Can I have two WiFi routers on the same LAN
on my CentOS server?
10 thoughts on - Two WiFi Routers
The question is quite vague but the answer is yes.
I’ve got a 3 building network…
Buildings 1/2 between then have 3 wireless routers all pointed to one CentOS server.
The 3rd building across the WAN has 3 wireless routers all into one server…
In my case They are for local LAN access so they are setup to pint to a single IP/gateway address…
** or **
If you need them on different network segments, answer is still yes…
Setup each wireless on it’s own network segment and then add multiple IP’s to the nic on the server. Firewall rules to keep them separate if you need.
Hopes this helps…
Richard
–
Richard Zimmerman wrote:
Thanks for your response. Do you have them on different channels?
—–Original Message—
Richard Zimmerman wrote:
So does a client laptop have to change NM setup if passing from one router to another?
I wonder if one can specify a routers IP address to NM ?
If all of the routers are providing access to the same network, you can set up the same SSID, wifi password, and security type for all the routers and the clients should seamlessly switch between them as they move around. Adjust the channels so that they aren’t interfering with each other. If you have an android device, there is an app called Wifi Analyzer that can show you a graph of all of the available wifi signals, their signal strength, and what channel they are on.
Just make sure there is only one device on the network providing DHCP.
You can do it from one of the routers or elsewhere, but only one DHCP
server per network.
they won’t seamlessly roam between access points unless those are centrally managed access points. Ideally, for a multi-access point integrated wireless network, you want a system like the Ubquiti UniFi AP’s, where the access points are all centrally controlled (UniFi uses a software based controller. most other similar systems like Cisco AiroLAN use a hardware controller) and act as a single network, this WILL do roaming.
Those channels are too close. They still overlap and cause interference. Effectively, the only useful channels for 2.4Ghz WiFi are
1, 6, and 11.
As a point of clarification: The setup that you’re describing isn’t multiple WiFi routers, it’s multiple WiFi Access Points.
I think that’s generally the best way to deploy wireless networks, but the distinction is important. Access Points, as opposed to routers, are merely bridges to a standard Ethernet LAN. They don’t run DHCP, or provide NAT, or route packets at all. Most WiFi routers can be configured this way by a) giving each a unique LAN address b) disabling the WAN port c) disabling DHCP d) connecting Ethernet to one of the LAN
switch ports and nothing to the WAN port and e) configuring the same ESSID and security for WiFi.
Gordon Messmer wrote:
Thanks for your response, and for all the others. I am indeed using the two routers as Access Points, turning off dhcp on them, etc.
I did actually try what has been suggested, but it didn’t seem to work, which made me wonder if it was possible in principle.
However, I almost certainly made some mistake setting up the second router/AP, which is actually an ancient Netopia router from my ISP, whose manual says it can be used as an AP. I see it with “arp -a” on my server, but I’ve now noticed I don’t see it on my Android phone, or with “iwlist scan” on my laptop.
Apologies, I don’t think this router/AP is working …
It is possible. I have this setup running both at home and at the office.
In order for devices to be able to seamlessly switch between access points, they must have the EXACT same wifi security setup (SSID, security method, and password). I had a problem with this at work trying to use an old router that would not do WPA2.
It can be confusing to figure out exactly which access point you are using when the SSID’s are all the same. The Wifi Analyzer app will give you the mac address of the router so you can be sure you’re using the one you think you are. It’s a free app, so give it a try. I’ve found it to be very useful for dealing with wifi routers and access points. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer
10 thoughts on - Two WiFi Routers
The question is quite vague but the answer is yes.
I’ve got a 3 building network…
Buildings 1/2 between then have 3 wireless routers all pointed to one CentOS server.
The 3rd building across the WAN has 3 wireless routers all into one server…
In my case They are for local LAN access so they are setup to pint to a single IP/gateway address…
** or **
If you need them on different network segments, answer is still yes…
Setup each wireless on it’s own network segment and then add multiple IP’s to the nic on the server. Firewall rules to keep them separate if you need.
Hopes this helps…
Richard
–
Richard Zimmerman wrote:
Thanks for your response. Do you have them on different channels?
—–Original Message—
Richard Zimmerman wrote:
So does a client laptop have to change NM setup if passing from one router to another?
I wonder if one can specify a routers IP address to NM ?
If all of the routers are providing access to the same network, you can set up the same SSID, wifi password, and security type for all the routers and the clients should seamlessly switch between them as they move around. Adjust the channels so that they aren’t interfering with each other. If you have an android device, there is an app called Wifi Analyzer that can show you a graph of all of the available wifi signals, their signal strength, and what channel they are on.
Just make sure there is only one device on the network providing DHCP.
You can do it from one of the routers or elsewhere, but only one DHCP
server per network.
they won’t seamlessly roam between access points unless those are centrally managed access points. Ideally, for a multi-access point integrated wireless network, you want a system like the Ubquiti UniFi AP’s, where the access points are all centrally controlled (UniFi uses a software based controller. most other similar systems like Cisco AiroLAN use a hardware controller) and act as a single network, this WILL do roaming.
Those channels are too close. They still overlap and cause interference. Effectively, the only useful channels for 2.4Ghz WiFi are
1, 6, and 11.
As a point of clarification: The setup that you’re describing isn’t multiple WiFi routers, it’s multiple WiFi Access Points.
I think that’s generally the best way to deploy wireless networks, but the distinction is important. Access Points, as opposed to routers, are merely bridges to a standard Ethernet LAN. They don’t run DHCP, or provide NAT, or route packets at all. Most WiFi routers can be configured this way by a) giving each a unique LAN address b) disabling the WAN port c) disabling DHCP d) connecting Ethernet to one of the LAN
switch ports and nothing to the WAN port and e) configuring the same ESSID and security for WiFi.
Gordon Messmer wrote:
Thanks for your response, and for all the others. I am indeed using the two routers as Access Points, turning off dhcp on them, etc.
I did actually try what has been suggested, but it didn’t seem to work, which made me wonder if it was possible in principle.
However, I almost certainly made some mistake setting up the second router/AP, which is actually an ancient Netopia router from my ISP, whose manual says it can be used as an AP. I see it with “arp -a” on my server, but I’ve now noticed I don’t see it on my Android phone, or with “iwlist scan” on my laptop.
Apologies, I don’t think this router/AP is working …
It is possible. I have this setup running both at home and at the office.
In order for devices to be able to seamlessly switch between access points, they must have the EXACT same wifi security setup (SSID, security method, and password). I had a problem with this at work trying to use an old router that would not do WPA2.
It can be confusing to figure out exactly which access point you are using when the SSID’s are all the same. The Wifi Analyzer app will give you the mac address of the router so you can be sure you’re using the one you think you are. It’s a free app, so give it a try. I’ve found it to be very useful for dealing with wifi routers and access points. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer