How to use a router as an AP.

[fat_thor]

Hello guys,

I would like to improve the coverage and strength of my Wi-Fi signal around my house by adding an AP .The problem is that due to the business/enterprise oriented purpose of these devices paired with the fact that they are usually bought in large quantities , the price for a single unit dedicated device  is a little too much for my wallet right now. Repeaters won't do it for me, drop outs, latency and lack of strength all things I try to avoid.

Browsing the internet I found out that you can use another router running as an AP so I went back to looking for routers since they are cheaper but I couldn't find one whose specs said it can run as an AP.

 

My question to you is:

Is running a router as an AP a general feature that all routers have so the manufacturer didn't bother to write it in the spec sheet? or is it really rare that a router can do this? I checked my router's settings but couldn't find anything resembling AP settings.

Is this that can be configured in software or is the AP functionality hardware dependent. What should i look for in a router to make sure it can run as an AP? 

I do not live in NA and my options in terms of brands and models are limited so I would be very thankful if you could teach me how to look for a router that can do an AP's job.

[OpticFusion]

What router do you have?

[OpticFusion]

If your old router doesn't have AP support, you could possibly flash a custom firmware that might enable AP mode.

[fat_thor]

I have a TP-Link Archer C8

[OpticFusion]

Login into the router and go onto advance mode and click on operational mode and there you will see the option for access point mode.

[OpticFusion]

If there isn't the option for that mode then you can make the router a Access point mode only but disabling DHCP as that would be the job of the other router on your network. Follow these instructions https://gist.github.com/rosswd/15d8e9d53213bb6d69565e2ca0fd3f95

[fat_thor]

There is no operational mode section unfortunately. I've seen something on the web about that but my interface does not look the same. 

[OpticFusion]

How does your interface look like:

Option A

Option B

[OpticFusion]

You will need to disable DHCP on that router and then plug the router into the other router and make sure both port you plugging into are LAN ports. 

[OpticFusion]

You need to also change SSID names and passwords to match the main provider Change the default user and password in Advanced > System Tools > Password