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Forum Discussion
talljr1
Jul 31, 2016Aspirant
EX2700 OR EX3700 AS ACCESS POINT
Can I hardwire the 2700/3700 to an ATT Uverse Modem/Router? I have tried other extenders and they seem to be unreliable (dropping connection for example). I was thinking that hardwiring would make it...
TheEther
Aug 01, 2016Guru
You cannot hardwire the EX2700 to a router.
You can hardwire the EX3700 to a router.
Hardwiring is definitely more reliable and efficient. There isn't the 50% speed penalty normally experienced with wireless range extenders.
The SSID can be the same or different.
- talljr1Aug 01, 2016Aspirant
Thank you very much and just so I am clear, this is how it will work.
I can run an ethernet cable from my UVERSE Router/Modem to the EX3700. The Uverse unit will still have WIFI via my current SSID. When I setup the EX3700, I can name that WIFI SSID the same name, correct? That way, when I move between the zones or access points, it will pick up the strongest signal.
- talljr1Aug 01, 2016Aspirant
I'm glad I read the reviews on Newegg to discover the Ethernet port is not a 1GB port. Not really worth it to run a hard line to my router if I am only getting 100mb.
- TheEtherAug 01, 2016Guru
talljr1 wrote:Thank you very much and just so I am clear, this is how it will work.
I can run an ethernet cable from my UVERSE Router/Modem to the EX3700. The Uverse unit will still have WIFI via my current SSID. When I setup the EX3700, I can name that WIFI SSID the same name, correct?
Correct.
That way, when I move between the zones or access points, it will pick up the strongest signal.WRT Netgear router and range extenders, that is up to the device to decide.
Apple iOS devices can use 802.11k, 802.11r and 802.11v to coordinate roaming based on information provided by the network (link), but AFAIK, Netgear routers do not support these protocols. In the absence of this support, iPhones are notorious for not roaming to the strongest signal (see here for a description for iOS's roaming behavior). It's my understanding that Apple Airport Express routers do support these protocols. I heard that some Linksys routers now support it.
On OSX, you can adjust the roaming behavior via the command line (see here).
On Windows, any roaming behavior would be up to the Wi-Fi driver. Not all drivers have options to control roaming.