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How to Turn a Router Into an Access Point
Any wireless router can be set up as an access point
4 min. read
Published onOctober 16, 2023
published onOctober 16, 2023
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Key notes
You can always turn wireless routers into access points but note that not all access points can function as routers. In this article, our WR networking team will provide simple methods to set your Netgear, Asus, TP-Link, Linksys, Belkin, Orbi, and other brand routers as access points.
Benefits of turning a router into an access point:
How do I convert my router into an access point?
1. Connect your modem and router with an Ethernet cable
Nowadays, the routers also create the wireless access point immediately and you can connect to the router wirelessly.
So, instead of connecting to your PC via cable, you may also find the access point in the list of Wi-Fi hotspots on your laptop and connect to it by using the access point SSID and password written on the back of the router.
2. Configure the router as a wireless repeater
After this, you will have a single access point but two routers to deliver the signal independently. This way, you can have the main or primary router downstairs, for instance, and the repeater, connected with a cable upstairs.
By using a router as a wireless repeater, you will actually create a basic mesh network. Here’s our guide that highlights thedifferences between mesh networks and multiple access points.
3. Configure it as a stand-alone access point
All the menus and settings depend on your router model and manufacturer. Some are simpler and others have more sophisticated settings. Some routers even have an Access Point section instead of setting a Repeater Mode.
However, the essential procedure is the same for all the routers. The number of internet connections or connected devices depends on the number of channels of the router, the technology supported by them, and the available bandwidth.
If you stumble acrossconflicts with the router access point, this guide will help you fix it quickly.
Using a second router as an access point should provide more possible wireless connections and even more wireless networks if you want to.
You can evenuse a PC as a wireless extender, but it won’t be as efficient as a router.
Hopefully, now you managed to turn your router into an access point and you can connect all your devices wirelessly to the internet.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section below.
More about the topics:Router guides,Wi-Fi
Claudiu Andone
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Oldtimer in the tech and science press, Claudiu is focused on whatever comes new from Microsoft.
His abrupt interest in computers started when he saw the first Home Computer as a kid. However, his passion for Windows and everything related became obvious when he became a sys admin in a computer science high school.
With 14 years of experience in writing about everything there is to know about science and technology, Claudiu also likes rock music, chilling in the garden, and Star Wars. May the force be with you, always!
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Claudiu Andone
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Oldtimer in the tech and science press, with 14 years of experience in writing on everything there is to know about science, technology, and Microsoft
