[SOLVED] Netgear wifi range extender is not detected after pairing with the router

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relztrah

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Mar 25, 2019
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I'm using Windows 10 with a Netgear wifi mesh range extender.

Out of the box or after a factory reset my Netgear wifi range extender is visible.

detected.jpg


However after I pair it with my router I no longer see it and of course can't connect to it.

not detected.jpg-p

The same happens with my cellphone. I've done a factory reset, and re-paired it with the router several times. I've looked at the Netgear troubleshooting as well but nothing there seems to help.

Any ideas?
 
xrobwx71 said:
Have you tried going here and following the prompts?
Click to expand...
Yes, and I spoke with a tech who logged on remotely to troubleshoot the extender. His analysis is that there is excessive network traffic on the router and dozens of "dead" IP addresses which don't allow the extender to connect properly. There are normally only two laptops, two cellphones and one network printer connected to that router's network which doesn't seem excessive to me. But I'm not the expert so I will take his advice and have the router optimized.

Another person on the Netgear Communities forum replied to my post there with the following suggestion:

The key word there is "mesh" extender.
Mesh extenders are designed to use the same SSID (name) as the primary router.
this lets your devices roam between the router and the extender as needed based on their own roaming protocol.
If you don't like this feature, you can disable it and set it with its own ssid.

So maybe it's working after all. I'll have to continue investigating.
 
Last edited:
Just found some useful suggestions on measuring wi-fi signal strength here:
See how good your Wi-Fi is with these tips

Note: it may also be worthwhile doing an internet speed test in different places in your house. Because a 5Ghz frequency band will mean a shorter distance and a faster speed, in comparison to 2.4Ghz. Connection is usually automatic to the 2.4Ghz band unless you are very close to the router. Therefore signal strength can be deceptive, UNLESS the speed is also similar.

Hope that helps 👍
 
Also if you are still within the return period for the wifi extender and if you are open to considering other options of improving wi-fi signal around the house, I recommend a powerline adapter, this uses the electrical wiring in your house. The adapter has a port to make an Ethernet connection in addition to the ability to transform into a wi-fi hotspot.

Powerline adapters are generally seen to be more effective in getting a good signal around the house. Not saying this can’t be done with a wifi repeater, but experimentation and investigation is required with regards to the ideal placement of the wifi extender.
 
Thanks again for all replies. The matter of excessive network traffic and dead IP addresses had nothing to do with it.

In any case the "mesh" indeed must mean that the extender has the same SSID as the router and it was working all along. This allows you to connect to the network and move your device around and connect seamlessly to either the router or the extender. (But doesn't this happen automatically anyway once you're entered the password?)

I again attempted to log on to it, this time successfully, and disabled that feature. Now both the 2G and 5G are visible and I was able to connect with both my PC and my smartphone.


now visible.jpg


Like many of you who are members of this forum, I am what they call an "accidental techie" simply because I know more about this stuff than anybody else working here. (And I know which discussion groups to join 😄.)

Sometimes there's a happy ending.
 
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