If you move regularly, or are savvy about changing your internet provider for the best deal, you'll quickly end up with a pile of outdated ISP routers or outdated consumer routers that you're simply no longer using. These routers are often fully functional, but the integrated, software-locked nature of the hardware means that every time you want to upgrade to the newest set of features, be it Wi-Fi 6 or 5GHz, the old one goes on the scrap heap. You may feel a bit guilty having this throwaway, cheap hardware piling up either around your house or going unceremoniously into the bin.

Luckily, there's a solution for fighting e-waste and potentially improving your Wi-Fi at the same time. With many of these routers, it's possible to set them up as secondary access points, effectively extending your home network's Wi-Fi for free.

How to use your old router as a Wi-Fi extender

Making use of your old hardware is easier than you think

Many consumer routers support the ability to run as a Wi-Fi extender natively, through a mode known as 'repeater' or 'bridge' mode. These instructions will vary depending on the router you're using, so we'd recommend checking online first to see whether your router supports this. Often, a quick Google search with the model name or ISP is enough.

If it's not supported, its also worth checking whether alternative software like OpenWRT can be easily flashed onto your router. Some routers allow firmware upgrades via the web interface, which can allow you to install a more feature-rich software suite. This isn't guaranteed though, and can be dangerous (in the worst case, you could brick a router during this process), so just be aware of the risk and proceed with caution in this case.

We'll walk through the basic steps to setting up your router in repeater or bridge mode below. These may vary from router to router, so if you're stuck we'd suggest Googling with your specific model for help.

1. Check compatibility with your router, as mentioned above.
2. Set up your router in-place. This is important to ensure you've got existing Wi-Fi connectivity before you set up the router in repeater mode.
3. Connect to the router. You can do this by connecting an Ethernet cable to your old router.
4. Open your old router's Admin console - this is usually at the IP address of your network gateway (i.e. 192.168.0.1). Follow this guide if you're struggling.
5. Locate your router's Wi-Fi settings. To configure it as a repeater, you're normally looking for an option like Repeater, Range Extender, or Bridge Mode (although bridge mode can sometimes be a modem bridge).
6. Configure the router for your old Wi-Fi network. This will usually involve setting your router's Network Name and Password to the same as your existing Wi-Fi network.
7. Locate your router's DHCP settings and disable DHCP. This will prevent your router from issuing new IP addresses, potentially causing conflicts on your network.
8. We'd finally recommend setting a static IP address for the router, e.g. 192.168.0.2 if your original router is 192.168.0.1. This means that you'll still be able to connect via an Ethernet cable or over Wi-Fi.
9. Save the router's settings and exit.
10. Test your connection.

You should see an identical network to your previous Wi-Fi network, but with a stronger signal. Your device is unlikely to show your two separate Wi-Fi networks. Instead, it should move reasonably seamlessly between the two depending on which has the strongest signal. This can sometimes cause blips in connection as your device moves from one Wi-Fi network to another, but this should resolve after a few seconds.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to set up a proper hand-off system (like most commercial grade Wi-Fi networks with many APs employ) for two routers with different types, but for home use, this should be more than sufficient.

Problems with Wi-Fi repeaters

As we've mentioned above, it's not all rosy with multiple access points from different brands. You can sometimes encounter slowdowns moving from one network to another, so we wouldn't suggest carrying your laptop around the house while doing a big, important single-file download. As long as you're stationary, you'll be fine. But even so, it should generally not be noticeable if you move your device, and might just require reconnecting to your network periodically.

If you are having issues moving from one network to the other, then simply change the name of your rebroadcast network. This might slow down your device's ability to leave one network and move to another, and might require occasional manual switching, but should be more stable.

Your speed will only be so fast

The instructions we've given above are pretty generic, and can be tweaked depending on your specific setup. Depending on your router, you may be able to set up your router in a true 'repeater' mode - i.e. where it repeats (or rebroadcasts) your existing Wi-Fi signal. This is often the easiest option, but gives you the least range and a slowdown in performance, as your network speed is limited by the second router's connection over Wi-Fi to the first.

Consider using Ethernet

Some routers support an Ethernet 'access point' or 'bridge' mode, where you can connect your old router to your main one via Ethernet, and then set up a second Wi-Fi network using that Ethernet connection. This is often the most stable method, and will give you the best speeds, but it does rely on you being able to run Ethernet to the location of your second router.

Use a mesh network if you can

Now the best answer to all of this would be to use a true mesh network. Mesh networks support seamless handoff between APs, and form a single unified network instead of a mess of rebroadcasting APs. This is more modern and easier to set up than the above. However, it does often rely on you having multiple access points of the same type, which adds cost since it is unlikely to be true when utilizing a random device you've already got lying around at home.

Using your old network access point is a great way to reduce e-waste, as it can make use of existing hardware in your home. It's not perfect, and there are some problems you might encounter, but its worth trying if you have an old router and you're struggling to get consistent internet throughout your home.