topic Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please.... in My Router

Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 20:51:50 GMT

Hello

We are currently installing a garden office and I am wanting it to have it's own consumer unit, router etc etc so it is independent to the house.

I will be running a direct burial CAT 6 Ethernet cable from my original hub 2 router to the new hub 2 router in the office.

I keep seeing conflicting information on the internet, such as only connect both routers via their LAN ports, then other sites suggest a LAN port on one and WAN port on the other. Then their was something regarding disabling the DHCP and then bridge or repeater mode.

Basically their is one phone line coming in, that connects to router A, then I want to run the CAT 6 from router A to router B in the office, meaning the office will have it's own router.

Can someone please steer me in the right direction?

Thank you in advance

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

zpeterk — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:21:37 GMT

All you need to do is disable dhcp on the second router and connect via lan port

edit - and set a manual ip address

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 05:43:23 GMT

Hello. Thank you for the reply.
In order to do this do I need to disconnect the original router and plug in the 2nd router so it is connected to the internet?
Then type 192.168.1.254 into the search engine?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

spile — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:06:28 GMT

Connect an ethernet cable to one of the LAN (ethernet) ports on the old router and have the other end plugged into your computer.
Open a web browser (such as Chrome or Safari) on your computer and enter the IP address of the old router in the address bar. You will be prompted to enter the router's username and password.
Once logged in, navigate to LAN settings and look for DHCP settings. Disable the DHCP server on the old router – this means that your main router will be handling the assignment of IP addresses.
Staying within LAN settings, you'll see an IP address setting. Here, you can set a static IP address in the same range as your current, in-use router. For example, if your main router's IP address is 192.168.1.1, you can assign 192.168.1.2 to the old router.
Navigate to wireless settings on the old router. You should find an option for SSID or Wireless network name. Update this, along with the SSID password, to match your current router. Doing so will allow your devices to connect automatically and switch seamlessly between the two routers.
Save the changes you've made, then disconnect the ethernet cable from your computer. Connect one end to a LAN port on the old router and the other end to a LAN port on your main router.

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:10:34 GMT

Great. Thank you for that. Unfortunately my Chromebook doesn't have a connection for that so I'm guessing I'll need to buy an adapter?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:13:36 GMT

I'd attach a pic of what connections I have on my Chromebook but I can't figure out how to do it 😭

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 06:27:51 GMT

I take it this can't be done wirelessly?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

MisterW — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 07:01:31 GMT

@thecarpenter

I take it this can't be done wirelessly?

You can try but its more tricky!

Power up the old router with it disconnected from anything else. Connect to its wireless network.
Open a web browser (such as Chrome or Safari) on your computer and enter the IP address (192.168.1.254 ) of the old router in the address bar. You will be prompted to enter the router's username and password.
Once logged in, navigate to LAN settings and look for DHCP settings. Disable the DHCP server on the old router – this means that your main router will be handling the assignment of IP addresses.
Staying within LAN settings, you'll see an IP address setting. Here, you can set a static IP address in the same range as your current, in-use router. For example, if your main router's IP address is 192.168.1.254, you can assign 192.168.1.1 to the old router.
Save the changes you've made, then disconnect from the old router wireless. Move the old router to the required location and connect one end of an ethernet cable to a LAN port on the old router and the other end to a LAN port on your main router.
Now reconnect your device to the main router wireless network.
Open a web browser (such as Chrome or Safari) on your computer and enter the IP address (192.168.1.1 ) of the old router in the address bar. You will be prompted to enter the router's username and password.
Navigate to wireless settings on the old router. You should find an option for SSID or Wireless network name. Update this, along with the SSID password, to match your current router. Doing so will allow your devices to connect automatically and switch seamlessly between the two routers.
Save the changes you've made

That MIGHT work... If it goes wrong, then just factory reset the old router and start again...

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 07:09:10 GMT

@thecarpenter

You can change the Hub settings using wifi, try this

As you've already attempted the change I suggest you factory reset the second hub first.

1) Make sure the sure the second hub is not connected to your current hub

2) With a browser connect to the hub you want to change 192.168.1.254

3) First change the hub IP Address to 192.168.1.1

>Advanced settings >My network >IPv4 configuration

4) Restart the laptop and connect to the hub, this time you will need 192.168.1.1 to connect to the hub

5) Turn off in this ordered, the firewall, UPnP and DHCP

> Advanced settings >Firewall >Configuration

>Advanced settings >My network >IPv4 configuration

6) Restart the the second hub and connect the two hubs together using a LAN port.

7) To change the wireless name

>Advanced settings >Wireless

HTH

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 07:21:03 GMT

This is a previous post of mine on this subject

First you need to connect to the second Hub two with nothing else connected with exception of a PC to make the changes

1) Navigate from the page Home >Advanced settings >My network >IPv4 configuration

Change the IP Address of the Hub Two from 192.168.1.254 to 192.168.1.1, after the change has taken you will need to connect to the Hub using it's new IP Address of 192.168.1.1

2) Once restarted and connected to 192.168.1.1 you will need to turn DHCP OFF using the same screen on the Hub Two, make sure you save the changes

Once changed the screen should look like

Connect a LAN port on the master Hub two to a LAN port on this Hub two, you need also need to ensure the PC you made the changes on connection is refreshed to it see the primary Hub as for DHCP

I would also disable the second Hub two Firewall and disable UPnP

Home >Advanced settings >Firewall >Configuration

These change are all I think is required and will allow for a second wireless network.

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:44:12 GMT

Wow.
Thank you very much everyone. Does anyone think I may be better connecting something like a TP Link access point in the office? Is that literally plug and play?

Apologies for all the questions

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

bmc — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:49:32 GMT

@thecarpenter

Although it can be different on a phone when using a browser you click on the following icon to add a picture inline while in the Reply text box.

Brian

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:04:35 GMT

Ok. In an ideal world. Would you all suggest sticking with the 2nd router as I have already purchased it, then buy a TP Link USB C to Ethernet adapter to make the set up easier?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:16:10 GMT

@thecarpenter

There are better options to extending a network compared to using a Hub two. The Hub two really is either a modem/router or a standalone router, it always expect a DSL or WAN connection. Without these connections the Hubs light will always flash orange. The is no option to configure the Hub to be a wireless access point with LAN ports.

Using a ethernet cable to you office is the best option, all you need to find is a device in budget.

Some TP-Link routers can be reconfigured to be a wireless access point with the advantage of LAN ports

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:17:23 GMT

Would it save a lot of hassle if I purchase an access point?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:16:24 GMT

@thecarpenter

They can be easier to configure as most would use DHCP for their IP Address, there would be settings to setup your preferred wireless name and password.

Ideally you need one which uses ethernet connection back to the router which is referred to as 'ethernet backhaul'.

Are you going to be completely wireless in the office or is there a requirement for wired ethernet connections as well?

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

thecarpenter — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 17:00:37 GMT

Hi.
There would be a few pieces of kit connected via ethernet. Id rather have an option for both anyway

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 18:19:16 GMT

A consideration is what will be the maximum ethernet devices are you likely to have?

My thoughts would be to have a ethernet switch connected to your hub and then a Access Point connected to the switch

a router which will work as a access point which will have built in ethernet ports.

Is all down to your budget

EDIT: Use the Hub two as first planned

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Champnet — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 18:25:56 GMT

A hub is not required n the garden office, just a swich with a connected AP.

Re: Adding a second hub 2 router to our garden office, advice needed please....

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 18:39:43 GMT

@Champnet

I do not disagree with you, given the original question was about using a second Hub Two that advice has already been give.

However the discussion has moved on to my last post suggestion, if the Hub two has been purchased then the option is available if they do not want to buy anymore hardware

If it was me I would not consider using the Hub two, not even as a modem/router, maybe as a modem only