I recently moved to a new place and I noted I had two routers which I got when the people who were meant to install my WiFi didn’t come fast enough. I was burdened with the question of, what do I do with my old router? It might be in a box; it could be cluttering up a drawer or lost at the back of a wardrobe. Whatever the case, old routers and modem/router combi units can be reused.1.Connect your old router to your new wireless routerThis means connecting the old router to your new wireless network, using the Wi-Fi signal. It can then share access to the Wi-Fi network, giving greater coverage. Although there may be some latency issues, overall this is a quick and easy way to extend your wireless network.It has various uses, from giving better WiFi access to a remote part of the house, to letting you stream video to your tablet while you’re in the garden. 2.Have your guest WiFi connectionIf you have people regularly dropping in and using your wireless internet, why not give them their own network? This is like the wireless repeater project, but with a twist. The router connects to your existing, password-protected network, but gives password-free access to new devices. This will use the guest network feature of your old router. By default, this prevents guests accessing other devices on your network. 3.Use it as a cheap network network switchMost routers don’t have more than six Ethernet ports. With the increase in wireless technology around the home, this figure might even be as low as four. But with a clear need for devices to be connected over Ethernet, you might run out of ports. For example, home appliance monitoring devices, smart TVs and decoders, games consoles, and more might have no wireless networking. They need a physical connection to your network, and that means Ethernet. If you run out of Ethernet ports, you can add more with a network switch. It’s basically the networking version of a mains power bar, with additional ports plugged into one port on the router. 4.Use it a web serverThis might be a home-only website, intended to share vital information to your family. Alternatively, it might even be a blog, as custom router firmware will support the LAMP stack. This means that you could potentially install WordPress.
