Random IT question about home network

[DLgal]

Can anyone help? I bought a new modem/router combo to replace a 5 year old one with horrible connectivity issues. I have never set up a modem/router before. We always have the cable guy do it when we move into a new place (this is the longest we have lived in one house before so it's the first time we have had to swap out equipment that is outdated).

Anyway, my question is this: When setting up a new modem/router, will I have to reconnect ALL my devices again, even if I reuse the same network name and password? Or will my devices just be able to connect using the same credentials? That task seems daunting. We have, easily, 20 things connected to our home network. Everything from smart appliances to tablets, computers, video game systems, smart TVs, etc.

If I will have to manually reconnect everything, I will want to make a list so I don't forget anything. Don't want to waste time doing that if unnecessary, though.

 

[bcla]

I haven't tried doing it with an all-in one. Strangely enough I helped my parents order one, and they were able to do it themselves. The main thing would be registering the cable modem with the internet service provider. However, it was one one with a default SSID and password. There might be a way to modify it (it would be in the instructions) but the way to do it would be specific to the particular device.

I've tried taking my old Wi-Fi router and giving it the same SSID and password. It didn't work that way. If I tried to connect to it, it would ask for a password. There's the possibility of the same SSID being used in the same area, but there's probably some other identifier that makes them unique. So yeah - you'll probably need to .

One thing that you might be able to do is just connect the old box to the new one (aka daisy chaining). There's probably a way to use it like a Wi-Fi router. If you use a long ethernet cable it might be possible to place it where it has better connectivity.

 

[sam_gordon]

One thing that you might be able to do is just connect the old box to the new one (aka daisy chaining). There's probably a way to use it like a Wi-Fi router. If you use a long ethernet cable it might be possible to place it where it has better connectivity.

I wouldn't think so. Then you'd have two WiFi access points with the same SSID, and that could probably cause confusion.

OP, I would expect if you use the same SSID and password, devices SHOULD just reconnect. But, don't count on it. Make a list of everything that connects, follow the instructions provided to set up the new modem/router, and then see if things connect. If they do, great. If not, reconnect them.

Make sure you have your login information for your ISP though. That is hopefully in the menu structure of the old modem/router. Or your ISP may have instructions on the web on how to set up a new modem. Get those before you swap things out.

 

[disneychrista]

Everytime I have change out my modem/router I have had to reset up the connection for each device (phones, laptops, tvs, etc) that it is connected to.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

OP, I would expect if you use the same SSID and password, devices SHOULD just reconnect.

That is my assumption as well. Honestly, I'm on my third router, and this is the first time I didn't use the default name. But now that I have a good name for our router, I'm keeping it in the future.

 

[kdonnel]

As long as you use the same SSID, password, and security settings all the devices will connect none the wiser that anything even changed.

I have multiple access points, four, in my house all configured with the same settings. Devices connect to the one with the best signal. Phones and mobile devices roam from one access point to another as I move through the house or outside.

 

[FigmentSpark]

If they are set up exactly the same, I think you can keep all the credentials. However, I would make that list anyway. You'll want to check each to make sure they are still working, no matter what you decide.

 

[bcla]

I wouldn't think so. Then you'd have two WiFi access points with the same SSID, and that could probably cause confusion.

OP, I would expect if you use the same SSID and password, devices SHOULD just reconnect. But, don't count on it. Make a list of everything that connects, follow the instructions provided to set up the new modem/router, and then see if things connect. If they do, great. If not, reconnect them.

Make sure you have your login information for your ISP though. That is hopefully in the menu structure of the old modem/router. Or your ISP may have instructions on the web on how to set up a new modem. Get those before you swap things out.

I wasn't thinking of the same SSID. Just use it to get closer. A lot of people just use multiple boxes in the same home, but you have to get creative when there's one connection to the internet. Also a lot of people don't do the one thing that helps more than anything else, which is to raise the location of the Wi-Fi box. However, building a shelf is often not high with the "wife acceptance factor".

I remember when I was living in a shared house, one of the residents wanted faster access for gaming and hooked up a 50 ft ethernet cable to the Wi-Fi router. Some like to use several Wi-Fi routers to create better coverage in the same house.

Also - most cable modems don't require a login. I know Comcast doesn't. When I got a new Wi-Fi router there was a problem that it took some time before the cable modem would accept it. Usually it's about 5-10 minutes before it reconfigures. Now when I had DSL service I needed a PPPoE login and password.

 

[bcla]

If they are set up exactly the same, I think you can keep all the credentials. However, I would make that list anyway. You'll want to check each to make sure they are still working, no matter what you decide.

I've tried it myself and most equipment still gets recognized as different. I've even seen some setups where there were two boxes with the same SSID and both showed up when my computer/device scanned for available Wi-Fi.

There are some enterprise setups where multiple mesh units broadcast the same SSID and they're networked to pass on between them. This is common in universities. But most home equipment doesn't readily do that. There are repeaters that can be programmed to do that, but I haven't tried it myself.

 

[GreatLakes]

You'll need to use the same SSID, password, and encryption level (WAP2 as an example).

In some instances you'll have a problem if you are changing standards drastically or moving in the spectrum (2.4 to 5.0) but generally that is only really old devices.

 

[DLgal]

What is the SSID? Is that the name of the network or is that some string of numbers that I need to get from my existing modem settings (which I cannot access because we have no idea what the login credentials are).

 

[RamblingMad]

Can anyone help? I bought a new modem/router combo to replace a 5 year old one with horrible connectivity issues. I have never set up a modem/router before. We always have the cable guy do it when we move into a new place (this is the longest we have lived in one house before so it's the first time we have had to swap out equipment that is outdated).

Anyway, my question is this: When setting up a new modem/router, will I have to reconnect ALL my devices again, even if I reuse the same network name and password? Or will my devices just be able to connect using the same credentials? That task seems daunting. We have, easily, 20 things connected to our home network. Everything from smart appliances to tablets, computers, video game systems, smart TVs, etc.

If I will have to manually reconnect everything, I will want to make a list so I don't forget anything. Don't want to waste time doing that if unnecessary, though.

Copy and paste your SSID and password from your old setup and use the same for your new one. If you have two antennas, then duplicate this info twice.

 

[kdonnel]

What is the SSID? Is that the name of the network or is that some string of numbers that I need to get from my existing modem settings (which I cannot access because we have no idea what the login credentials are).

It is the name of the WiFi network.

 

[DLgal]

It is the name of the WiFi network.

Thanks!

 

[bcla]

What is the SSID? Is that the name of the network or is that some string of numbers that I need to get from my existing modem settings (which I cannot access because we have no idea what the login credentials are).

It stands for "Service Set Identifier". Yeah - it's the name of the Wi-Fi networking equipment. When you click on the Wi-Fi symbol (different on different devices) you'll see a list of Wi-Fi SSIDs being broadcast. On my Apple equipment it would show relative signal strength and whether or not it's password protected. Comcast customer SSIDs include "xfinitywifi" (no password) and "XFINITY" (password needed). A lot of equipment have default names for the SSID, but typically the user can change it. At lot of boxes have 2 different SSIDs when there's 2.4 and 5 GHz. The modem portion likely doesn't need any kind of setup other than registration with the internet service provider.

 

[disneychrista]

Comcast customer SSIDs include "xfinitywifi" (no password) and "XFINITY" (password needed).

And whatever the name of the individual router/modem is.

 

[bcla]

And whatever the name of the individual router/modem is.

Yeah - that's a separate SSID for the specific customer. I don't recall the names that Comcast uses. I've seen/used enough AT&T boxes to know they say something like ATT3e5j3A6.

I understand a lot of Comcast customers don't realize that their all-in-one boxes are being shared to create a semi-public Wi-Fi hotspot for other Comcast customers. My neighbor's box does this and occasionally I've used it. When I mentioned it, he didn't seem to care as long as his access was stable.

 

[disneychrista]

7. I don't recall the names that Comcast uses.

I understand a lot of Comcast customers don't realize that their all-in-one boxes are being shared to create a semi-public Wi-Fi hotspot for other Comcast customers. My neighbor's box does this and occasionally I've used it. When I mentioned it, he didn't seem to care as long as his access was stable.

I have comcast and mine is basically the name/type of modem I have. I like/hate that comcast uses my connect to provide "public" wifi. It came in handy during a PSPS when a neighbor had a generator and I could use that.

 

[bcla]

I have comcast and mine is basically the name/type of modem I have. I like/hate that comcast uses my connect to provide "public" wifi. It came in handy during a PSPS when a neighbor had a generator and I could use that.

It still worked? I thought that the repeaters were powered at the line, and I'm not sure they have any kind of backup. I remember that I could get cellular data working though.

I remember one time during an unplanned blackout I grabbed a UPS power strip to power my old DSL modem and Wi-Fi router. However, DSL is powered at the central office just like a traditional phone line. It worked, although the UPS would beep incessantly when it was on battery power. I just used that as an opportunity to make a reservation somewhere else and leave town.

As for Comcast turning every all-in-one box into a Comcast customer hotspot, there should be a way to turn that off. I thought it was done by accessing the box's configuration, but it's actually through the customer account.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/disable-xfinity-wifi-home-hotspot
I remember when we moved into my company's new small office before we got our own internet access. I found a Comcast hotspot nearby and worked using that. I do understand that a few customers sued Comcast over this, claiming that it degraded the performance and forced the customer to pay for the additional power that was being used to connect to another customer's devices.

 

[RamblingMad]

This is why I buy my own cable modem and keep everything separate. It’s much cheaper to upgrade this way. And I don’t have to worry about my ISP using my gear.