A Spare Router Makes Wi-Fi Changes Safer

I keep one spare router for testing Wi-Fi changes instead of experimenting on the network everyone is using.

My test bench is three Xiaomi Redmi Router AC2100 devices running OpenWrt. That sounds more elaborate than it is. One router can be the access point, another can be the client, and the third can stay untouched as a known-good comparison.

The useful loop is short:

1. Change one setting on the test router.
2. Walk around with a phone or laptop and check the signal where it matters.
3. Run a file copy or a video call for a few minutes.
4. Revert the setting if the result is worse.

This makes changes like channel selection, transmit power, and mesh placement easier to reason about. I can break the test network without breaking the evening Wi-Fi. If the change works, I copy it to the production access point. If it does not, the only thing I lose is a few minutes and the patience required to reconnect to a router named openwrt-test.

A spare router is also a better place to learn OpenWrt than the device carrying the household network. The hardware does not need to be expensive. It needs to be resettable, wired nearby, and boring enough that I will actually use it.