This home network setup understands how to setup a home network with multiple access points. A list of common FAQs related to this setup are included at the end of the post.
A real time implementation where the setup can be implemented using Netgear access points is explained below.
Wireless access point setup diagram
The below diagram shows a home wireless access point setup on a network with wireless router and laptops connected to it.
Access point setup
The following steps explains the installation steps and setup procedure.
Step 1
Purchase the Access points as per you requirements. The requirements could be coverage area, the number of users requiring connectivity etc.
Step 2
In this setup we would be using the NETGEAR WiFi 6 Access Point (WAX214). The access point is POE powered and provides coverage to 1500 sqft.
More details of the wireless access point can be found on Amazon here – NETGEAR WiFi 6 Access Point (WAX214)
Step 3
It should be ensured that cabling should be made available from the router to the room where the access point would be installed. In this case, since two access points would be installed , cabling should be made available in both the locations.
The cabling would ensure that you have wall sockets with RJ 45 connection points. There would be a total of 4 wall sockets , two at the two locations where access points are setup and two near the router.
Step 4
To power the access points you can either purchase a 5 port POE switch or power adapters can be purchased separately.
Step 5
Assuming that we are using a POE switch, connect the uplink port on the POE switch to the router and the access points to the POE port. The uplink port is the separate port which you see below.
Step 6
The POE ports should be connected to the RJ 45 wall socket which will then power the access points at the different locations.
Step 7
The wireless router would typically have DHCP server enabled on it. The access points would have the capability to be configured either with static or dynamic IP address. It is recommended that the access points are configured with a static IP address as it would help in the manageability of the device.
For example, if you want to connect to the web interface of the access point, a pre-configured IP address would be required (Static) compared with a dynamic IP address.
Step 8
Assuming that the network address of the home is 192.168.1.0/24, allocate two static IP addresses 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11 for the access points respectively.
Connect to the web interfaces of the access points using the default IP address and change it to the above IP address. The access points, by default would have factory assigned IP address which can be seen in the appropriate documentation from the vendor. This has to be changed to the the above allocated IP address.
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Step 10
Once the IP addresses are configured, enable appropriate security protocol (WPA) for the access points.
Step 11
Some access points have DHCP servers. As there is already a router on the network which is also the DHCP server for the network, disable the DHCP servers on the access points.
The above steps would help to setup a home network with multiple access points.
Check out our Home Networking Guide on Amazon
FAQ
1. How do I connect the access points with out network cables
The access points can be connected to the wifi router in repeater mode. But this is possible only if there is line of sight and this setup would also degrade the performance of the network.
2. Is it mandatory to disable DHCP server on the access point
Yes. Having multiple DHCP servers on the network can create issues and communication problems. It should be ensured that there is only one DHCP server on the network at a time.
3. Is it mandatory to configure static IP address for the access points
No. it is not. But this would be better for manageability, since you need to know the IP address of the access point for logging into it. It would be a tedious task to find the IP address of access point since DHCP assigned IP addresses can change at any time.
4. Should access points work with the same SSID of the wifi router
No. It is not required. They can use different SSID. If same SSID is used, you would not know to which wireless transmitted (router or access point) the wifi client connects to since all of them have the same SSID.
5. Should access points work on the same frequency range as wireless router
No. They can work on any frequency range. For example, the router can work on 2.4 GHz and the access points on 5 GHz.
Product recommendation
Firewall router for home – ASUS WiFi 6 Router (RT-AX3000)
Dual wan router for home – Synology RT2600ac – 4×4 dual-band Gigabit Wi-Fi router