Did you know that it is possible to reach greater distances with routers and increase their power through wireless bridging?

Well, that can happen. Nevertheless, if you are new to this term and have no idea what a wireless bridge is, we have got you covered. This post includes everything from what a wireless bridge is to how to connect two wireless bridges. 

Let us start by learning what a wireless bridge is. With a wireless bridge, you can expand your wireless network by transmitting a signal from the wireless router to wired devices. It does this by converting Wi-Fi to Ethernet. By connecting two or more routers, a router bridge expands your network's range by adding more Ethernet ports and wireless access points. 

Still not clear? 

Do not worry; the below subhead explains the term in detail. Before we dig deep, it is important to check if the internet connection is fast and reliable. If the Internet is slow, all the bridging and connecting will be worthless. For instance, you can go with Grande internet if it is available in your area. The speeds are pretty good, and it is not even that expensive. 

Anyway, back to wireless bridges.

What is a Wireless Bridge?

Bridges are a technology that establishes links between sections of a network without requiring or wishing that each computer on the network sends its traffic to any other.

In other words, it is a way to prevent traffic from being distributed too widely, particularly to distant or inappropriate computers. Larger networks often require more advanced users to use this form of bridging. Connecting two access points forms a wireless bridge. In this system, one control point takes the role of an 'access point', and the other assumes the role of a 'client' or 'station.' The client access point connects to the other access point much like a computer connected to a normal access point.

Essentially, it refers to the act of connecting two parts of a wireless network that are separated by a considerable distance. An example of this might be connecting a gaming console to the main network via a wireless bridge, like the WGE101. Such a setup is useful for small networks.

Wireless bridges commonly provide long-distance connections. To do this, the RF energy needs to be concentrated. Here is an example to understand this concept. 

When you want to yell at someone far away, you cup your hands around your mouth so you can hear him clearly. In this way, your voice can be projected further and heard from further distances. Alternatively, if you have difficulty hearing someone from afar, place your hands around your ears so that you can hear them. When you do this, you can tune out all other sounds and focus solely on the person speaking to you. The same is the case with a wireless bridge. Your voice can be projected farther and heard from a greater distance.

How Can You Set Up A Wireless Bridge?

With a wireless bridge, you can extend the range of your wireless network to the far corners of your room while still maintaining wireless convenience. Here are the steps:

Step 1: The wireless bridge should be positioned between your wired devices and the range of your wireless router.

Step 2: If your router is compatible with WPS, connecting it to the network is quite easy. Both the bridge and router need to have the WPS option enabled. To configure the bridge, connect it to a PC through Ethernet if it does not support the WPS option.

Step 3: Connect the bridge to the router.

Step 4: Navigate to http://dlinkap or http://192.168.0.150 in the Web browser. Using the setup tool on the web configuration page of the bridge, build a connection between the bridge and router. You will have to enter a password, select the network identifier, and finish restarting the bridge. You may now disconnect the bridge from the PC after you have established the connection between the router and the bridge.

Step 5: Connect your devices.

Your wired devices can be connected to the bridge via Ethernet. The wireless bridge will automatically connect all attached devices via Wi-Fi to your primary network. Wireless bridges, such as the DAP-1522 enable you to link wired devices to your wireless network wirelessly, including TVs and game consoles that are connected to the Internet.

How Can You Bridge Two Wireless Routers?

Step 1: The first step is to ensure that the devices you want to bridge are compatible. Find out if your secondary router can act as a bridge or repeater. It can be flashed with DD-WRT if it does not have either of those, a software that fixes the issue of it not being able to bridge. Check the router's manual for more information on bridging and whether the router can support DD-WRT.

Step 2:  You will be able to access both routers easier if you place them near your PC during the whole setup process. After they have been configured, you can move them wherever you like.

Step 3: The primary router must be configured first. After setting up the primary router, plug it into the modem, and connect your computer with it via Ethernet. Once the router has been configured, note its IP address, DHCP range, and subnet mask.

Step 4: Be sure the primary router has the best antenna and the most robust firmware. Disconnect once the configuration is complete.

Step 5: Connect the secondary router to your computer via Ethernet to configure it. Go to the configuration page on the secondary router. Once you've logged in, click the Internet tab or Wireless setup page.

Step 6: In the Network mode tab, select "Bridge mode" or "Repeater mode," or from the drop-down menu, select "Wireless mode." and "connection type." to enable bridge mode. It is possible that your router does not support bridging if either of these options is not present. Select "repeater bridge" if you are using DD-WRT.

Step 7: You need to enter the IP address of the secondary router within the range of the primary router. For example, if 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.0.1 are the primary router's IP addresses, you should input 192.168.1.50, which falls within the DHCP range of your primary router. Make sure the subnet mask on the primary router is the same.

Step 8: Enter a unique Service Set Identifier: SSID stands for Service Set Identifier. By setting an SSID, you can identify which router you are connecting to. When setting a password, make sure the security type is WPA2. As an example, you might call the main router "Hall" and another "Lobby."

Step 9: You can now place the second router wherever you wish to increase the signal strength. Ideally, it should be placed next to the primary router so that its signal can be easily repeated.

Conclusion:

Wireless networks are relatively easy to use and highly practical, so you can find a wide variety of wireless devices. Besides routers and wireless bridges are great ways to connect two different wired connections.

First-time router users may find bridge setup complicated, but hopefully, this guide helped you learn how to bridge two routers properly. Tell us in the comments if this tutorial improved your experience networking at home.