Installing a Wi-Fi repeater: Here’s how

Installing a Wi-Fi repeater using the WPS method

WPS stands for ‘Wi-Fi Protected Setup’.

• Installation is quick and easy. Plug the Wi-Fi repeater into a socket and press and hold the WPS button on the device for a few seconds.
• When the LED indicator on the repeater lights up, press the WPS button on your Wi-Fi router within the next 2 minutes. You’ll need to hold this down for a few seconds too, until the LED indicator lights up.
• The repeater will then automatically connect to the router via Wi-Fi and will be installed.
• Not all repeaters have WPS. In this case, you can install the device manually.

Manual installation of the Wi-Fi repeater on Windows

This installation method uses the repeater’s user interface. We’ll show you the procedure using a Fritz repeater as an example.

• First, plug the Wi-Fi repeater back into the mains socket. Ideally, this should be near your computer. Alternatively, connect the repeater to your PC using a LAN cable.
• On a Windows computer, next click on the network icon. You’ll usually find this in the bottom right-hand corner.
• Select the Wi-Fi repeater here. It will appear as soon as the repeater is plugged into the socket. Disable ‘Connect automatically’ by unticking the box next to it.
• Then click on “Connect”. You will now need to enter the Wi-Fi key. You’ll find this on the underside of the repeater. The factory setting is usually “00000000”.
• Open your browser on your computer and go to the repeater’s user interface. You’ll find the required IP address in your repeater’s manual. If you’re using a Fritz repeater, you can also enter “http://fritz.repeater” into the address bar.
• Make sure you’re logged into the Wi-Fi network you want to connect the repeater to.
• Log in to the repeater’s user interface by first setting a password and confirming with ‘OK’. The setup wizard will guide you through the next steps.
• Select ‘Wi-Fi Bridge’ as the access type and confirm with ‘Next’.
• When you reach the “Repeater Wireless Network Selection” screen, tick the box next to the Wi-Fi network you wish to integrate the repeater into. Confirm again by clicking “Next”.
• Next, you’ll need to configure the repeater’s security settings. Select WPA encryption for this. To do this, enter your network’s password under ‘Wi-Fi network key’ and confirm again by clicking ‘Next’.
• A window titled ‘Apply settings’ will appear. Click ‘Finish’ here to complete the installation and setup of the repeater.
• However, it may take a few minutes for the repeater to connect to the router. Once this is done, you can plug the repeater into another socket of your choice.