Oct 25, 2026  · 10 min read  · By The Rio Team

How to set up a second Rio as an extender (Rio Mesh)

Someone at a home desk setting up a second Rio next to its open box, with the Rio app Mesh screen on their phone

Updated October 25, 2026.

Time20+ minmostly waiting
You need2 Riosmain and extra
AlsoPaperclipand your phone
Careful stepStep 3new Rio only

An extra Rio carries your Wi-Fi into rooms your main Rio can't reach well. Five steps. Set both Rios up side by side, then move the extra one.

Only the NEW Rio becomes an extra Rio. Your main Rio keeps your internet. Mark the new one with a sticky note the moment it comes out of the box.

What do you need?

  • Your first Rio, already working. This is your main Rio.
  • Your second Rio, in the box. This becomes your extra Rio.
  • A straightened paperclip.
  • Your phone with the Rio app, updated to the latest version first. It is best if both Rios are on the latest software too.
  • An Ethernet cable, if you want to link by cable. Wireless linking works too.
  • A sticky note or tape, to mark the new Rio.

While you set up the new Rio in the app, your phone leaves your main Wi-Fi for a while and joins the new Rio's own Wi-Fi from its label. That is normal. Do this at home with time to spare.

The 5 steps

Example: your main Rio is in the office and the extra Rio is going in the living room. Do steps 1 to 4 in the office, with both Rios side by side.

1

Tell your main Rio it is the main one

Do this on the Rio that gets your internet. Nothing is erased.

  1. Open the Rio app and tap Settings, then Mesh.
  2. At the bottom, tap Change mesh setting.
  3. Tap Main Rio.
Rio app Mesh screen with the Change mesh setting link circled in red
Tap Change mesh setting
Rio app Change mesh setting screen with the Main Rio option circled in red
Then tap Main Rio

Your Wi-Fi may drop for about a minute. Do this when nobody is on a call. You may also see an Add another Rio button. In the current app it opens a message to us, so use Change mesh setting as shown here.

2

Plug in the second Rio

About 5 min wait
  1. Stick a note on the new Rio so you never mix it up with your main one.
  2. Put it next to your main Rio.
  3. Plug it in and push the round ON/OFF button on the back.
  4. Wait about 5 minutes while it starts up.

Leave the cable out for now. Keep your main Rio plugged in the whole time.

What you should see The light on the new Rio flashes green while it starts up.
3

Turn the NEW Rio into an extra Rio

About 5 min wait

Only the NEW Rio. Never your main Rio. This erases the Rio you do it on and restarts it as an extra Rio. On your main Rio it would erase it and cut off your home's internet. Check this is the Rio with the sticky note before you tap anything.

Way 1: In the app (the main way)
  1. Set up the new Rio in the Rio app, the same way you set up your first one.
  2. Open the new Rio in the app. Tap Settings, then Mesh, then Change mesh setting.
  3. Tap Extra Rio.
  4. Read the warning. Tick the box that says This is my new Rio, not my main one.
  5. Tap Erase and make extra Rio.
  6. Wait about 5 minutes while it restarts.
Rio app Change mesh setting screen on the new Rio with the Extra Rio option circled in red
Tap Extra Rio
Rio app Erase this Rio screen with the tick box 'This is my new Rio, not my main one' circled in red
Tick the box
Rio app Erase this Rio screen with the Erase and make extra Rio button circled in red
Tap Erase and make extra Rio

If the app says Not here next to Extra Rio, you are on a Rio that other devices are using. Stop. That is not your new Rio.

Way 2: With the buttons (backup, no app needed)

Check this is the NEW Rio (the one with the sticky note). Unplug your main Rio first, so you can't press the wrong one. It needs no power for this step. Plug it back in when you finish.

  1. On the back of the new Rio, press and release the WPS button. The light starts switching between blue and green.
  2. Soon after, push a paperclip into the tiny RESET hole and hold it for 5 seconds.
  3. When the light flashes red, it is resetting. Let go and wait about 5 minutes while it restarts.

Nothing happened? Try again from the first press. Don't push the round ON/OFF button by mistake. It turns the Rio off. Press it once to turn it back on.

Back of a Rio with the WPS button and the RESET hole circled in red
WPS button and RESET hole on the back
What you should see After about 5 minutes the new Rio has restarted as an extra Rio. The app can't open it after this. That is normal.
4

Link the two Rios

A few minutes

Pick one way. Both work.

Option A: Cable
  1. Plug one end of the cable into one of the ports labeled LAN1 or LAN2 on your main Rio. Never use the port labeled WAN. That one is for your modem.
  2. Plug the other end into any port on the second Rio.

Use one cable only. Never connect two cables between the same two Rios.

Back of a Rio with the ports labeled LAN1 and LAN2 circled in red
Use LAN1 or LAN2, never WAN
Option B: WPS buttons, no cable
  1. Press and hold WPS for 5 seconds on your main Rio, then let go. Its light switches between blue and green while it pairs.
  2. Within a couple of minutes, do the same on the second Rio.
  3. Expect flashing blue within a few minutes. If there is no solid blue after about 5 minutes, try again.
What you should see The light on the second Rio goes flashing blue while it joins, then solid blue when it is linked.
5

Move it to its spot

About 5 min wait
  1. If you used a cable, unplug it from both Rios. Rooms far apart? See where to put the extra Rio about keeping a cable in.
  2. Take the second Rio to its new spot and plug it in.
  3. Wait about 5 minutes, then check the light. Test your Wi-Fi in the room.

Your devices should keep using the same Wi-Fi name and password. You should not see a second network.

What you should see Solid blue in the new spot means you are done.

Solid blue? You're done.

Your Wi-Fi now reaches further. Not solid blue, or the room is still weak? Start with the spot below, then the checks in "If something is off".

Where should the extra Rio go?

Put it about halfway between your main Rio and the room with weak Wi-Fi. It must still get a good signal from the main Rio. A Rio placed in the weak room has nothing strong to pass on. Office to living room: a hallway or a shelf in the nearest open room works. Not in a closet, and not behind a TV or metal shelf.

Solid blueKeep it there.
Solid yellowThe link is weak. Move it closer to the main Rio.
Solid redIt lost the main Rio. Move it closer, then check the main Rio is on.

Give the light a few minutes after each move.

Rooms far apart, other floors, thick walls

  • Stay in the middle. Put the extra Rio between the two rooms, where the light stays solid blue. Don't push it into the far room.
  • Use a cable if you can. A cable from a LAN1 or LAN2 port on your main Rio to the extra Rio does not weaken with walls or floors. Rio's app shows extra Rios as "Linked by cable" when they use one. You can leave it in. We expect it to work, but we have not run one for weeks, so check the light after you plug it in. Use one cable only, and never two cables between the same two Rios.
  • Need more reach? One mesh holds up to 8 Rios. Add them one at a time, with the same steps.

Not sure which fits your home? Email us with a rough floor plan and we'll suggest a spot.

If something is off

Look at the light on the front of the second Rio.

What the lights mean
Light What it means What to do
Flashing green Starting up. Wait up to 5 minutes.
Flashing red Resetting. Let go of the paperclip and wait about 5 minutes.
Switching blue and green WPS pairing. Press WPS on the other Rio within a couple of minutes.
Flashing blue Joining your main Rio. Wait a few minutes.
Solid blue Linked. Good signal. Nothing. You're done.
Solid yellow Linked, but the signal is weak. Move it closer to your main Rio.
Solid red Lost your main Rio. Check the main Rio is on. Move closer or use the cable.
Switching blue and red Installing an update. Don't unplug it. Wait.
The light never turns solid blue
  1. Make sure the new Rio finished restarting. Give it about 5 minutes.
  2. Make sure the cable is in a port labeled LAN1 or LAN2 on the main Rio, not the port labeled WAN.
  3. Check that mesh is on in your main Rio (step 1) and that only the new Rio was made an extra Rio.
  4. Try the other way, cable or WPS. For WPS, press both Rios within a couple of minutes of each other.
  5. Still no luck? Start the second Rio over. Hold the RESET hole for 10 seconds, wait 5 minutes, and begin again at step 3.
I made my main Rio an extra Rio by mistake

Don't panic. Your main Rio has been erased, and your home's internet is down until you set it up again. The app usually stops you if devices are using that Rio, but don't count on it.

  1. Hold the RESET hole on that Rio for 10 seconds, then wait about 5 minutes.
  2. Join the Wi-Fi on the Rio's label, open the Rio app and set it up again.
  3. Your rooms, device list and Rio account link were erased. We can't promise they come back. Email us and we'll help.

Still stuck?

Email us if the light isn't solid blue after you've started over once, if it stays solid red, or if your Wi-Fi is still weak in the far room with a solid blue light. Include the light color, a photo of the light, and which step you were on.

Email Rio support

Quick questions

Will my devices see a second Wi-Fi name?

They should not. Every Rio in your mesh should share one Wi-Fi name and password.

Does the extra Rio need a cable?

No. It can link by Wi-Fi (WPS) or by cable.

Do my rooms and rules cover the extra Rio?

We have not confirmed that every rule applies to devices on the extra Rio. Your main Rio still runs your rooms, device approvals and Rio VPN.

How do I undo it?

Hold the RESET hole on the extra Rio for 10 seconds and wait about 5 minutes. Then set it up again like a new Rio.

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