2nd router as range extender?

[GrockleTD]

Is there any software that would allow me to use my secondary router as a range extender?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Depending on the router, the built in software may allow it. 

 

If the router is compatible with DD-WRT, you could use that. 

 

If you wanted to set it up as an access point, you can do that with pretty much every router. 

[GrockleTD]

1 minute ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Depending on the router, the built in software may allow it. 

 

If the router is compatible with DD-WRT, you could use that. 

 

If you wanted to set it up as an access point, you can do that with pretty much every router. 

How would I go about this?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Just now, Grockle88 said:

How would I go about this?

You'd need to look for the different operating modes, if your router has them. It may be under Range Extender, or Wireless Bridge + Access Point or something similar. 

 

If it has those modes, you basically just need to give it the SSID and PSK for your existing WiFi network and it will connect up and broadcast out, either on another SSID or the same as the existing one, depending on how you want to have it set up. 

 

If you don't have those options, you can check to see if it's supported by DD-WRT. If it is, you can install that and set it up. 

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices

 

If neither of those are options, you can look at setting it up as an access point, which would require a cable to be run to the router. You can disable DHCP and NAT and QoS, connect it to a LAN port and it will work like a normal access point for the most part. 

[GrockleTD]

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[Alex Atkin UK]

Please note however, its better to just set it up as a second Access Point wired back to the router as unless it broadcasts on a different channel it will halve the bandwidth of the entire WiFi network.

 

Any router that lets you disable DHCP should let you do that, but you need to make sure its IP address does not conflict with your main network.  Ideally setting it to a static IP you have excluded from the main DHCP pool, letting to get one via DHCP or if neither are an option set it to a different network address entirely (but this will make it harder to access its UI if you need to in the future so best to make a note of what you chose).

Generally as Access Points work in bridge mode, it doesn't matter if their IP address doesn't match the main network as they will forward packets without a care of what IP address they are for.