Are you looking to extend the coverage area of your internet network to what your router is covering right now, then you can buy a Wi-Fi Range Extender and set it up using the steps provided on the web. Netgear WiFi extenders are the most efficient devices when it comes to extending the range, but make sure to go about the Netgear Extender Setup process in the right way. In case, you have a couple of routers, which you no longer use, then you can configure them to work as an extender. Want to know how that is done? Well, read the information that follows next.
The router we have taken for the process is Netgear Range Max WNR834B wireless router. One router acts as a “base station”, while the other acts as a wireless extender, passing along information sent by the base station to computers connected to it. Both routers must be properly configured to use one as a wireless extender. For best results, use two Netgear 834B wireless routers.
Things You’ll Need:
- Two Netgear 834B Wireless Routers
- Ethernet Cable
Steps to convert Netgear 834B wireless router into a WiFi Range Extender:
- Connect an Ethernet cable to a numbered Ethernet port on the 834B router you want to use as a wireless base station.
- Open a browser window and type “192.168.1.1” in the address bar to access the login screen for the Netgear router’s configuration page.
- Enter the administrator’s username and password. The default username is “admin” and the password is “password.” By default, the router checks and installs firmware updates after you log in.
- Click on “Wireless Settings” in the “Configuration” section. Make a note of the wireless network name, the channel and what the wireless network security option uses. If the channel is set to “auto” – choose a specific channel, no matter what.
- Click on “Wireless Repeat Function” in the “Advanced” section of the panel on the left side of the window.
- Make a note of the wireless router’s MAC address near the top of the window, and check the “Use Router as DHCP Server” box. Click “Apply”.
- Click on “Setup LAN IP” under “Advanced”. Make a note of “IP Address”, “IP Subnet Mask”, “Starting IP Address” and “Final IP Address.”
- Close the browser, disconnect the Ethernet cable from the base station router, and connect it to the router you want to use as a wireless extender. Log in to the router, using the process described in steps 2 and 3.
- Go to “LAN IP Configuration” in advance, check the “Use Router as DHCP Server” box and enter the IP address, IP subnet mask, and starting and ending IP addresses that you noted earlier. Click “Apply”.
- Go to the “Wireless Settings” page on the router and enter the network name of the wireless base station, channels and security options you wrote down. Click “Apply”.
- Go to “Wireless repeat function” under “Advanced”, and make a note of the wireless router’s MAC address.
- Check the “Enable Wireless Function Repeating” box, type the base station’s IP address into the “extender IP Address” box, and the base station’s MAC address in the “Base station MAC address” box. Click “Apply”.
- Close the browser window, disconnect the Ethernet cable from the 834B router you just configured to act as a wireless extender, and plug it back into the router you are using as a wireless base station.
- Open a browser, log in to the base station router, and go to the “Wireless Repeat Function” again.
- Click on the “Wireless Base Station” radial button and enter the MAC address of the wireless extender you wrote down earlier. Click “Apply”.
This is how you can configure two Netgear routers to work as a Wi-Fi Range Extender. In case, you come across any issues while performing the process, then you can always get in touch with Netgear Extender support providers.