Xfi pod connection issues

How do I connect 2 pods so that they extend my signal linearly, not spoke and wheel, and stay that way. My home has more distance on one side of the gateway than the other. I have tried connecting just one pod (closest to the Gateway), then once that is working, connecting the second pod. One time it did connect to the first pod, but usually it connects independently to the gateway as it is barely in range. If the closer pod disconnects it  often connects back to the farther pod, making it nearly useless. But since the closer pod is closer to my devices, they connect to it instead of the much faster gateway that is well within range. Thanks for any assistance.