Can I make two wireless routers communicate using the wireless?
Solution 1
There are a lot of good ideas in the answers here. I'm going to compile them into a meta-answer and indicate what I did.
What I was looking for was a wireless bridge. In this configuration, two wireless routers communicate via their wireless connection and the remote router can make its wired ports available to nearby computers.
You can set this up in one of two ways.
1) Buy two routers which support bridging. You will probably have a much easier time getting them to talk to each other if they are from the same manufacturer.
2) Install replacement firmware in your router which supports bridging. Obviously, you do this at your own risk. The procedures do not appear that difficult but you can brick your router if you mess up. The firmware that got the most mentions here is DD-WRT. Be SURE to check that your router is on the list of supported hardware before making a purchase and be especially sure to pay attention to version numbers.
I went with the first option, mainly because I did not want to invest $150-200 on good wireless routers and then risk bricking them. If I had access to some cheap, supported wireless routers I DEFINITELY would have screwed around with the second option.
Here is what I did:
I bought two NETGEAR WPN824 wireless routers for $60 each (Best Buy had them on sale). Only WPN824v3 supports bridging which is sad because my current router is a WPN824v2. Once you get them past the initial setup (the install CD is a big waste of time, by the way), setting up a bridge is easy. You just check a box on the web configuration page and enter the mac address of the other end. The only thing I wasn't happy with is that the router can only support WEP in bridging mode which kind of sucks. So it turns out that I'll be keeping my old router around since WPA is more secure and I really don't want to go around to the myriad network-aware devices in my home and reconfigure them. Note that you CAN run a wireless bridge AND access the wireless normally with the WPN824, I just chose not to do so. So now I'm all set - I have wireless throughout my home and I have four available wired ports in my office, all for the low cost of $120. The WPN824 supports a couple of repeater points so you can buy another one if you need some wired connections elsewhere in your home or business.
The final chain is:
[cable modem] <-cable-> [original non-bridged router] <-cable-> [new router, bridge base] <-wireless-> [new router, bridge repeater] <-cables-> [PCs in office]
Solution 2
The search term you're looking for is "wireless bridge". There's an article about it and how to set it up in the DD-WRT Wiki. It's also goes without saying that if you're using two routers that can run DD-WRT, it's fully supported and fairly easy to setup.
Solution 3
There are a couple ways to do this, I would suggest buying some compatible used versions of the Linksys WRT54G and flashing the firmware to something like Tomato or DD-WRT so you can make a mesh network and do all sorts of advanced stuff. If you brick them they can be unbricked for free or cheaply. A used WRT54G can be found pretty cheaply and in my experience they're very reliable even when they're old.
The other option (which does not require you to buy/make anything other than a long cable) is to run an ethernet cable from one router (as you would to a computer) to the other router, effectively making the second router a network within your network.
I know you opted to go buy new stuff but I figure I'd add this information in case anyone else was interested. Just google Tomato Linksys or DD-WRT for more info.
Solution 4
I'm pretty sure this can work with special router firmware
for example, DD-WRT (custom firmware for some linksys routers) can be set up to run as a repeater. The linked tutorial does not mention any cabled connections. But I'd imagine you could plug an Ethernet cable into the port and it would work as expected.
Ah, looks like there's an entire section in their documentation for linking routers
Solution 5
This is from a PowerPoint presentation I gave to a computer class in college. It looks difficult, but if you follow it, you can make it work. I was using two Linksys WRT54G routers, one with DD-WRT firmware loaded.
Adding on to your home network
SOLUTION: You can add a wireless access point in your house.
Setup:
Log on to your original router.
Make a note of the IP address
and subnet mask.
This should be 192.168.1.1 and
255.255.255.0 for most of us.
Hard reset your new router. 30/30/30. With the unit powered on, press and hold the reset button on back of unit for 30 seconds Without releasing the reset button, unplug the unit and hold reset for another 30 seconds Plug the unit back in STILL holding the reset button a final 30 seconds.
Unplug your router and plug in the wireless access point. Log in to this router with the same IP address as your first router.
Configuration:Basic Setup Tab. WAN connection type: Disabled. Local IP address: 192.168.1.2. You want this to be different than your primary router and out of the DHCP pool. Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0. Same as the primary router.
Basic Setup Tab. IMPORTANT: DISABLE DHCP. Also, uncheck DNSmasq options. OPTIONAL: Setup the Gateway and DNS addresses to match the primary router’s IP address.
SAVE: Be sure to save or your settings will be lost when you change screens.
Configuration (continued): Wireless -> Basic Settings. Wireless Mode: Client Bridge. Wireless Network Name (SSID). YourNetworkName Here.
Network Configuration: Bridged. SAVE
Configuration: (con’t)Wireless -> Wireless Security. When choosing your security type, keep in mind that your clients must also support that type of security!!
Security Mode: WPA2. WPA Algorithm: AES. WPA Shared Key: >8 characters.
Write down your shared key. You will need it to set up your client devices. SAVE
Configuration: (con’t)Services -> Services These settings are optional however I had to make these changes to make my system work. DNSMasq: Disable ttraff Daemon: Disable SAVE
Configuration: (con’t)Administration -> Management (Recommended) Info Site Password Protection: Enabled SAVE
Installation
Unhook your wireless access point.
Plug your primary router back in.
Set up your WAP where you are
going to be using it.
I have mine behind my TV.
Connect any LAN wires you need
to connect.
Installation (continued): Now it is time to setup your clients to your WAP.
I chose to set mine up with static addresses so I would know what is what.
My settings are:
Xbox: 192.168.1.20
Wii: 192.168.1.21
DirecTV: 192.168.1.35
If I add anymore games, I would put them in the 192.168.1.2X range.
Installation (continued) Next, you will need to set your Default Gateway to the IP address of your primary router. 192.168.1.1
You will also need to setup the DNS address. If you have COX, it will be something like 68.105.29.11.
Finishing Up
Now it is time to test.
Hopefully everything works on the first
try. However, that usually isn’t the
case with these kinds of home projects.
This is how I made mine work. Yours
may take a little finesse to make it
happen.
Also, make sure to pick up your mess.
I know at this point I had things moved and
wires everywhere.
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user457303
Updated on September 17, 2022Comments
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user457303 over 1 year
I want to make a setup like this:
cable modem <-cable-> wireless router 1 <-wireless-> wireless router 2 in another room <-cables-> PCs in another room
Basically, I want to extend my network access across the house and then have a bunch of network jacks available for my office PCs.
Right now, I have a cable modem going to a wireless router in one room and a PC with a wireless PCI card in it in the office on the other side of the house. I use internet connection sharing with the other PCs in the office. The problem is that ICS is flaky, especially when I switch to VPN on the Windows box to access files at work. I picked up a wireless USB adapter that I thought I could share among the PCs I work on but I'm not very happy with it so I'm going to return it (NDISwrapper support for it is poor).
Is this possible? My wireless experience so far has been pretty straightforward so I have no idea what kind of hardware is available. I've looked at network extenders but those just look like repeaters for signal strength. I want wired network jacks in my office.
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Martin over 14 yearsWanting to do the exact same - but haven't figured it out yet - looking forward to some solutions.
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hyperslug over 14 yearsRe: recent DD-WRT routers, they should have Linksys WRT54G2's around somewhere.
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user457303 over 14 yearsI looked at those routers but they are listed twice with two different chipsets, one of which is listed as a work in progress.
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hyperslug over 14 yearsI wirelessly bridged a Linksys (stock firmware) to an ASUS (DD-WRT) w/out issue. I do remember that some devices don't bridge outside of their brand, but I wonder if that was just a "firmware issue" (read: anti-competitive business practice)
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user457303 over 14 yearsI definitely didn't want to run a cable through the house (girlfriend vetoed that idea). If I were to do that I'd just use a wired hub at the other end and be done with that.
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user457303 over 14 yearsThanks! I think this would work if I had access to compatible router hardware.
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Martin over 14 yearsMany many thanks Ryan - the advice there helped me getting my two Drayteks working!
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Jason Sundram over 14 yearsThe wireless bridge instructions on the dd-wrt wiki work very well with v24 SP2: dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge