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Setting up a second router to work alongside the Eir F2000

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  • 23-01-2021 10:56pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 8


    Hi guys,

    I'm currently in the process of getting an office in my garden, around 50m from my house. Is it possible to have a second router in there that will work alongside the Eir F2000 in my house? I want to have a wired connection going to the second router from the F2000 and also for the second router to have the ability to act as a wireless access point for wifi. Is this doable? Bear in mind that I want to maintain the functionality of the F2000 in the house too.

    I'm thinking that I can run a CAT6 or CAT7 cable from one of the LAN ports on the F2000 to the WAN port on the new router in the office. Would that allow me to connect both wired and wireless devices to the new router (with a bit of configuration to go with it I'm sure).

    If anyone has any alternative suggestions, do let me know too. I'm on Eir FTTH if that makes any difference, hence why I want to maintain the gigabit speed, or close to it, by using a wire.

    Cheers!


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭Gooey Looey


    Ogg wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    I'm currently in the process of getting an office in my garden, around 50m from my house. Is it possible to have a second router in there that will work alongside the Eir F2000 in my house? I want to have a wired connection going to the second router from the F2000 and also for the second router to have the ability to act as a wireless access point for wifi. Is this doable? Bear in mind that I want to maintain the functionality of the F2000 in the house too.

    I'm thinking that I can run a CAT6 or CAT7 cable from one of the LAN ports on the F2000 to the WAN port on the new router in the office. Would that allow me to connect both wired and wireless devices to the new router (with a bit of configuration to go with it I'm sure).

    If anyone has any alternative suggestions, do let me know too. I'm on Eir FTTH if that makes any difference, hence why I want to maintain the gigabit speed, or close to it, by using a wire.

    Cheers!

    If you need to buy something buy an access point, access points extend wired networks wirelessly, exactly what you need.

    If you have a second F2000 lying about login and disable the DHCP server, firewall, NAT, upnp and just use the LAN ports! You'll also need to change the IP address, if the main one is .254 make this one .253 or they'll conflict


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭smuggler.ie


    Ogg wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    I'm currently in the process of getting an office in my garden, around 50m from my house. Is it possible to have a second router in there that will work alongside the Eir F2000 in my house? I want to have a wired connection going to the second router from the F2000 and also for the second router to have the ability to act as a wireless access point for wifi. Is this doable? Bear in mind that I want to maintain the functionality of the F2000 in the house too.

    I'm thinking that I can run a CAT6 or CAT7 cable from one of the LAN ports on the F2000 to the WAN port on the new router in the office. Would that allow me to connect both wired and wireless devices to the new router (with a bit of configuration to go with it I'm sure).

    If anyone has any alternative suggestions, do let me know too. I'm on Eir FTTH if that makes any difference, hence why I want to maintain the gigabit speed, or close to it, by using a wire.

    Cheers!
    Basically all good
    Before using WAN port on router2, ensure its WAN/LAN, not just WAN, if not - use LAN
    Make sure router2 support 1000Mbps or you will be limiting your net speed there

    Set router2 with static IP in same range as F2000, disable DHCP (v4 and v6) on it and you good to go.
    You can set WiFi on router2 with same SSID and pass as your current, but set different channel.

    Alternative would be just dumb switch in new office, but to have WiFi will need AP(Access Point - dedicated device)


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 Ogg


    Thanks guys!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,191 ✭✭✭WestWicklow1


    This may help...

    https://editorsean.com/articles/configure-unused-eir-f2000-router-wi-fi-access-point/

    Even if you're not using an F2000 as the second router it should help.


  • Registered Users Posts: 411 ✭✭Bravobabe


    How did the setup work?

    I have Eir Fibre in the house and setting up a garden office.

    Running a Cat 6 to office.

    Can I connect Cat6 to Firbe router LAN and connect other end to new router (WAN or LAN?)

    Any recommendations for

    advice on Second router to purchase (TP link etc.) and

    How to Set up the router to have ethernet and wifi access (laptops, phone, TV etc).

    Thanks



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  • Registered Users Posts: 585 ✭✭✭babelfish1990


    Don't do it! Never have two routers on your network - it will cause serious issues such as double natting and DHCP conflicts. Also don't put your F2000 in bridge mode unless you really know what you are doing, as it will leave the LAN ports on the F2000 totally exposed to hackers coming in on on the Internet, and eir technical support won't be able to manage it.

    All you need at the office end of your Cat 6 is a WiFi Access Point. I would recommend Ubiquiti Unifi range of APs, as they can be powered (POE) from the router end, so you won't need a mains socket beside the AP, and you will be free to mount it neatly on the wall/ceilings or where your Cat6 cable is terminated. Alternatively, you could ask Eir to upgrade the F2000 to their F3000 and buy one of their Smart WiFi hubs for the office. This is a mesh WiFi device, and can clone the same WiFi SSID settings as the F3000, creating a seamless WiFi zone between your home and office. Since you have Cat6 you won't be using the mesh feature that allows you to backhaul wirelessly, but the benefits of seamless coverage still make it worthwhile.



  • Registered Users Posts: 411 ✭✭Bravobabe


    I already have a F3000 (fibre connection)

    My office is about 40 m away

    There is a run of cat 6a and an internal run in the office to a TV point (i.e. the electrician has wired for an ethernet access point and a second cable to a point at the TV for wired connection to TV).

    I'm not overly happy with the F3000 (no WSP for example and wifi speeds are not that exceptional around the house) but

    I have a boxed Tenda AC2100 (AC23), I presume I can set this up as an Access Point (AP) for my original network and router ???????????

    Presuming, I turn on the AP mode (on the new router/AP) and connect the cable from the F3000 (main router). Lots of presuming there.

    Hopefully this will work, I also hope to be able to connect the cable for the TV point to an LAN on the back of this "AP" device.

    Will this work?

    All advice welcome - Thanks



  • Registered Users Posts: 585 ✭✭✭babelfish1990


    The Tenda ac23 is a router, but it should be possible to configure it as an Access Point (AP mode) in your office. It won't solve your other WiFi coverage problems elsewhere in the house, and it doesn't appear to support Mesh so you can't simply add additional nodes, as you can by adding eir Smart WiFi hubs to your F3000, or Ubiquiti Unifi access points. (Tenda do have other devices that support Mesh)

    One of the advantages of a mesh solution is that it creates seamless coverage of the area covered by several APs. Mobile devices will switch seamlessly to the strongest signal as they roam from one zone to the next. If you add zones that are not meshed, mobile devices tend to cling on to the first device they lock onto, even if a stronger signal is available. Don't make the mistake of trying to cover a large home with one WiFi device. Add as many APs as you need to provide seamless coverage. In particular, you need to ensure that all TVs are either wired or have good 5GHz WiFi coverage. The Smart WiFi hubs from eir are WiFi 6 - very high spec, not supported by your Tenda, and they are reasonably priced. You could go for a different make of mesh AP, but you will end up having to add an additional node to cover the zone where your F3000 currently covers.

    Regarding WSP (I presume you mean WPS), many manufacturers have discontinued support for it. The protocol has a serious security flaw, and has also been ditched by Google/Android. I wouldn't buy a legacy device just to get WPS.



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