Connecting a second router behind your current router (2026)

In 2016 I wrote on my old blog how to connect a second router of your own behind your internet provider's router (in Dutch). The trick back then: make sure both routers use a different IP range, and put your own router in the DMZ of your provider's router. That method still works, but today there are more options, and often a simpler one.

Why a second router?

• Better Wi-Fi in another part of the house, on another floor or in the garden.
• More features than your provider's router offers: a better firewall, a VPN server, parental controls, a separate guest network or detailed statistics.
• Keep your own network when you switch providers: all your devices stay connected to the same Wi-Fi name and password.

Which method you choose depends on what you want to achieve:

First: how do you get into a router's settings?

Every router has its own settings web page. The address (usually something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) and the password are often on a sticker under the router. On a Windows PC you can also find the address like this: press Windows + R, type cmd, then type ipconfig and look at "Default Gateway". Many routers today also have an app to set everything up.

Method 1: your second router as an access point (recommended)

If you only want better Wi-Fi, this is the simplest and best solution. Your second router then acts as an extra Wi-Fi transmitter in the same network. All your devices stay in one network, so you can still reach your printer or NAS from your phone, for example.

1. Connect a LAN port of your provider's router to a LAN port of your own router (so not the WAN or internet port).
2. Open your own router's settings and look for Access point, AP mode or Bridge mode. Choose it and restart the router. Done: your provider's router now hands out all IP addresses.
3. Your router has no access point mode? Then do it by hand: give your own router a fixed address in your provider's network (for example 192.168.0.2 if your provider's router is 192.168.0.1, and outside the range it hands out), and turn off DHCP on your own router.
4. Give your second router's Wi-Fi network the same name and password as your provider's. Your devices then automatically switch to the strongest transmitter.

Can't run a cable through the house? A mesh system does the same, but wirelessly and usually with one app for all transmitters. If you keep your provider's router, it's also best to put a mesh system in access point or bridge mode.

Method 2: your own router behind your provider's router

This is the method from my 2016 article. Your own router then creates a second, separate network behind your provider's. Use this method if you want to use your own router's features, such as a VPN server or parental controls.

1. Make sure the two routers use a different IP range. If your provider's router uses 192.168.0.x, for example, set your own router to 192.168.1.x. If they use the same range, it won't work.
2. Connect a LAN port of your provider's router to the WAN or internet port of your own router.
3. Check in your provider's router settings which IP address your own router got (for example 192.168.0.142), and reserve that address (DHCP reservation) so it never changes.
4. Put that address in the DMZ (sometimes called "exposed host") of your provider's router. It then forwards all incoming traffic to your own router, and you only need to open ports in one place.
5. Turn off the Wi-Fi on your provider's router. Two Wi-Fi networks side by side interfere with each other and confuse your devices.
6. Connect all your devices to your own router.

Method 3: your provider's router in bridge mode

The cleanest solution: your provider's router only works as a modem, and your own router does the rest. Your own router then gets the internet address directly, without double NAT.

1. Check in your provider's settings or app whether there is a bridge mode (or "modem mode") option. With some providers you have to request it from customer service.
2. Turn on bridge mode. Note: the Wi-Fi of your provider's device then switches off, and your provider's own settings (such as Wi-Fi via their app) stop working.
3. Connect the port your provider indicates to the WAN port of your own router and restart both.

If you have fibre, some providers even let you connect your own router directly to the fibre box. Ask your provider.

My tips

• Only want better Wi-Fi? Choose method 1. It's the simplest and causes the fewest problems.
• Update your routers' software and change the default password of the settings page.
• Use a cable between the two routers if you can. A cable is faster and more stable than a wireless connection.
• Choose a router with Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 if you buy a new one. Older routers with Wi-Fi 5 or older slow down modern smartphones and laptops.
• Write down what you change, so you can undo it. If nothing works anymore, the reset button (press it for a few seconds with a paperclip) returns a router to its factory settings.

Sources

• My original 2016 article (Dutch)