Villa Wi-Fi Case Study: Fixing a DHCP Conflict After a New Fiber Router in Kuwait

At a glance

A family in a three-storey villa with a basement in Abu Fatira, Kuwait had a new fiber router installed by their internet provider, and suddenly the rest of the home network stopped working. Internet only worked when connected directly to the new router. UltraTech Kuwait visited the site, found two routers handing out IP addresses at the same time, and restored stable connectivity the same visit. We then recommended a permanent upgrade: 12 Ruijie Reyee RAP2266 Wi-Fi 6 access points on one PoE core switch, managed from the Ruijie Cloud app.

The problem: "The internet only works on the router"

The owner called us with a clear description: after the ISP connected a new fiber router, the internet worked on that router only, and every other part of the house network was cut off. They suspected an old switch.

With four levels of concrete, a villa like this needs more than one wireless device, so over the years several routers had been added to extend coverage. That history turned out to be the key.

What we found on site

1. Two routers were both acting as DHCP servers

The ISP technician installed the new fiber router but did not disconnect the old router. Both devices were running DHCP, the service that hands out IP addresses. With two DHCP servers on one network, devices receive addresses from whichever answers first, often with the wrong gateway. The result is exactly what the family saw: some devices online, others with "connected, no internet", and random drop-outs.

2. Two mesh units installed far too far apart

The technician had also installed two mesh routers: one in the basement and one on the first floor. Mesh is designed so that nodes sit within good range of each other and hand your phone from one to the next as you move around. Separated by a full floor of concrete, the two units could barely talk to each other, so they added cost without delivering real coverage or roaming.

3. Every other router was working as a separate network

The additional routers around the villa were each running in router mode, with their own DHCP and their own network. Even when everything was "working", nothing was connected into one system and there was no roaming: walking between floors meant dropping and rejoining networks.

4. The main router password had been changed

The main router's admin password had been changed during installation without the owner's knowledge, so the family had no control over their own equipment.

What we fixed on the same visit

1. Removed the old router so there was a single gateway to the fiber connection.
2. Reconfigured the other routers as access points (bridge/AP mode) so they stopped handing out addresses. One DHCP server now serves the whole house.
3. Reset and reconfigured the main fiber router, handing the admin credentials back to the owner and stabilising the fiber internet.

The outage was resolved and every floor was back online. That fixed the fault, but it did not fix the design: the access points were still standalone devices, each managed separately, with no seamless roaming between floors.

Our recommendation: one centrally managed Wi-Fi system

Rather than keep patching a mix of consumer routers and mesh units, we recommended replacing them all with a single, properly designed system:

• 12 × Ruijie Reyee RG-RAP2266 Wi-Fi 6 ceiling access points, placed across all four levels so every room has a strong signal.
• One Ruijie Reyee PoE core switch that powers every access point over its network cable, so there are no power adapters and one place where the network is controlled.
• The fiber router used only for internet, with one DHCP source and no conflicts.
• One Wi-Fi name throughout the house, with seamless roaming as you move between floors.
• Ruijie Cloud app management, so the network can be monitored and supported remotely.

Why wired access points instead of more mesh? In a concrete villa, each access point that has its own cable back to the switch keeps its full speed, while a mesh node that relays wirelessly loses speed with every hop and every wall. Learn more about the platform on our Ruijie Reyee Kuwait page.

Lessons for any villa owner in Kuwait

• Only one device should hand out addresses. When a new router goes in, the old one must be removed or switched to access-point mode.
• Mesh is not magic. Nodes placed floors apart through concrete cannot roam or relay well.
• More routers do not equal better Wi-Fi. Several standalone routers create several networks, not one.
• Keep control of your admin passwords. Ask any installer to hand them over.
• Big villas need a designed system. Cabled access points on a PoE switch are the reliable answer for multi-floor homes.

If your home Wi-Fi drops between floors, or the internet stopped working after a router change, contact UltraTech Kuwait for an on-site check. See also our earlier case study on turning an unstable home network into a reliable mesh system.

Update: the upgrade is installed

The owner approved the recommendation, and we installed it in one day. We removed the two mesh units and all the old routers, kept the best of them as the router on the fiber line, and fitted 12 Ruijie Reyee RG-RAP2266 Wi-Fi 6 ceiling access points across the basement and all three floors. The house already had network cables in every corner of every floor, so no new cable runs were needed: we rearranged all the cabling in the cabinet onto Ruijie Reyee switches. We planned the frequency band and channel of each access point so neighbouring ones do not interfere, checked that the full 200 Mbps of the fiber line, download and upload, reached every part of the house, and gave the owner full cloud control in the Ruijie app. The full project is in our Abu Fatira villa case study.