How to use a second router connected by ethernet to extend WiFi

[hayesrj]

Can anyone help me with a problem please? I recently upgraded to future fibre so now have a spare TalkTalk router (type: FAST 5364-3.T8). I'd like to use it to help my daughter who has a new garden room which is outside the range of her WiFi from the house. The garden room is hardwired by ethernet cable to her broadband router in the house. I now want to connect my spare TalkTalk router to the ethernet point in the garden room and use it to connect to the internet and provide WiFi in the garden room. Two questions - which port on the router should be used to connect to the ethernet point? And then how do I need to set up the router so that it will access the internet from the main router in the house? Thanks so much.

[KeithFrench]

You're very welcome. That sounds like a good idea.

[hayesrj]

I understand that we may be able to get a second hub from BT depending on the contract that my daughter is on. I think we should probably try that first. Meanwhile, warmest thanks for all the help you have offered. It was greatly appreciated. 

[KeithFrench]

Probably a mesh or WiFi extender over powerlines will be best, but all can be a bit of a nightmare. You only get what you pay for.

[hayesrj]

Is there anything else I should do now, or do I just need to give up and buy a new router for my daughter? 

[KeithFrench]

Yes it is obviously possible it could be faulty.

[hayesrj]

I switched the 5364 on, connected it to my desktop with the ethernet cable, went to Settings, clicked on Network & Internet, and clicked on Ethernet - but it just says "Ethernet not connected". (Is there something wrong with the router... although I was able to log into last week and disable the DHCP...). Sorry. 

[KeithFrench]

Yup, that'll be fine.

[hayesrj]

Thanks Keith. Will try that now at home. My laptop doesn't seem to have an ethernet port but my home desktop does so I assume it will be ok to  use that instead? I'll let you know the result soon.

[KeithFrench]

I think this must be an issue with some other configuration in the BT Hub, possibly blocked by its firewall. To prove that it is the hub, at your own home, what happens with The Sagemcom not connected to anything, except your laptop via Ethernet cable and you assign the laptop's ethernet card a static IP address (see the link in my post #28). This time set them to:-

IP address: 192.168.1.110

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

DNS server: 192.168.1.1

Can you access the router now? If not, please get me the two commands, pressing the Enter key after each:-

ipconfig /all

ping 192.168.1.1

[hayesrj]

Hi Keith. After resetting the TT router (with a pin) and connecting it to the BT Hub LAN to LAN, I issued those two commands and here are the screenshots. Says "host unreachable"... Will await further instructions. Thanks.

[KeithFrench]

No just keep it LAN (BT hub) to yellow Ethernet LAN (5364) & ignore the state of the light.

Yes connect to her WiFi and issue those two commands.

[hayesrj]

You never give up Keith - I really appreciate that! I usually find that when I go round to my daughter's house to follow these instructions, I then think of questions I should have asked - so let me just try to anticipate them and ask them now!

First. After resetting the 5364, should I then connect the ethernet cable from the BT hub (LAN port) to the WAN port on the 5364 or to a LAN port on the 5364? 

Second. When I issue the commands on my laptop, do I do this after connecting my laptop to the WiFi provided by the BT hub at my daughter's house?

Will await reply and then try this out. (As you don't give up, nor will I!)

[KeithFrench]

If I remember it may well flash orange anyway when connected in this manner, it won't if the LAN port on the BT hub is connected to the WAN port on the Sagemcom 5364 (there isn't a 5360 TalkTalk router). However, that requires rather more config changes.

You can try doing a factory default of the 5364's configuration if you want, with it turned on, press the recessed rest button & hold it in for about 10 seconds or until the light changes.

When you try again with the router connected to the BT hub, ignore the light colours & wait about 5 mins. Then do some basic checks, go to the command prompt and enter these two commands,  pressing the Enter key after each:-

ipconfig /all

ping 192.168.1.1

The first proves that your PC has been allocated an IP address by the DHCP server in the BT hub, and the second confirms if you can access the IP address of the Sagemcom hub. Wait for the second command to finish. Get me screenshots of the two outputs

[hayesrj]

So sorry Keith but this just hasn't worked. I plugged the TT router (5360) into the mains power and switched it on, then connected it to my daughter's BT hub (via ethernet cable). The orange light on the TT router flashed but even after waiting for several minutes that's all that happened. I then tried to log into the TT router by using the 192.168.1.1 address but that had no effect. So I then came back to my own house, and tried connecting the TT router directly to the ONT (future fibre) (into the WAN port on the router). This time the light flashed orange and then turned to green (which used to mean the router was connected to the broadband) but then when I connected my phone via WiFi - it seemed to connect but there was no internet access. So I think the router is not actually connecting to the internet. Just to remind you, the only change I made to the configuration of the TT router was (a few days ago) to disable the DHCP (following your instructions). I have not been able to log into the TT router since then to make any further changes. I'm wondering if the router needs to be reset in some way... I am completely at a loss what to do next, so will await further instructions. Thanks.

[KeithFrench]

The easiest way is to connect your router to your daughter's BT hub first & then log into it & finish the configuration. That way you will be allocated an IP address on your laptop from the DHCP server in her router. Otherwise, as I said in my previous post, you'll have to go through the added complexity of configuring a temporary static IP address on your laptop. Without the laptop having an IP address, from a DHCP server, or statically configured, you will get nowhere, as you have found out.

[hayesrj]

Thanks - you are always willing to help! So when you say the easiest thing is to try it at my daughter's house, do you mean I should plug the Ethernet Cable into the back of the TT router and then try to log into it? Just to remind you, I have already disabled the DHCP on the router but had not yet had a chance to reset the WiFi credentials to those of my daughter's BT hub.  Would this work and allow me to log in and then reset the Wifi? Best regards, Richard. (I can go to my daughter's later today to try this).

[KeithFrench]

When you say it does not connect, is it connected LAN to LAN to the BT hub, or are you just using it not connected to anything whilst trying to log onto it in your own house? I suspect the latter. With the DHCP server disabled, no device you use will be allocated an IP address, until connected to the BT hub. So this is why you cannot connect to the router.

The easiest way is to wait until you are at your daughter's & try again. However, if you do want to check it beforehand, use an ethernet cable from your desktop or laptop to connect to the router. Now you have to allocate it a static IP address. To do this, within Windows, follow this guide:-

https://pureinfotech.com/set-static-ip-address-windows-10/ 

Set it to the following:-

IP address: 192.168.1.2

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

DNS server: 192.168.1.1

You probably won't need to set the DNS server, but it won't hurt.

When you have done working on the Sagemcom in your house, you will need to set the IP assignment in settings back to Automatic (DHCP).

[hayesrj]

Keith - help! I seem to have one problem after another. I tried to connect to my TalkTalk router (the the 5360) this morning (to change the WiFi password etc. to my daughter's ones), but it won't seem to connect...!! I don't understand why, as I had no problems with this a few days ago, when I logged in to the router and disabled the DCHP according to your instructions. But now, when I enter the 192.168.1.1 address into my web browser (on my desktop, laptop or phone) it just fails and I get the message "This site can't be reached". I have the router plugged in and turned on, with the orange light flashing. Please please can you explain what is happening and why I can't log in to the router? Sorry this is proving so troublesome.

[KeithFrench]

You should get a much better speed test than 50Mbps via a wired connection on Fibre 150, I think this needs TalkTalk to investigate it. I assume that this is your own connection and as such, it is a bit unrelated to this thread. I think it would be easier if you can create a new thread for that & leave this one for the issues of the additional router we are dealing with.

[hayesrj]

Thanks Keith. I should have mentioned that I also tried connecting the desktop directly to the Eero router using an ethernet cable, and the speed was more or less the same. So i'm not sure it's JUST the WiFi that's the problem...? By the way, my laptop, which is only two  years old, does get 150 Mbs over WiFi in the same location in my office. So maybe it's just that the desktop is quite old - I just checked and it is a DELL Inspiron 3650 purchased 6 years ago - so I guess that is quite old. It has a DELL wireless 1707 card. So will probably just have to put up with the 50 Mbs speed until I get around to replacing it... ? (PS: I am just going round to finish the process of installing my old TT router at my daughter's house, and will see if I can run those interference tests that you recommended).