Proper way to connect access point to a router (both potentially using DHCP)?

So this is baffling to me for some reason, and I'm sure the solution is quite simple.

I have these three devices that make up my current home network:

• Arris SB6183 Cable Modem

• D-Link DIR-879 Router

• TP-Link Access Point

So, here's the issue. The Access point has a long cable running from one side of the house to the router, so that I can broadcast the signal at full strength on that side of the house. The users on that side of the house want their own SSID and password. So, to accomodate, I set the AP in "Access Point" mode, set up their own SSID and password, and enabled DHCP so that when they connect to their separate SSID their device is assigned an IP.

Cable modem -> Wireless Router (using DHCP) -> Wireless Access Point (using DHCP)

All hell broke lose. My router would randomly start assigning the wrong gateway to all of the devices connected to it, and the connection speeds plummeted as soon as I plug the AP into it. Is this because I technically have two DHCP servers on one router? Does it matter that the SSIDs are separate?

What would be the correct set up here? As of right now I temporarily fixed it by reserving an IP in the router for the AP, and setting the DHCP range of the access point outside the DHCP range of the router, so they don't conflict. I still don't think this is the correct solution. Can anyone who has better knowledge than me please chime in and tell me how I should do this? I am at a loss.

Thank you very much.

1 Answer

You likely don't want both DHCP servers running, unless you want the devices in a different subnet.

Having different SSIDs is just an identification to the wireless point you're joining. As far as the network is concerned, this is completely invisible, and you don't need to do anything special other than choosing a different SSID name.

Unless you have some special case, other than just wanting to extend your wireless network, you probably want a configuration of:

Cable Modem <-> Wireless Router (WITH DHCP) <-> Wireless Access Point (No DHCP)

This would allow the router to handle all the IP allocations, and the wireless access point would simply be a way to connect to the same network.