Swapping an OLD Wireless Router with a New One

[kats9137]

I work for a small business and prior to starting here in 2008 they had someone come in and install a wireless router which was placed in a drop ceiling in the front of the office near the lobby. Since then we have expanded and the signal does not reach the new conference room. So, having said that, I was thinking of attempting the following:
1. Swap out the old router for a new one
2. If that doesn't do the trick, adding WiFi access points.

What is the easiest (and not too tecky) for a person who has a little understanding of the technical world?Would this be as easy as it sounds?

Thanks in advance..

 

[DelJo63]

Yes, the remove/replace is easy; you just need to match the SSID and wifi password.

As to area coverage of WiFi -- If you R/R, then get a good MIMO router (aka multiple antennas) like Netgear Nighthawk.

If that doesn't cover it, don't use an Extender or Mesh networks as they self-degrade as more nodes are added and users make access. Instead, the AP route is great, and with some thought, you can cover very large areas, including multiple floors.

• ANY WiFi router can act as an AP, so pickup another Nighthawk (more on this in another post)
• Pick the remote location to be covered and use EoP to get a wired connection to that location.
• Then attach the second Nighthawk as an AP.

The EoP may be an issue in a commercial building. Withing the same room should be ok, but extending to other floors or rooms down the hall would need to be tested. The problem is how the A/C power is wired and the location of the distribution panel.

 

[DelJo63]

WiFi router can act as an AP can be see here:
https://www.techspot.com/community/topics/using-a-wifi-router-as-an-ap.247515/

 

[kats9137]

Great! Thanks for your quick reply. I'm glad to hear this R/R would be easy and the good news is, I know the wifi password. The bad news is, where do I get the SSID from? I vaguely remember setting up my home wifi router and I believe the SSID was a number printed on the router itself. Is that accurate? If so, do I need to use the SSID on the new router or the old router?
I looked into the NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router (R8000).. Do you think this one would do the trick?

 

[DelJo63]

The SSID is what you see when you attempt to access any WiFi station. Protected routers show the lock and unprotected do not. YOU create the SSID as you please - - if you have many people using this access, it would be a kindness to COPY whatever SSID is being used now. Otherwise, feel free to create a new, obscure ssid and force everyone to ask for the new WPA2 passphrase.

Yes the R8000 is excellent.

 

[kats9137]

@jobeard , Thank you!!