If you have replaced a Wi-Fi router beforeโlike when you moved from an ISP-supplied gateway to a retail routerโyou already know how it can be a tedious process.
Wi-Fi router swapping is a pain when you have to reconnect many existing devicesโespecially IoT ones, such as wireless cameras, printers, or media streaming sticksโto the new network. Additionally, Wi-Fi 7, with its higher security requirements, only makes things a little more complicated.
But that pain can be avoided. The trick is to make the new Wi-Fi router (or mesh system) replicate the network settings of the one it replaces. This post will come in handy when you're ready to replace your current router.
Let's dig in!
Dong's note: I first published this post on December 30, 2023, and updated it on August 20, 2024, with the latest information.
Wi-Fi router swapping: The general tips on doing it without disconnecting existing devices
I'd say that I'm the one who has replaced or swapped the most Wi-Fi routers you've met.
For this website alone, I test at least a few routersโor any Wi-Fi broadcaster, for that matter, including access points, extenders, and othersโa month and use a couple dozen devices of all different types and Wi-Fi standards for the evaluation.
Many of these devices, such as IP cameras, are placed in hard-to-reach spots. It would take me hours to reconnect all of them to a new Wi-Fi network each time I review a new router. Those are hours I don't want to waste. (So far, there's been only one time that I needed to reprogram my test clients, as I lamented in the review of the ARRIS SURFboard G54.)
And that brings us to the first general tips on making your router support existing Wi-Fi devices.
1. Keep the SSID and password the same
For testing, I use the same Wi-Fi network namesโa.k.a SSIDsโand the same password for them. Specifically, depending on the hardware, my test SSIDs have always been based on this one:
Dong-Knows-Tech
Often I use variants with the "-2.4GHz", "-5GHz", "6GHz", "-MLO", "-Guest", or "-IoT" suffixes to clarify which band or virtual network is being tested.
The password for all of them is always:
12345679
This is not a great password, but it serves my testing purposes. You should pick another one that fits your needs. Whenever I set up a new router, I use these two for their Wi-Fi bands, and that's it! My test clients will connect to them automatically. Well, almost.
Tips on Wi-Fi passwords
When it comes to passwords, it's always about keeping it a secret that matters. Don't associate complexity with security.
The goal is to make your password hard to guess but easy to remember and use.
A Wi-Fi password that includes letters, numbers, UPPER case/lower case, and special characters can be a real pain, especially when you need to enter it into an IoT device, such as a printer or a media streamerโeven a modern one like the Fire TV.
Generally, it's best to use a digit-only password. Here's a way to make a password effective and easy to remember:
Pick a long sentence or phrase and use each word's letter count to form the password.
If you use that previous sentence, the password would be 414833545652438โuse another phrase for yourself. If you think you can't remember the password, write that sentence down in a conspicuous place instead of the password itself.
The point is that you should pick an SSID or SSIDs that you love and a suitable password for each. Now, use them for your current Wi-Fi solution.
When you get a replacement router (or mesh system), program it with the same SSID(s) and password(s). In most cases, that's all it takes for your existing devices around the house to get connected. You won't need to reconnect them individually.
But sometimes, reusing SSID and password is not enough. Some existing devices still don't connect. This is where the next tip comes into play. It's also where those with a new Wi-Fi 7 router might want to pay close attention.
2. Use the same security Authentication Method and Wi-Fi channel width (bandwidth)
The Authentication Method is the level of security applicable to the Wi-Fi password. The higher it is, the more secure the Wi-Fi network is. However, that also means the network becomes less compatible.
For example, if your current Wi-Fi network uses WPA or WPA2, and you program the new router with WPA3, chances are most existing devices won't be able to connect. So, when in doubt, use the lowest authentication method, but it's best to use the same level as the previous router.
Additionally, for the 5GHz and 6GHz bands, keep the value of the Wi-Fi channel width (or bandwidth) the same. When in doubt, leave the setting at the value that includes all width options, which often is "Auto". If you pick a specific width, such as 160Mhz, unsupported clients, such as those capable of 80MHz or lower, can't connect.
Now, it's likely all of your existing devices will connect to the new network with no issue, that's if your new router is not a Wi-Fi 7 one.
The extra steps if your new router features Wi-Fi 7
Things can be problematic when you upgrade to a Wi-Fi 7 router. The older your current router is, the more complicated it might get since chances are your devices are old, too.
Wi-Fi 7 has a new MLO feature. When turned on, often the default option, the router now always uses the highest Authentication Method. Consequently, it will not work with many existing legacy devicesโgenerally, you should expect only Wi-Fi 6 and newer clients to be supported.
It's worth noting that MLO plays little role in improving the performance of clients. In my real-world experience, it's only significant in a wireless mesh setup. As a result, other than the FOMO, you won't miss out on much by turning it off in most cases.
That said, keep the following two scenarios in mind:
- If you use a single router or a mesh with wired backhauling: Turn MLO offโin many cases, that means you don't pick the default option to have it on during the initial setup process. Now, you can apply compatibility settings to the new router's SSIDs.
- If you want to use MLO: Create a new SSID with this feature. After that, use additional (virtual) SSIDs (such as IoT or Guest Wi-Fi) to replicate those of your old router, including the lower security requirements. Most Wi-Fi 7 routers allow for multiple virtual SSIDs for backward compatibility purposes.
The point is that the default settings of many Wi-Fi 7 routers can be incompatible with legacy devices, and that's the case for any MLO-enabled SSID.
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3. Keep the IP pool the same or larger
The IP pool is the range of IP addresses the router will give out to the connected client. In most cases, the change of the IP pool doesn't affect connectivity.
However, if you happen to have programmed an IP address on a device manually, it won't get an IP address given out by the router if the IP pool is not in the same range. Or if you have lots of devices, there might not be enough space for all of them.
Using the same (or larger) IP range when replacing your Wi-Fi router is also a good idea when you have specific settings, such as IP reservation or port forwarding.
Routers from the same vendor tend to use the same IP range, but if you change the brand, the range almost always changes. The table below includes the default IP addresses for popular networking hardware, which are the roots of their IP ranges. It will come in handy when you do a Wi-Fi router swapping.
Vendor | Friendly URL (Internet connection required) | Default IP (a.k.a Default Gateway IP) | Username | Password |
Asus | http://www.asusrouter.com | 192.168.1.1 192.168.50.1 | admin | For the user to create during the initial setup wizard |
AT&T Gateway | n/a | 192.168.1.254 | n/a | Access code printed on the hardware unit |
Comcast (Xfinity) Gateway | n/a | 10.0.0.1 10.1.10.1 | admin cusadmin | For the user to create during the initial setup wizard |
D-Link | http://dlinkrouter.local | 192.168.0.1 192.168.1.1 192.168.200.1 | n/a | admin or printed on the hardware's underside |
MSI | http://msirouter.login | 192.168.10.1 | admin | varies (printed on hardware) |
Netgear | http://routerlogin.com | 192.168.1.1 | admin | For the user to create during the initial setup wizard |
Linksys | http://myrouter.local | 192.168.0.1 192.168.1.1 | n/a | admin (must be changed during the initial setup process) |
TP-Link | http://tplinkwifi.net | 192.168.0.1 | admin | admin |
Most Cable Modems | N/A | 192.168.100.1 | n/a | admin password default |
For more on the IP pool and how to adjust it, check out the steps in this post on Wi-Fi routers.
Wi-Fi router swapping: Cross-router setting restoration
Certain router brands allow users to back up an existing router's setting to a file and restore that file to another model, allowing you to keep all the settings.
Examples of these are those from Asus, Ubiquiti, and Synology. In this case, keep the following in mind:
- The replacement router and the old router generally need to use firmware of the same major release. In the case of Asus, the former typically needs to use the same or newer major firmware version than the latter.
- After the restoration, adjust the settings to meet the new router's model and Wi-Fi standard. After doing a backup and restoration of the new router itself to work out all the potential problematic settings
While the ability to import the settings of an old router to a new one is convenient, generally, it's best to set up a new router from scratch and enter the settings manually.
The final tip
There you go. The Wi-Fi router swapping job doesn't have to be complicated. But the interruption is inevitableโyou have to remove the old and place the new in its place. This can be a drag if you have loved ones working from home and, for some reason, you can't wait till everyone takes a break.
You can minimize this downtime by applying all the Wi-Fi router swapping tips above on the new hardware separatelyโthe router doesn't have to be part of your network during the process. After that, once it's ready, place it near the old router and turn it on before quickly moving the network cables from the old router over, starting with the WAN port.
If you time it right, the actual downtime will be no longer than a minute, enough to be unnoticed by the involved parties. It can be a fun challenge. I speak from experience.
Brother Dong,
Huge fan and appreciate all your work. Hopefully Iโm not presenting you with a situation where you tell me to โread the articlesโ as Iโd like to believe Iโve read 90%+ of your content and didnโt miss itโฆbut itโs certainly possible.
I have 1gb fiber from AT&T and have been supplied with a BGW210-700 by them to use in my home. My home is wired throughout with CAT 5e cabling. Iโd like to purchase the Asus RT-AC88U to use in my network. Given what I have read so far online, I wonโt be able to get rid of the BGW210 completely. I will have to connect the direct home internet (from outside) to the ONT socket on the BGW and then connect a LAN port from the BGW to the 2.5 GB Asus RT WAN socket. From there, I would connect the 2.5bgps LAN port from my Asus to the ethernet socket in my home. This would allow me all the Asus RT features like WiFI-6 etc.
MY question, do I have to connect the ASUS directly to my BGW LAN socket? Or, can I place the ASUS router in a different section of the home, connect the BGW LAN directly to an ethernet port on the second floor socket, and then connect the ASUS from a wired ethernet port on the first floor? The issue is that Iโd like the WifI 6 source, given itโs more limited range, to be on the first floor of my home, rather than the second where the fiber cable enters my house.
I know you donโt like to answer home network issues, so Iโm skirting the line, but I promise, internet promises being worthless of course, I wonโt come complaining to you if it doesnโt work. I just donโt want to waste time purchasing the Asus if the theory itself is flawed for some reason Iโm missing.
Hope Iโm being clear and thanks for your time.
It’s a matter of how long the cable you use to connect the RT-AC88U to the fiber gatewayโthe sockets are two end of the cable and you can use them to exented its lentgh via addtional cables. In you case, though, you’ll get a double NAT setup, unless you can either:
1. Turn the BGW fiber gateway into the bridge mode, or
2. Use the RT-AC88U in the AP mode.
More on that in this post. Note that network’s rotuer must be the root of the network.
You won’t have Wi-Fi 6 since the RT-AC88U is a Wi-Fi 5 router.
Huge and thanks for your quick reply!
I meant the Asus RT-AX88U Pro so thanks for the clarification.
I did read that the BGW fiber can be placed into bridge mode or used as an AP. I have a switch with 8 2.5gbps ports connecting all outlets of the home so was hoping the Asus would give me the extra bandwidth to get faster connections than the 800mbps I’m getting from the wired connections now. It’s nothing to complain about of course, but rather something I’m pursuing for sheer principle….1st world problems. If it doesn’t work as I expect, I did what I could LOL
I will re-read your suggested posts too.
Thanks Again!
If you intend to use the RT-AX88U Pro as the router (#1), then you need to put the switch behind it. The gist is that you can’t just arragne hardware willy-nilly and expect things to work properly.
Yeah I was literally thinking that and coming back to comment. I believe the simpler option is to update my service provider’s gateway to one with 2 multi-gig ports (WAN and LAN) – ATT provides the BGW-320 and then either use the 88-Pro as an AP or even purchase a cheaper WIFI-only option from your list.
I don’t see a compelling reason to use the 88-Pro as Router #1.
Yeap, get one of these access points.
Hello,
Can you please let me know if replace Ausus 6e router (16000) with the new WiFi 7 router (the Pro one) will my speed change much. I currently have Ausus 16000 going into 10Gb switch and house is wired and I have 3 ET12 6E mesh satellites hooked up via 2.5Gb hardwired Ethernet cables back haul ?
I could replace the router but is it really worth it ?
Thanks ,
Marek
Not really, Marek. Things would be different if move to 10Gbps bakchauling. But even then, the speed of a connection always depends on the slowest device. If your clients remains the same, chances are you’ll see no difference. More here.
The article, as always, is very informative and already answered my first question about setting up a new router (better to do from scratch.). I do have another question when setting up is there anyway to easily identify the connected device other than the given IP address on the page? Some items connected I have no idea what they are, others identify by name which is more helpful.
Thank you again for the articles.
A router always uses the MAC address to identify a connected device. Depending on the operating system, some routers have additional protocols to identify the certain types of devices’ hostname (such as the Computer Name of a Windows computer) or give users the option to manually assign a name to a connected device. There’s no router that can recognize correctly the hostname of all devices by default and some devices have no hostname or the ability to carry a hostname.
The point is that the MAC address is the only thing reliable in all cases.