DJW Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 How many cable Modems can you run off of a single cable input? I have a cable modem and router in one room and was thinking of putting another cable modem and router in another room. Can I do that? I have tried wifi extenders but have not had very good look. Either they do not work very well or I am doing something wrong. I get multiple IP address error messages and then the laptop drops the net and I need to unplug the wifi extender and reconnect to the network. Then it will work fine for awhile and the signal will be good then I get multiple IP address error messages and it drops. Thoughts Please Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homelesshartshorns Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 What kind of WIFi extender do you have? I have been using the PrpWave and it has been working good for us. But you do need to understand a few basics about the administration area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 The cable company assigns one IP address to A modem. To run a second modem, you would have to get another IP address assigned by the cable company and that would come with another subscription. If you are getting multiple IP errors means some of your devices have hard IP addresses assigned instead of getting IP addresses assigned by DHCP. You probably have the WfFi extender allocating DHCP addresses and it should not. The main router should do all the DHCP allocations and the WiFi extender should be doing pass thru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJW Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 I have 2 TP-link N300 Model TL-WA854RE WIFI Universal Range Extenders. I had bought one for my sister who uses only Mac products and it did play well with them so she gave it back to me. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 The how many cable modems off one output gets technical fast and needs a lot of details about your particular cable company and connection. It is safe to say two or three can be hooked up to most services but if they or your service aren't up to the latest standards peak speeds can suffer. As was mentioned you'll also suffer from multiple cable bills, sometimes the cable company helps a bit by offering "roommate plans" under that or a similar name that can cut the price of the additional modems a bit. Still very expensive unless you have maxed out the connection on your existing modem. For extenders the options vary a lot both in cost and reliability, my hookup only offers me a wired connection at the remote point but it sits for many months with no attention. If you really need an extender I'd say go to NewEgg.com and do some shopping and reading reviews, other places may have a better price but I've found NewEgg to consistently have the most solid reviews. Personally I'd think about replacing your existing WiFi router with one of the better ones available (start shopping at NewEgg) as it will improve all your connections as well as giving you better range for your more distant devices as a first option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJW Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Stan I already have a Netgear N600 Dual Band Gigabit Router. I don't think my router is the problem and it is hooked up to a Motorola Model SB 6180 cable modem so I don't think I have bad equipment. If anything I think the problem might be that my HP laptop cannot receive the stronger 5gh side of the router. I also bought both of these extenders from New Egg on sale. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Few Laptops have 5GHz WiFi built-in. Don't know what range you are trying to get. I use a Surf SOHO router with addon antennas. With the truck about an 1/8th of a mile way from the trailer, I use the trailer WiFi with the truck computer with a simple small USB adapter. The cost with antennas is about what you paid for the N600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 I see some Netgear N600 listings, the 3700 seems to be a good unit but folks seem to be experiencing issues after a year or so. Which extender are you using? I love the Motorola, now Arris, cable modems but somehow I got a white 6183 and the internal lights are way too bright, I miss my older black one. I've added four browser bookmarks that I use to check connectivity, one for my extender one for my access point, one for my router and last the cable modem. That way when I see an issue I can open the bookmark for the one I'm connected to and see if that link is good before working down the chain looking for the glitch. It takes the cable connection out of the picture and shortcuts a lot of the nonsense tech support sometimes tries use to make the problem someone else's. There is a good bit of range difference between 2.4 and 5 GHz, more with walls and such in the way so for longer distances and/or more walls the 2.4 usually does a lot better job of keeping a connection. I have both here and it is fun to use a signal strength monitor on my tablet to wander around the place seeing what the 2.4 and 5 signal strength is. I moved my Access Point several feet higher and it made a nice difference in the signal strength when sitting in my comfy chair, seems the router was right behind the fridge from that location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Mark, I've found that you can often find a newer internal WiFi card for an older laptop that will give you a better connection as well as the 5 GHz band. I bought one for my antique Dell and it is working like a champ. Only issue is that it had three antenna connectors while the laptop only had two antennas, leaving one open doesn't seem to be hurting things much. The same thing is often done when swapping to Linux on an old laptop as the Intel WiFi cards are supported a lot better than some of the other brands and a $10 card upgrade makes a lot of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV_ Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Dennis, I've found that short of running Ethernet cable, the next easiest and inexpensive way to connect additional rooms is with the Powerline adapters. They just plug into the nearest power outlet and then a short Ethernet cable from the router to the device. Then you plug in the second Powerline adapter and it has an Ethernet outlet you plug your computer into. Here is an example starter system: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/887958-REG/Trendnet_TPL_406E2K_500Mbps_Compact_Powerline.html These really do work, I have one set and ordered another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 I second the powerline adapters if the logistics work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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