Forum Discussion

twrooke's avatar
twrooke
New Poster
4 years ago

Can I connect wireless router w/200' of Cat5 to HT2000W to get signal on other side of house?

Hello, Can I connect the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Gigabit Router (R7000) to 200' of Cat5 from the HT2000W to other side of house where the signal is poor? 

1)  Will it work, will it affect HT2000W signal strength and what signal strength might I expect from the Nighthawk?

2)  How does this approach compare to adding the Hughesnet Wi-Fi Booster?

3)  Does connecting a 2nd router, by itself, use data?

4)  Is there a better router I should be using to do this?

5)  Will the added router's Wi-Fi signal remain password protected?

Thanks much for any feedback, be easy on the tech jargon (:

  • GabeU's avatar
    GabeU
    4 years ago
    MarkJFine wrote:

     

    3. Some new routers are set to auto-update their firmware, which isn't really recommended. This is mainly because it will use data as this may happen often on new models. However, if the update doesn't work correctly it can end up auto-bricking it. I generally prefer doing those things manually so I can see what happens and not be surprised. If anything goes wrong it won't be happening while I'm sleeping.

    Excellent point.

  • MarkJFine's avatar
    MarkJFine
    Professor
    4 years ago

    In theory, you might be able to do what you're saying if the wireless router is on a different channel(s) than the modem's wifi.

     

    That said, because of the extreme length, you may want to consider using something that might be a little better for long runs than Cat5. 200 feet of Cat5 may introduce consderable signal loss and may be vulnerable to radio interference - both may cause you problems down the road. I mean, you're basically operating within Cat5's maximum specs, but Cat6 or Cat7 might give you better overall performance at that length in the long term.

    • twrooke's avatar
      twrooke
      New Poster
      4 years ago

      Thanks, I will use Cat6 or 7 and it appears I can select different channels (rather than using the auto channel selection).  Any thoughts to the other questions, specifically...

       

      1)  Answered

      2)  How does this approach compare to adding the Hughesnet Wi-Fi Booster?

      3)  Does the 2nd router connected, by itself, use data?

      4)  Is there a better approach/router I should be using to do this?

      5)  Will the added router's Wi-Fi signal remain password protected? 

       

      Thanks much for any feedback.

      • GabeU's avatar
        GabeU
        Distinguished Professor IV
        4 years ago
        twrooke wrote:

        Thanks, I will use Cat6 or 7 and it appears I can select different channels (rather than using the auto channel selection).  Any thoughts to the other questions, specifically...

         

        1)  Answered

        2)  How does this approach compare to adding the Hughesnet Wi-Fi Booster?

        3)  Does the 2nd router connected, by itself, use data?

        4)  Is there a better approach/router I should be using to do this?

        5)  Will the added router's Wi-Fi signal remain password protected? 

         

        Thanks much for any feedback.

        2.  If the significant cable length doesn't create any issues, it will almost assuredly be better than the booster.  HOWEVER, there may end up being spots in the house where the signals do interfere with each other, though you can avoid this by using different channels in each WiFi unit (the HT2000W and the Nighthawk). 

        3.  A router itself doesn't use data.  Only what's connected to it, whether by LAN cable or WiFi, will use data.  However, if any apps are installed for the router on any devices, and those apps have a "phone home" type of thing, and that phone home option is enabled, that WILL use data, though likely a minimal amount.  

        4.  Can't help you with this one, as I don't know.  Hopefully Mark does.    

        5.  Yes, it will remain password protected.  

         

        Edit:  I should add that I'm not trying to replace or interfere with Mark's help.  I just didn't see him online at the time, so I figured I would reply with what I could answer.