Why I stopped relying on one big router
For years the plan was simple: buy a bigger router. Each one had more antennas than the last, and the far bedroom still had one bar.
Walls win
Old apartments have thick internal walls, and 5 GHz does not care how many antennas you put on the box. Moving the router two metres helped more than any upgrade. Adding a second access point helped more than both.
Bridge, do not double-NAT
The second unit runs in bridge mode, so every device stays on the same network and the main router keeps doing DHCP. Double NAT works until it does not, usually during a video call.
Pick channels by hand
- 2.4 GHz: only 1, 6 or 11, and different ones on each access point.
- 5 GHz: a 80 MHz channel that the neighbours are not already shouting on.
- Same network name on both, so phones roam on their own.
A cable between the two access points beats any wireless backhaul. If you can run one, run one.