Multiple routers with the same SSID

[nims0c]

I recently switched ISPs. They installed a Hitron CGN3ACSMR WiFi modem, but the coverage in my house is rather poor. I hooked up a D-Link DIR-825 router that I already had, which improved the speed and range of the network, but not to the extent that I want. I picked up a Netgear R7000 from Best Buy to see whether a newer, more expensive router would do the trick (knowing that I could return it if need be).

 

I was quite pleased with the results of the speed tests that I ran in all parts of the house. However, the WiFi modem is situated on the left side of the house (that's where the cable connection is) as opposed to the more central location I chose for the Netgear R7000. As a result, the WiFi modem provides a much better signal on the 5 GHz band in the living room where I'll eventually have a streaming device (Roku or the like).

 

I am thinking about configuring the two devices (Hitron WiFi modem and Netgear router) to work together. The procedure seems straightforward enough (correct me if I'm wrong):

 

Router 1

-192.168.1.1

-enable DHCP between 192.168.1.3 and 192.168.1.254

 

Router 2

-192.168.1.2

-disable DHCP

-same SSID, encryption, and password

-different channel

-ethernet cable from LAN port of router 1 into LAN port of router 2

 

To complicate matters, I need a guest network that spans opposite ends of the house--there's a rental apartment in the basement towards the front of the house and a guest bedroom on the second floor towards the back of the house. The Netgear R7000 is the only one out of the three that can deliver this sort of coverage with good speed. But that would mean it needs to be router 1 in the above scenario, assigning IP addresses and such. Also, I was told guest networking only works properly when the ethernet cable is connected to the WAN port of the router broadcasting the guest network.

 

Is there any way to make this work or do I just hope streaming will be good enough on the 2.4 GHz band in the living room? Or I guess I could move the router to the same area as the modem and see how the coverage and speed are then.

[Neil]

Personally, I'd do this:

 

R1:

192.168.1.1

DCHP 192.168.1.1./24 (VLAN 1)

 

 

R2:

192.168.2.1 

DHCP 192.168.2.1/24 (VLAN 2)

 

 

Your SSID thing is fine.

 

This also gives you the ability to have another subnet for the guest network to completely isolate it from the rest of your network (say on the 192.168.3.1/24 subnet (VLAN 3), with R1 configured to only forward packets, and reject routing to VLAN1/2).

 

It's more future proof, and scalable.

 

You probably won't be able to manage it all from a pretty web GUI, but you never know. (this looks like a good guide for home use) http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linking_Subnets_with_Static_Routes

 

As for your guest network, as long as your routers are configured to hand out VLAN 3 on the guest network for DHCP, and to forward and not accept packets going to VLAN1/2--then it doesn't matter which AP is broadcasting it. Could get real crazy with an actual DHCP server to handle all this and use DHCP relays on the subnets/VLANs not directly attached to the DHCP server.... but that's a bit more complicated.

[MrStraightface]

 

 

Router 2

-192.168.1.2

-disable DHCP

-same SSID, encryption, and password

-different channel

-ethernet cable from LAN port of router 1 into LAN port of router 2

 

 

 

Default gateway needs to be 192.168.1.1 on router 2.

 

Not sure on the guest network issue.  I would imagine the routers would need to be the same or have similar features to span it across the network.

[dalekphalm]

@nims0c as others have mentioned, you likely won't be able to scale the guest network feature across your entire network. Not with the equipment you have. You'd need a centralized and managed Wifi solution, such as with Edge or Cisco, where there is an actual Wireless Controller that will span all settings across all access points.

[nims0c]

-snip-

 

@nims0c as others have mentioned, you likely won't be able to scale the guest network feature across your entire network. Not with the equipment you have. You'd need a centralized and managed Wifi solution, such as with Edge or Cisco, where there is an actual Wireless Controller that will span all settings across all access points.

 

These solutions are more complicated than I had hoped. If I had more time I'd try to learn how to do it.

 

I did some more testing and found that I can play four 1080p Netflix streams at once--1 in each of the guest areas, 1 in the living room (which I was initially concerned about), and 1 in a bedroom. This was with a single access point and I figure it's a pretty heavy-use scenario. This network configuration will have to do unless problems arise in the future.

[dalekphalm]

These solutions are more complicated than I had hoped. If I had more time I'd try to learn how to do it.

 

I did some more testing and found that I can play four 1080p Netflix streams at once--1 in each of the guest areas, 1 in the living room (which I was initially concerned about), and 1 in a bedroom. This was with a single access point and I figure it's a pretty heavy-use scenario. This network configuration will have to do unless problems arise in the future.

That's pretty solid usage for just one AP, to be honest. I'd be real happy about that

 

I'm only using one AP in my network, but there's a goddamn concrete and metal support wall in the middle of my apartment, so watching Netflix over WIFI in my bedroom is iffy at best.

 

At one point, I had a second router in here in AP only mode (acting as both a switch and a router to feed my PC as well as provide WIFI). The problem was that the router was older, and 10/100 Mbps only (No Gigabit ports - DIR-825, actually, just like you have lol), and there was no way I was giving up Gigabit transfer speeds to my home media server. I'd rather take lower WIFI signal in my room vs only 10/100 Mbps Ethernet.

 

If in the future you need to add in another access point, you can decide to drop in another cheap Router or actual standalone AP, but I'd see how the current setup fares for a while.

[nims0c]

That's pretty solid usage for just one AP, to be honest. I'd be real happy about that

I'm only using one AP in my network, but there's a goddamn concrete and metal support wall in the middle of my apartment, so watching Netflix over WIFI in my bedroom is iffy at best.

At one point, I had a second router in here in AP only mode (acting as both a switch and a router to feed my PC as well as provide WIFI). The problem was that the router was older, and 10/100 Mbps only (No Gigabit ports - DIR-825, actually, just like you have lol), and there was no way I was giving up Gigabit transfer speeds to my home media server. I'd rather take lower WIFI signal in my room vs only 10/100 Mbps Ethernet.

If in the future you need to add in another access point, you can decide to drop in another cheap Router or actual standalone AP, but I'd see how the current setup fares for a while.

Ya, the R7000 seems pretty solid.

I'll keep things this way unless I notice slowdowns or the guests complain about something.