Extend wifi using old Plusnet 2704N to Plusnet Hub one

[#1]

I have just set up a Plusnet Hub one router with my new Fiber Extra service and I would now like to try to extend the wifi signal to black spots in the house, using my redundant Plusnet Hub zero (2704N). I get a significant speed drop from near the router (>40) to the far end of the house (<20) and even worse upstairs and I would like to see whether this setup would improve things.

I intend to connect the Hub zero to the Hub one via BT Extenders and ethernet connections.

I know how to log on to the Hub one admin page but not sure how to access the Hub zero, and knowing how the router settings should be changed is beyond me, There are many guides out there on this forum and others but I couldn't find help my exact configuration of routers, and the terminology of access points/extenders/bridges/slaves/hubs is baffling. I am a novice and would really appreciate jargon free advice here, if anyone out there can help.

On another point, I have been reading about the problems of the 5GHz band, for which Plusnet is still working on a fix, and my phone and tablet which attach to the 5G band do seem to suffer drops. Many have said that it is best to switch this off for the time being. Is this still recommended practice?

Thank you for any advice.

[#2]

Regarding the 5GHz issue, I've just pushed an update to your router that should help. You'll need to power it off/back on to apply the update.

As for the repurposing of the Hub Zero, this is possible - possibly a bit too much effort for the (questionable) gain though.

You would need to log into the Hub Zero and access the advanced settings pages at http://192.168.1.254/expert_user.html

Here you would need to configure the router with a different local IP address so it doesn't clash with the Hub One or any other device on your network e.g. 192.168.1.50. You would also need to disable DHCP. Once done, you should be able to run a cable (via your extenders) between LAN ports on the two routers. The Zero would be broadcasting it's own Wi-Fi network name so you might also want to consider changing the Wi-Fi network name/password to match that of your Hub One.

[#3]

Thanks for that bobpullen, appreciated.

In light of your advice that the repurposing of the Zero might not be worth the trouble, I got help from a family member who talked me through setup of a basic Google mesh system (2 units) which solved the problem of getting wifi to the rest of the house, a satisfying christmas holiday project!