Quick question about Wireless Extenders

[WeatherMan]

Hi guys,

Bit of background info...

I have a router upstairs, which provides my Gaming PC with an internet connection (wired)

I also have a HP Wireless Printer in my room, which connects via wireless.

Downstairs there is a laptop and a desktop, both which connect via wireless.

What I Want to do is buy a wireless Extender, wire it to my router, and place it downstairs so that the PC's downstairs have better signal.

My question is,

1. Can I hard-wire the extender to the router, so that there is a better source signal on the extender?

2. I want all PC's to be able to use the printer, so should I tell the extender to use the same SSID & Channel as the router?

And also, if I do this, I take it the downstairs PC's could perhaps accidentally connect to the router?

Thanks


LASTLY.

If I did assign the router and extender each their own SSID's, so that I can always connect the downstairs PC's to the extender, would I be able to still use the printer from the downstairs computers, as the printer would be wirelessly connected to the router using a different SSID.

 

[johnb35]

Basically what I would do is just buy another router and hook it up that way. The router in your room is just a router or a modem/router combo unit? This is what you want to do.

Router 1 - leave as is.

Router 2 - Turn dhcp off, leave wireless on, change internal IP address... For example if IP address for router 1 is 192.168.1.1 then change router 2 IP addresss to 192.168.1.2. Take an ethernet cable from one of the 4 lan ports on router 1 and hook it up to one of the 4 lan ports on router 2, do not use the internet port.

 

[WeatherMan]

Thanks John, I bought a Wireless AP from TP-LINK and have tested it all out, seems to be working fine

Haven't set it up fully yet, just mounted it to the wall, running Power over Ethernet, got some cat5 running through my floor and downstairs to the device.