Use an old router as an access point

The router you replaced last year is still in a drawer. With a cable and ten minutes of settings, it can cover the far bedroom. Here's how, and when not to.

Published · 2 min read

In this guide
  1. The condition: it needs a cable
  2. How to set it up
  3. The risk: old firmware
  4. The other limit: old Wi-Fi
  5. Place it like it matters

Many homes have a spare router: the old one from a previous provider, or the one replaced by a newer model. Turned into an access point, it can bring Wi-Fi to a far room for free. There's one condition that decides everything, and one risk worth knowing.

The condition: it needs a cable

An access point is only as good as its connection back to the main router. The old router has to be connected by:

Without a cable, an old router can't act as a proper access point; at best it becomes a weak wireless repeater, with all the drawbacks of one.

How to set it up

Many routers have an access point mode (sometimes called bridge or AP mode). If yours does, use it: it handles the details for you. If it doesn't, you can do it by hand:

  1. Connect a computer to the old router and open its settings.
  2. Give it a fixed address in the same range as your main router, outside the range the main router hands out.
  3. Turn off its DHCP server, so only the main router gives out addresses.
  4. Connect the cable from the main router to one of its regular LAN ports, not the internet or WAN port.
  5. Set the Wi-Fi name and password: the same as the main network if you want devices to move between them, or a different name if you'd rather choose yourself. See phone won't switch to the nearest node for the trade-off.
  6. Pick a different 2.4 GHz channel from the main router (1, 6 or 11) so the two don't compete.

The risk: old firmware

Routers stop receiving security updates after a few years. A router that no longer gets updates shouldn't be running your network, even as an access point. Check the manufacturer's site: if the last update is very old, recycle it instead.

The other limit: old Wi-Fi

An old router may only support older Wi-Fi standards. Devices near it will connect at those speeds. For a guest room or a far bedroom used for streaming and browsing, that's often fine. For a home office with heavy uploads, a current access point is a better investment. See mesh vs extender for the other options.

Place it like it matters

It's free, but it still needs a good spot: high, in the open, in or near the room it's meant to cover. Then WiFi Heatmap shows whether the far room actually improved, and where the old router's coverage meets the main one.