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Forum Discussion
ggb1979
Dec 15, 2025Aspirant
Confused by legacy network extenders still connecting
hi would appreciate some advice I am UK based, with vodafone fibre 500 connection. Recently purchased orbi 370 with 1 base unit and 2 satalites to replace the vodafone default router and voda...
Austin_Netgear1
Dec 22, 2025NETGEAR Expert
Hi ggb1979 ,
We’ve reviewed the screenshots and the discussion so far, and we understand this behavior doesn’t match normal Orbi operation.
To help confirm the source of the _EXT / _5GEXT SSIDs, could you please try changing the Orbi’s main SSID to a completely new name and also set a new Wi-Fi password, at a time that’s convenient for you, and then observe whether those networks still appear?
At the same time, please also check the Orbi app’s connected devices list to see whether any previously shown extender-type devices disappear after the change.
This will help us determine whether the _EXT / _5GEXT SSIDs are coming from an automatic extender rather than the Orbi system itself.
Thank you.
Austin
- Austin_Netgear1Dec 22, 2025NETGEAR Expert
Hi ggb1979
Based on the latest update you shared, it’s now clear that the _EXT / _5GEXT SSIDs were coming from a third-party WiFi adapter that was acting as an extender. Since powering off that device caused the extended networks to disappear, no further testing is needed on your side.
This confirms that the Orbi system itself was not generating those SSIDs.
Thank you for taking the time to investigate this and for sharing the additional details — it was very helpful in getting to the root cause.
Regards,
Austin