I decided to write a short article on the topic of replacing a Wi-Fi router and answer the most popular questions related to choosing, purchasing and setting up a new router. There are several reasons why you may need to replace your router. For example, a breakdown of an old router. These devices are not the most reliable or durable. A regular thunderstorm or power surge can easily damage the router. And in most cases, it is easier and more profitable to buy a new router than to repair an old one.
Another reason is the outdated and weak model. New, modern devices appear in the house, there are more of them, a faster and more stable Internet connection is needed. And the old router simply cannot cope with this load. In addition, it is simply technically outdated. For example, it does not support the new Wi-Fi network standard. And because of this, all devices connected to it suffer. An old router simply limits their capabilities.
In most cases, you can change the router to a new one yourself. All you need to do is select a new device, buy it, connect and configure it. There are several nuances in this matter, which I will discuss in this article. You will succeed!
How to change an old router to a new one: step-by-step instructions
Hi all!
Oh dear friend, just like you, I once faced the problem of buying a new router. Unfortunately, I did not have sufficient knowledge and simply went to the store and bought the first one I saw on the shelf in a computer store. But today I will try to tell you in as much detail as possible how you can quickly and without headaches change your old router to another, newer router. I advise you to read the article to the end so that at the end you have a complete picture and can already buy a normal device that will serve you for many years.
I, in turn, bought an Internet center, since my old one was simply dying little by little: it needed to be constantly rebooted, Wi-Fi fell off, and the Internet periodically jumped in speed.
Initial login to the web interface
So, we figured out how to connect a new router to a computer or laptop. Now you need to access the interface of the router itself to set the required parameters. On a PC or laptop, you need to use any of the Internet browsers available in the system. Please immediately note that if you have the tenth modification of Windows on your computer, for which the October update was installed, you cannot always get to the router’s web interface in the Edge browser (this failure is caused by the update itself, which is recognized even by Microsoft).
How long does a wifi router last and how often does it need to be replaced?
WiFi router is a fairly unpretentious device. And with the initially high quality of production, it lasts quite a long time. For example, I still have a 2011 router and it could easily continue to work if it had not broken down due to a power surge in the outlet. But there is one thing.
As technology improves every year, any electronics will eventually become obsolete. Let me give you a simple example. 10 years ago, at the dawn of WiFi, all network equipment operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency range.
When wireless devices appeared in large numbers in every home, the airwaves became so clogged that today it is simply impossible to normally use the Internet in an apartment building at 2.4 GHz.
Accordingly, a new operating range of 5 GHz has appeared, with which old routers and wireless adapters do not work. What to do? If you're happy with the low speed, that's okay, keep using it. If you want to constantly maintain high speed and stability of the network, watch videos in high quality, play modern games, then the requirements for equipment are increasing from year to year. This means that all equipment must be changed periodically. Fortunately, not so often - once 5-7 years will be enough.
Are private houses connected?
As a rule, in cities the connection is free for everyone. This is due to the fact that in large and medium-sized cities the infrastructure has been established and the necessary cables have been laid. As for small settlements with private houses, there are some peculiarities: there may not be technical capabilities (laid communications), therefore, to connect such objects, it is proposed to lay a fiber optic cable or telephone line. A fiber optic connection costs 99 rubles in the minimum tariff.
When laying a telephone line, the choice of tariffs is narrowed to one - speed 8 megabits per second, and it costs 349 rubles. Of course, all additional options also become available; they can be connected from your personal account.
If you change your old router to a new one, do you need to tell your provider Rostelecom, Dom.Ru, MGTS, Beeline?
The clear answer to the question of whether there is a need to inform your provider when changing your old router to a new one is NO, it is not necessary.
Today, most large Internet providers adhere to a service delivery scheme in which, in addition to cable to the apartment, the client is offered a branded wifi router for free or for rent. For example, Rostelecom, Dom.Ru, MGTS, Beeline or others do this. At the same time, the models of these routers have not been updated for years, which means there is a high probability that you will not receive the most modern device, which will suit only the most undemanding users in terms of wifi speed and connection quality.
However, after a while it dawns on you that you need to purchase a more powerful and functional router. This raises a fair question: do you need to tell your provider that you are changing his router to yours?
Just a few years ago, at the dawn of the WiFi era, providers had a very negative attitude towards installing a router in principle. Of course, you only had one PC connected, but via Wi-Fi you can connect all laptops and smartphones to the Internet at once. And don't pay anything extra. Therefore, in 99% of cases, when connecting to the Internet, the MAC address of the computer was linked to your personal account.
And to change it, you had to call support and tell the provider that your computer has changed. It was better not to talk about installing a router at all. Today, the question of prohibiting changing a router is no longer raised, but many providers still bind the MAC address of devices.
Sagemcom Fast 1744 v2, Fast 2804 v7
Another device that is easy to install. So:
- delete the PPP connection, if there is one;
- we entered the WAN service, delete the connection, go back;
- go to the “Second Level Interface”, open the “ATM PVC Interface”, delete everything that we find there;
- add a new connection;
- leave the type as EoA, click “apply”;
- create a new connection, select the atm0 interface;
- If “Enable NAT” and “Enable Firewall” appear during installation, then set “yes”.
Confusing configuration, but very simple. Here, for the most part, everything is standard and you need to focus on the classic Rostelecom settings. Moreover, if something stops working for you, just call the provider’s call-center and provide them with data about the device, the operators will provide assistance and, perhaps, even solve the problem.
How to change your provider's old router to a new TP - and more
But network equipment developers have foreseen such possible problems.
The thing is that each model has such a function as MAC address cloning. I discussed this topic in great detail for models of different brands in a separate article. This setting works on TP-, Zyxel, Keenetic, Asia, Tenda, Netis, D-, etc.
In short, to activate it, you need to enter the router settings from the exact PC or laptop to which the cable from the provider was originally connected, and enable the function of copying the MAC address from the computer to the router.
Next you need to save the settings and reboot the router. After which the Internet will start working as before, and the provider’s equipment will not notice any difference at all. The only thing you will need to know is the type of Internet connection and access data that will need to be entered in the system configurations. They can be copied from the old router or obtained from the operator itself.
Possible connection problems
Finally, everything is set up, but why is there no connection? There can be quite a lot of possible problems. First, check that the parameters on the router are entered correctly or the IPv4 protocol options are set. It also wouldn’t hurt to call up Device Manager and check that the drivers for the wireless network adapter used to connect are up to date. On laptops, users sometimes simply forget to turn on the Wi-Fi module (for this, switches on the side and rear panels, buttons on the keyboard unit, or special key combinations are used). Sometimes, after setting the router settings, it may be necessary to reboot it. When using the Internet Explorer browser, in its settings, disable the use of proxies for local addresses. If the problem is in the IPv4 protocol settings, make sure that automatic metric assignment is enabled in the advanced settings. Also, the problem may be on the side of the provider itself, so you should contact support. If all else fails, to be sure, check the condition of the cables used to connect the router for physical damage.
What do you need to know when changing the provider in your apartment?
An equally exciting question is when changing providers. It seems that you once set everything up and forgot it, now the Internet and wireless network are working great - but what will happen after reconnecting the Tp- router to a new operator?
There is nothing to worry about here either. Let's start with the fact that the wifi network settings will not go anywhere. They are not connected to the Internet in any way and the wireless signal will continue to work with the same parameters as before.
Even without the Internet, you can transfer files from one computer to another over a local network or broadcast a laptop picture to a TV.
But what needs to be changed is the Internet settings.
To do this, you need to find out from your new provider the type of connection and authorization data.
After you have found out these parameters, simply go to the Internet settings in the router control panel, select your type and enter the provided data.
The replacement of the provider itself occurs without your participation at all. Specialists perform all manipulations with the cable, which is brought into your apartment directly in the panel in the hall or entrance. It disconnects from the old operator's equipment and connects to the new one - and that's it. You won't even notice it.
You will find more detailed instructions on the detailed configuration of a particular router model during its initial connection or replacement on the pages of our website!
Source
What to do if the parameters are wrong or the password is lost
If you lose your Internet login data, you need to reconfigure and restore it. There are quite simple ways to solve this problem. Their essence boils down to the fact that you need to reset all settings to factory settings:
- Via the RESET button. Find the WPS/RESET button on the back of the device. You need to hold it for ten seconds. The indicator signal will start flashing - this means that the settings have been returned to the factory settings.
- Disconnect the device from the network.
- Through the WEB router configuration utility. On your device's management page, you have the option to restore manufacturer settings.
- Through the “System Tools” tab you need to enter “Factory Settings”.
- After that, click on the “Restore” button and wait for the factory settings to be restored.
- Turn off the router.
And the last point, which applies to two methods. Connect the router to the network and repeat the step-by-step configuration of its data, which is described above.
The user can handle the settings of the Wi-Fi router from Rostelecom on his own. The company itself does not produce such devices, but uses products from a number of manufacturers under its own brand. Their setup is largely similar, but there are still some nuances.
Content
Is it possible to change the Rostelecom router to another one?
A question that often comes up on forums and in the community of Internet users is whether it is possible to change a Rostelecom router. The answer is unequivocal - yes. The client has the right to make such decisions taking into account the current situation, and no one has the right to prohibit him from replacing the router, for example, with a newer model.
Replacement may be required in the following cases:
In most cases, the Rostelecom router is replaced with a more productive one that is capable of transmitting higher speeds.
Advantages of the Internet using PON technology from Rostelecom
The most significant advantage of PON Internet from Rostelecom is that, with the help of inexpensive optical splitters, a common optical fiber provides a network for many users. But remember that such splitters keep the network responsive for up to 64 users. Thus, this technology is of interest not only to subscribers, but also to service providers who want to replace somewhat outdated copper networks.
Features of PON networks, which can also be called advantages, are:
- absence of electromagnetic interference, since there is no need to use active equipment directly in the access network;
- reduction of fiber and equipment in the central office.
PON equipment from Rostelecom provides greater throughput and supports a double distribution coefficient. This means that with a 64-lane allocation, each user will receive a fairly large connection throughput, about 35 Mbps. If the provider uses lower distribution factors, for example, 16 or 32, subscribers will receive even more bandwidth. Thanks to the efficient use of PON standard bandwidth, subscribers are provided with high data transfer speeds. In addition, this technology makes it possible to use not only high-speed Internet, but also multiservice services, such as video, voice, and data.
How to replace a router
Replacing a Rostelecom router with another can be done free of charge and without involving a specialist. All that is necessary to solve the problem is to have at least minimal experience in performing such work. The Internet cable is connected in the same way and there is no need to change it. The only thing you can’t do without is replacing the Rostelecom router with a new one.
To set up new hardware, follow these steps:
When you enter the correct information, the Internet should work immediately. If this does not happen, you may need to consult the support service to replace the Rostelecom router. In this case, assistance is provided remotely or by a specialist visiting your home. By the way, RT has a special service “Digital Operator Assistance”, within which a company employee will help you resolve all problems.
Before changing your Rostelecom router, take care to collect the necessary information. In particular, you will need the access point name, login and password. Most often, this information is specified in the contract or you can check it directly with the operator. Be sure to set a strong password to connect to the WiFi network.
Nuances of setting up routers for mobile operators
As for situations where the router is configured for a specific cellular operator, you only need to enter those parameters that were provided to you when concluding the contract. Pay special attention to the protocols, usernames and passwords used. So, for example, if we are talking about how to connect a new router from Rostelecom, MTS, TTK or other operators, PPPoE is usually selected as the connection type, and logins and passwords are entered only those given by the operator itself.
Which routers are recommended?
Before changing your Rostelecom router to another, check the provider’s requirements for the router. This information can be obtained from the support service, at any of the sales offices or on the official website.
If you choose a Wi-Fi modem, the Rostelecom provider recommends the following models:
The cost of devices starts from 1000 rubles, so you need to pay attention to this point.
From ADSL routers you can also use Huawei HG-532e, and from 4G Alcatel Zone (MW40V) white / black. When connecting to the Internet using FTTx technology, more modern models will be required:
If you need an xDSL modem, the company offers the following options:
The choice is quite wide, so if in doubt, it is better to contact the provider and check with them about the possibility of connection.
Conclusion
The Rostelecom provider supplies all types of equipment for connecting to wireless Internet, so no matter what line is installed in the house, there are always several ways to connect to this service.
pros
Among the positive aspects are:
- Widespread.
- Variability of connection.
- Large selection of devices.
Minuses
Among the disadvantages are:
- Signal interruptions.
- Closed nature of some device firmware.
What to do if the settings are incorrect or the password is lost?
Now we will try to explain what to do if the router settings are lost, and how they can be restored. The easiest way is to reset and configure again, and also change the password on the router. There are simple instructions for resetting the settings:
- Find the WPS/RESET option on the device.
- Press and hold it for ten seconds.
- Wait until the indicator flashes - this is a signal indicating that the settings have been reset.
After completing these steps, you need to connect the device and configure it again. If the need arises, you can contact the operator at any time - call the hotline.
Concept
In fact, not every Internet user knows what a router is, but only people who work closely in the computer field (developers, system administrators, hackers, etc.) and simply amateurs who are interested in Internet equipment and always with genuine with interest, plunging into the world of technical innovations that are published almost every month.
The concept of a router contains a lot of complex information and sophisticated terms, which, I think, we mere mortals do not need to know.
