# Configure a Node as a Repeater

A benefit of Algorand’s decentralized network implementation is that a Repeater is effectively the same as any other node. The distinction currently is made by configuring a node to actively listen for connections from other nodes and having itself advertised using SRV records available through DNS.

It is possible to set up a repeater for a personal network that does not require DNS entries. This is done using the following steps.

## Install a Node

See this page for [node hardware requirements](https://dev.algorand.co/nodes/types#hardware-requirements).
Follow the [install instructions](https://dev.algorand.co/nodes/installation/manual-installation) for the specific operating system that the repeater will run on.

## Edit the Configuration File

Edit the configuration file for the node as described in the [configuration](https://dev.algorand.co/nodes/reference/config-settings) guide. Set the property `NetAddress` to `":4161"` for TestNet or to `":4160"` for MainNet. Then the file. Make sure the file is named `config.json`.

Concretely, your `config.json` file should look like the following for TestNet:

```
{

"NetAddress": ":4161"

}
```

## Start the Repeater Node

Start the node as described in the [install](https://dev.algorand.co/nodes/installation/manual-installation) guide. The node will now listen for incoming traffic on port 4161 for TestNet or on port 4160 for MainNet. Other nodes can now connect to this repeater.

## Connect a Node to the Repeater

Any node can connect to this repeater by specifying it in the `goal node start` command. Use 4161 for TestNet or 4160 for MainNet.

```
goal node start -p "ipaddress:4161"
```

The node can also be set up to connect to multiple repeaters using a `;` separated list of repeaters.

```
goal node start -p "ipaddress-1:4161;ipaddress-2:4161"
```