How to Connect One Router to Another to Expand a Network?

If you wish to add more devices or computer systems to a single network but there aren’t any ports available, then you must try to add another router. Other than the increased capacity, you can add another router in the wireless blackout areas for extending the Wi-Fi signal.

Mentioned below are some of the steps that you will have to bring into action in order to connect one router to another to expand a network.

Collect All the Equipment You Need:

• Identify the router that you are going to work with. To work with more convenience let's just say that router one is the router that is already connected to the internet and the other one is router 2.
• For configuration of the routers, you are going to need a computer system that can be connected using a wireless network or an ethernet wire.
• In case you are using the wireless network, then you must carefully note down the network name as well as the password. This information is necessary for connecting the router to the wireless network.
• To connect one router to another to expand a network, you should have ethernet wires for each of the devices. If you are connecting the computer system and other devices to the wireless network, then you will need ethernet wire for every device. You are going to need one ethernet wire to connect router 1 and router 2. You are also going to need another ethernet wire to connect additional computers or devices.
• Please ensure that you have enough power outlets available for connecting two routers. You are going to need more power outlets for additional units.
• Disconnect the routers from the power source. As you will have to turn off the equipment in order to do the wiring.

Setup the First Router:

Step 1: Now to connect one router to another to expand a network, connect the ethernet wire from the WAN port of the router. If router 1’s speed doubles, then you can leave this step. You may see the label of the internet on your WAN port.

Step 2: Connect the LAN port of your router to the ethernet port of your computer system. Read the instructions on your router to connect it wirelessly to your router.

Step 3: Turn on your modem as well as the router. Wait for these two to get turned back on.

Step 4: Launch your internet browser and connect the admin interface of your first router.

Step 5: Enter the default IP address of the router in order to open the login page. Just enter the default IP address of your router be it Netgear, D-Link, Belkin, Apple, 2Wire.

Step 6: Now to connect one router to another to expand a network, enter the valid username and password and log in. You can see these credentials and IP address printed on the first router.

Step 7: If you don’t see the login credentials that is the SSID name and the password printed on your router, then search it on the internet by typing the brand name of the router.

Step 8: In case you have entered the right password but it is still not connecting, then reset your router by bringing it back to the default settings.

Step 9: Please ensure that DHCP is enabled on your router. This way you will be able to assign the IP address in the network.

Step 10: DHCP settings are located in different areas but generally, you will find then below LAN settings or Network settings.

Step 11: In certain cases, these settings get turned on by default.

Step 12: In the next step to connect one router to another to expand a network, check the network connection and then go to any website to check whether any website is working or not. If you configure the router normally, then no LAN port will be left open on your first router.

Step 13: Remove the ethernet wire that is connecting your computer system and router 1 and let every other wire remain connected.

Set up the Second Router:

Step 1: Connect the second router and turn it on. Now, on the same subnet, you are going to configure router number 2. It means that every device on the same network will be able to connect with one another.

Step 2: To connect one router to another to expand a network, use the ethernet wire to connect the computer system and the LAN port of the second router.

Step 3: Open the administration interface of the router by launching a web browser. Enter the administration page of router no. 2 the way you did with router number one.

Step 4: Use the credentials and log into the admin interface of the router. Take a look and carefully check the IP address.

Step 5: Disable DHCP on router number two. You have already assigned all the IP addresses to router number 1. Go to the DHCP settings and turn off the DHCP server.

Step 6: Assign the new IP address to the second router. At this point, both the routers have the same IP address. One must change the IP address of one of the routers.

Step 7: Go to the local network area of the admin website. You need to look for the blank that has the right IP address.

Step 8: After that to connect one router to another to expand a network, enter the new IP address for the current one. The new address needs to be on the same subnet on the first router. The first three sets of numbers need to be the same as the router one.

Bring the Network Online:

• Disconnect router number two from the power source. Now that you have set up router number two. Now restart the router and let it remain unplugged.
• Use the ethernet wire to connect both the routers with one another. Please ensure that you have connected it to the WAN port.
• Connect router number two back to the power source. Then, the IP address of the router will be configured.
• If the first router has an access to the internet, then router number two that is the new router will also be online at the same time.
• Restart the computer system that is connected to router number 2.
• Link other devices and computer systems wirelessly. You can also connect them to the ethernet wire to any of the open LAN ports of the router.

So, these were some of the steps that you need to follow in order to connect one router to another to expand a network.