How to Use an Old Router as an Access Point

You can turn an old router into a Wi-Fi access point by connecting it to your main router with an Ethernet cable and switching it to access point (AP) mode. If it has no AP mode, you can get the same result by hand: give it a spare address on your main router’s network, turn off its DHCP server and plug the cable into one of its LAN ports. Either way, your main router stays in charge of addresses and the internet connection, and the old one just adds Wi-Fi where you need it. Before you start, check that the old router still gets security updates; if it doesn’t, it isn’t worth reusing.

If you’re still deciding between an access point, an extender and mesh, start with our access point vs. extender vs. mesh guide. This guide assumes you’ve picked the access point route and have a spare router to use. It’s based on the manufacturers’ own documentation, not our own testing.

Before you start: three checks

1. Can you run a cable? AP mode needs a wired link back to your main router. ASUS describes its AP mode as a router using “a wired connection to the primary router or modem to extend network coverage,” and the TP-Link method below also uses Ethernet. ASUS notes Ethernet runs shouldn’t exceed 100 meters. If a cable is out of the question, coax with MoCA adapters can stand in for Ethernet.
2. Is the old router still supported? In a May 7, 2025 public service announcement, the FBI warned of criminal “proxy services taking advantage of end of life routers that are susceptible to vulnerabilities,” and advised owners to “replace the device with an updated model if possible.” An access point sits on your home network just as a router does. Our guide on checking whether your router still gets security updates shows how to look this up, and if updates are available, install them before you change modes.
3. Does the main router hand out addresses? It should. ASUS says the primary router or modem needs IP sharing (DHCP) turned on for AP mode to work. Most home routers and ISP gateways do this by default.

Method 1: use the built-in AP mode

This is the easier and safer option. Many routers from the big brands include it, though the menu name varies.

Netgear

Netgear’s knowledge base article on AP mode (updated July 7, 2025) gives these steps:

1. Connect to the router’s network, go to routerlogin.net and sign in with the admin username and password.
2. Open ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless AP. On Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers it’s Settings > Setup > Wireless AP, and some models call it “Router / AP / Bridge Mode.”
3. Select AP Mode.
4. Leave the IP setting on the default, “Get dynamically from existing router.” Netgear marks the fixed-IP option “not recommended” unless you have advanced networking experience.
5. Click Apply. Netgear notes that your computer loses its connection to the router at this point; reconnect to carry on.

Netgear says to finish the router’s basic setup before you change the mode.

ASUS

ASUS’s AP mode guide (updated March 3, 2026) has you choose the mode during Quick Internet Setup:

1. Open the router’s settings at its LAN IP or asusrouter.com and start Quick Internet Setup.
2. Choose Advanced Settings, then Choose operation mode, then Access Point (AP) mode.
3. Pick Automatic IP, set the Wi-Fi name and password, and create the router’s admin account.
4. Connect an Ethernet cable from the AP router’s WAN or LAN port to a LAN port on your main router or modem.

ASUS says that in AP mode its firewall, IP sharing and NAT functions are disabled by default.

Other brands

Look for a setting called operation mode, working mode, AP mode or bridge/AP mode. If your router has one, the pattern is the same as above: pick AP mode, let it get its address automatically from the main router, then cable it to a LAN port on the main router.

Method 2: no AP mode? Set it up by hand

Older or basic routers sometimes have no AP mode. TP-Link documents a manual method for these (updated June 4, 2026). The same idea applies to most routers, though the menu names will differ:

1. Find your main router’s address range. Log in to the main router and note its LAN IP (for example 192.168.2.1) and the range of addresses its DHCP server hands out.
2. Give the old router a spare address. In the old router’s LAN settings, set its IP to an unused address on the same subnet that sits outside the main router’s DHCP range. TP-Link’s example uses 192.168.2.11 alongside a DHCP range of 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.199. Write the address down: it’s how you’ll reach the old router’s settings from now on.
3. Set the Wi-Fi name and password you want the access point to broadcast.
4. Turn off the old router’s DHCP server. Only one device on your network should hand out addresses.
5. Reboot, then log back in at the new address to confirm the settings stuck.
6. Connect a LAN port on the old router to a LAN port on the main router. We recommend leaving the old router’s WAN (internet) port empty, so it doesn’t try to act as a router again.

Steps 2 and 4 are the ones that matter. If the old router keeps an address the main router might hand to something else, or keeps its own DHCP server running, devices can end up with conflicting or wrong addresses and lose internet access.

Which Wi-Fi name should the access point use?

For most homes, the same network name (SSID), password and security type as the main router. Phones and laptops then treat both as one network and can move between them. TP-Link’s roaming guidance for its business access points says roaming will fail if the target access point’s “SSID differs in name or security method,” so match both, including the WPA2 or WPA3 setting. If the two routers don’t support the same security option, use the one both offer.

Two things to know about this setup:

• Your devices decide when to switch. TP-Link notes that “clients may refuse to roam as the signal to the connected AP is still strong.” Two separate routers don’t coordinate the hand-off the way a mesh system can, so a phone may cling to the farther one until the signal gets poor.
• A different name is a valid choice. If you’d rather pick the access point yourself, for a desk PC or TV that never moves, give it its own name.

It also helps to put the two on different channels where they overlap, so they aren’t competing for the same airtime. Our guide to changing your Wi-Fi channel covers how.

What stops working in AP mode

An access point only provides Wi-Fi and wired ports. Everything that depends on the router handling your internet connection moves to the main router. Netgear’s list of features grayed out in AP mode includes guest network, port forwarding and port triggering, remote management, UPnP, IPv6, traffic meter, parental controls, Netgear Armor, block sites and services, VPN service, access control and QoS.

In practice:

• Set up port forwarding, parental controls and QoS on the main router. Settings on the old router no longer apply.
• Don’t count on the old router’s guest network. On Netgear it’s disabled in AP mode. If you need guest Wi-Fi, use the main router’s.
• Firmware updates still matter. The old router is still a device on your network, so keep updating it if the maker offers updates.

How to log in to the old router afterward

Once it’s an access point, the old router no longer sits at its old address.

• AP mode with an automatic address: find the old router in your main router’s list of connected devices and use the address shown there. ASUS recommends its Device Discovery Utility to locate the router.
• Manual method: use the fixed address you set in step 2.

If you get locked out entirely, a factory reset puts the router back to its defaults, and you can start again.

If it doesn’t work

• Connected to the access point but no internet: check that DHCP is off on the old router (manual method) and that the cable runs to a LAN port on the main router. In the manual method, the old router’s WAN port should be empty.
• Devices get odd addresses (not in your main router’s range): the old router’s DHCP server is most likely still on.
• Some devices drop when you move around the house: match the network name and security type exactly, or give the access point its own name and connect to it on purpose.
• Still slow near the access point: the problem may not be Wi-Fi at all. Run a wired speed test at the main router, then compare it with a Wi-Fi test near the access point.

Sources and verification