Can two routers be used on the same home network?

Photo by Misha Feshchak on Unsplash

Note: This is a guest post written by Clark Johnson

De-cluttering a junk drawer, you come upon an old modem that you failed to discard. As the value of electronic equipment decreases, it is typically more cost-effective to reuse or recycle than sell. Could this outdated router still be of service? Is there a need for switches and routers on the very same network? In this post, we’ll go through the benefits of having two routers in your house, as well as some pointers for making sure they get along.

Router Functions

This item was found by request made by your Internet browser, which was then sent by your network to your particular machine using an answer obtained from the Internet. There are many other functions of a router in a connection that are less obvious and go on in the background, but this is their primary function and the purpose for its name. A router often handles DHCP. 

Other network devices, such as notebooks, printers, tablets, and smart TVs, rely on the Network device to set up their network settings when they initially boot up. Your router may securely serve as an access point if the proper security settings are in place. Today, the true power of a firewall is not in your operating system but rather in your router. By acting as a four-port switch for wired devices, routers may effectively double the range of phones that can connect to your network.

LAN Wire with a Router

As a result of these changes, the network will cover more ground (including the man cave), be more reliable (since you never know when the router may go down), and be more scalable.

Is There a Way to ensure that the two Routers you just Bought Will Help Your Network?

A network can become “two” congested if it has many routers. If you conceive of a single router as “in control,” any functionality that connects to the outside world must pass via that router. Your routers should be set similarly and differently depending on which router serves as the point of contact between your network and the outside world.

Here is a useful article to read that will make things much more clearer.

Are There Any Features You Don’t Want to be Duplicated?

It is necessary to watch the routers’ channels, their DHCP setup, and their WAN vs. LAN port connections (how the routers link to the outside world). In addition, you should double-check the DHCP settings and the routers’ channels. 

Configuration of DHCP

There can only be one home network, like The Highlander. You should disable the second router’s DHCP server capabilities to avoid IP address conflicts. Otherwise, your network’s gadgets may receive their IP addresses from a router that does not communicate with the outside world, or the main router may not be aware of the device. An Internet connection would be lost as a result of this.

Do Not Utilize The Same Channel for Your Routers

If you have two routers nearby, this is extremely critical. There will be interference and a decrease in Wi-Fi performance due to channel duplication. See this post for further information on choosing the optimum Wi-Fi channel if your routers are on the same 2.4 GHz band.

Is There a Way to Set Up All of Your Routers In The Same Way?

Your routers should have the same SSID (extra points for making your neighbors laugh), identical security and encryption techniques (WPA2), and the same importance in most instances. Your Wi-Fi devices will automatically connect and roam when you leave the range of your principal Wi-Fi network, thanks to these settings.

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