for many months.



I hope this helps.

Answer 8

I love it when I see opposing answers: Can I do this? Yes, No, Maybe if...



You'd probably be better off if you tell us:

- What issue(s) you're having that you think calls for a 2-router solution.

- The makes & models of your old and new routers.

- The name of your Internet vendor and type of Internet service you have (cable, DSL, etc.)



Just asking "Can I" questions is a sign (to me) that the underlying cause may be faulty. (That's a nice way of saying "You don't sound like you know what you're doing, so before I spend more time, let me understand how you got to this point.)



-- edit --

Ok, the poster replied back to me a said he was ACTUALLY trying to find a way to keep his 8 to 10 Wi-Fi devices from "overloading" his original router.



In this case, simply plopping two routers near each other may not help. We really need more info from you about your issue and about the old and new routers (as I mentioned in my 2nd paragraph). Without additional input I'm afraid that I can't begin to properly help you. (But I could give you a general [and useless] answer if that's what you want.)

Answer 9

In series, yes. The second one would be set up as an access point.

Answer 10

Simply, No.



With some messing around and disabling the actual "router" features you can use it as a simple WiFi access point connected to a LAN socket on your existing router, but you are better off returning it and getting a stand-alone AP.



Better still, get as many things off WiFi as possible. Use Ethernet (or Homeplug ethernet units) for anything where that is possible like desktop PCs, smart TVs etc.



eg.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-300Mbps-Repeater-TL-WA801ND/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1506843349&sr=8-8&keywords=wifi+ap



https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Pass-through-1200Mbps-TL-PA8030P-KIT/dp/B00Y3QYTS6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506843321&sr=8-3&keywords=homeplug



Or combine the two - homeplug ethernet with a WiFi AP

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-PowerLINE-1000-802-11ac-Gigabit/dp/B01929V7ZG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506843367&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=homeplug+AP



Once you have a homeplug setup with one unit wired to your router, you can add several extras where you need Ethernet sockets but cannot run cables.



The standard 2.4GHz WiFi band is massively overloaded in many places; wifi "n" (802.11n) gear uses 2/3 of the entire band so it's literally impossible for any two WiFi systems to coexist in range of each other without interference and loss of speed...

(11g can actually be rather more reliable if there is no 11n in the area, as three different systems can coexist in the band at the same place).

Answer 11

No

Answer 12

Yeah, but see I don't see a point

Answer 13

Yes

Answer 14

if the problem is WIFI and the contention is WIF contention, then a second router WILL help, because you can split the WIFI load on 2 different access points.



An Access point is a dumb WIFI switch, you can convert an existing router into an AP (you lose that routers functions like firewall and dhcp etc.), but your primary router should be the only firewall, dhcp server.



You advertise the WIFI SSID, you can use the same or different one.



Many routers support Access Point mode. If you simply plug in a router WAN to LAN then you create a second network and all the problems that entail (like printing, file sharing, network discovery protocols).



Now this will only solve WIFI contention, that your WIFI is overloaded. All that internet bound traffic will still have to go through your primary router (the one connected to your DSL).

Answer 15

One router is enough.

Answer 16

You can add as many routers to your network as you want. Anybody who says know doesn't understand networking. Now the real question is why would you want to? What is your actually issue? Having two wifi routers right next to eachother in an attempt to fix wifi connectivity, doesn't make sense. A standard wifi router can handle many connections at once. I think even the lowest quality routers allow upto 32 simultaneous connections. Now the more devices connected to that access point the worse the quality of connection will be. Without getting into all the different technologies available I will just say that a wifi access point can only connect to one device at a time. It will change between all the devices several times a second to send and receive data packets. I would have a hard time imagining a standard household where this was actually a problem though. It is more likely that you are having and issue with interference of the signal. Without any info one what your problem is, I will assume it is what I just mentioned. If you are having issues getting a stable connection in a part of the house, a router may help but it would be a bit more complicated to setup than the type of person who asks the question could handle. You can search on how to add a second router to your network if you are up to the task. The easiest way to setup the physical connection is to use a powerline adapter to carry current network signal to the new router location. Then you need to lookup the best way to program it, (Adjusting IP, subnet, gateway, range address and disabling DHCP). A simpler solution, though not ideal would be to use wifi range extenders. They're fine but I advise against if you need that range boost on a device where you do online gaming, but are fine for casual usage.

Answer 17

You can use a second router as an repeater if that is what you want, here is how to program it to do that;

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-use-a-router-as-a-repeater

Wi-Fi up to now has been a wee bit slow and snaggy so manufacturers have come up with Wi-Fi Mesh systems that claim to improve that for a price;

http://uk.pcmag.com/eero/87178/guide/the-best-wi-fi-mesh-network-systems-of-2017

Might be worth a shufti if your present arrangement is not working properly, both links are safe by the way.

Make sure that the speed that you are getting from your ISP can support all your devices first though.

Regards, Bob UK.

Answer 18

Only if the ISP is willing to give you TWO IP addresses and they would charge you for that. What you CAN do is connect a router to the internet connection and any number of routers to that router to create individual networks behind it.



For IoT or internet of things security, it is highly recommended that you keep those devices OFF your main network. These devices have proven to be insecure. In once case, someone figured out how to steal pictures off your phone from a connected crock pot. First, I was asking, "why would you connect a crock pot?" Then I realized that you could tell it you will be late for dinner, etc. The thing is, very few IoT devices pay any attention to security.



The best way to separate IoT from your main network is with three inexpensive routers. A wired one connects to the ISP. TWO wireless ones connect to that, one for IoT, and one for your family. If you need an office network, you can add a third. This is what the internet does all the time. It is how your packets of data go from point A to point B.