Two routers - separate WiFi networks?

long_b

I run a two router setup using separate SSIDs.

If you run multiple routers do you use separate SSIDs or do you use a common name for both?

Does a common name setup make switching between the two automatic /seamless or do devices tend to hold on to the weaker singal when going between rooms?

The high horse brigade

long_b wrote: »

I run a two router setup using separate SSIDs.

If you run multiple routers do you use separate SSIDs or do you use a common name for both?

Does a common name setup make switching between the two automatic /seamless or do devices tend to hold on to the weaker singal when going between rooms?

It depends on how you have them setup. You do not want two routers, you want a router and then add an access point so you have a single subnet and no double NAT. Double NAT causes lots of issues for port forwarding.

If you have the above with single subnet then you can name both SSIDS the same and your devices should roam. I say should as it's up to the device itself how well it roams.

degsie

Security settings and passwords would also need to be the same, best to use different channel number to avoid interference.

Irish Steve

there can be several issues with doing this.

A second router can be used, but some of the services on it like DHCP and NAT will need to be switched off, and the first router may need to have the DHCP allocation changed to allow the second router to be put on a fixed IP address that's outside the DHCP range.

If both routers are the same make, the IP address of the second unit will need to be changed, having both routers on the same address won't work. That can be done by connecting using Ethernet to the second unit only, making the changes, and then linking the 2 together. It can't be done if they are both on the same address, or via WiFi in that situation. Windows 10 can be an issue here, as it will look for and try to connect using both Ethernet and WiFi at the same time, so you may have to power down the first router to avoid issues while setting up the second one. WiFi will work then, but it's easier to make these changes via Ethernet.

Download a suitable WiFI signal channel scanner, and look to see what channels are in use around you, which may come as a nasty surprise if you are in an urban area, I did a scan for a friend recently, as he was having massive WiFi issues, and there were 18 devices within range, and due to the nature of the property and the location of his router, his was about 10th on the list, so not getting anything like a good signal. We had to recable his router to a different location in the house to solve that. You may find it helpful to move the channel allocations around, and check it every so often, leaving it on auto may not be the best option, but if you set a fixed channel, and someone else close to you then also sets the same channel, that causes issues, as neither router can move to a better channel.

For convenience, I have different SSID's, with the same password on both, so that I can be sure which one the mobile devices are connected to, there are times when android phones can be slow to switch to a stronger signal, with different SSID's I can at least see quickly if there's an issue, and force the change.

Ideally, connect the 2 routers using Ethernet cabling, if you use wi-Fi to connect them, there will be a speed penalty which may become an issue.

Most routers have an option to back up the configuration settings to a local machine, it can make life a lot easier if you take backups of both, if anything then goes wrong or there is a firmware update at a later date, having a copy of the configuration can make the upgrades a lot quicker, as there can be problems if the router is defaulted back to factory settings during the upgrade.