How to connect two routers so they work with each other
How to connect two routers so they work with each other
Hi everyone. I am a total beginner at networking. I have Google Fiber and I connected my TP-Link Router to it using an ethernet cable to make sure its signal reaches further across the house. The networks from Google Fiber and my router just have different names, and they cannot automatically switch between them. Sometimes I need to go back to join the same network as my laptop to print a document from there. Is there any way for these two networks to talk to each other so that it works smoothly? Thanks!
To use your TP-Link router as an Access Point, you need that specific setting enabled. You can then choose whether or not to change the network name (SSID). If you leave it the same, devices will try to connect but often get confused and stay on the wrong signal instead of switching smoothly. If you set them apart, everyone gets their own control over where they connect and when they switch networks.
Thanks Bill001g. It seems I got my TP-Link router set up as an Access Point by picking that option in the setup menu, and it restarted automatically. What exactly did I do? LOL? Will the TP-Link router and the Google Fiber host router now talk to each other smoothly? Thanks
Just think of it like a plug that connects two things together.
That analogy works, but will the routers act as one team? Will things switch between them on their own, and can a device linked to one router talk to something linked to the other without me having to do anything extra? Take my printer story above: If my laptop is plugged into TP-Link and it prints from the Google Fiber Host router with no help from me, will that happen?
You turned off the special router settings. Now you have just one router, which takes care of giving out IP addresses for every device. Because each device gets the same kind of address, they can all talk to each other easily.