Having a good Wi-Fi connection is not always possible. It is quite common to encounter problems to have good coverage or speed. To solve them, we can always make use of certain devices. In this way we can maintain a good connection and without cuts. For example, there is the option of using a wireless repeater. However, in this article we are going to show an alternative: use an old router.
Use an old router to improve the connection
If you’ve recently switched carriers or decided to buy a more powerful router, you may have an old, unused router at home. It is common for this to happen and you should know that an old router has many uses. Depending on the model, you can use it as a VPN, a server, or even to improve your Internet connection.
The latter is what interests us in our case. What we are going to do is use the old router as access point or as a Wi-Fi repeater. They are two different things, but in both cases you will be able to improve the connection. Instead of buying a wireless repeater, you are going to directly use this old device.
The first option is to use it as an access point. It’s the best if you need take the network to another part of the house. To do this you have to connect the new router with the old one through an Ethernet cable. In this way, the secondary router will act as an access point and you will be able to connect devices to it, either by cable or by Wi-Fi.
The other option is to connect it via Wi-Fi to the other device. Logically it will lose some signal, but it can also be the solution to improve the wireless network in a specific area of the house. For example, a standstill where it does not arrive well and you need to enhance the coverage.
Not all routers will work
Keep in mind that using an old router as an access point or repeater is interesting, but not all of them will be compatible. It is important that you take a good look at your model and search the Internet for how to use it as a repeater, to see if it is really compatible with the new router and you will be able to use it this way.
But also, you should also know that a old router may have limitations. For example, maybe you have a very old one that has only Fast Ethernet ports and no Gigabit Ethernet. This means that you will be limited to 100 Mbps by cable, so you will not be able to take full advantage of the fiber optic coverage that we have today.
It may also be that this router is not dual band, so Wi-Fi will not offer good results either. It may even saturate as soon as you connect other devices to it, without being a very large figure.
So, as you see using a wifi router as a Wi-Fi access point or repeater is a good idea. This will help you improve the Internet connection and you can take the wireless network to other areas of the house. Yes, you should take a good look at what the router is like and if it is really going to work for you.
