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Forum Discussion
EX6100v2 Signal dropping constantly
I have a Netgear wifi range extender model EX6100v2 and the signal drops all the time. The problem doesnt seem to be with my router, distance, or anything of that sort because I have a Linksys wifi a...
Hi Hansom,
Welcome to the community!
1. What is the firmware version of the extender?
2. When you say "the signal drops", do you lose the SSID/WiFi signal or just just the Internet access?
3. Have you tried changing the wireless channel?
4. What is the status of he router link LED when it drops?
5. Have you tried resetting the extender?
Regards,
Dexter
Community Team
Ok, so I believe the situation may be resolved my problem, though not perfectly. I have come to believe that when two AC750 (EX6500) units are both set up as extenders (i.e. they are connected to a router by ethernet) AND they are within radio range of each other, they do not coordinate their frequencies. So as time passes if they are set to auto (they adjust to the best frequency) they will at some point sooner or later pick the same frequency, and jam each other - and clients on either one loose their connection. For some reason this also appears to happen if I specify a particular frequency (i.e. not set to auto).
So, to resolve this issue, I set one of them as an extender. The extender is set to repeat the access point's signal. In this configuration, I THINK that the two units are forced to coordinate frequencies. I find that often the nearest EX6100 (which is the extender) will drop my client, and I'll wind up on the far EX6100 (the access point), but I still remain connected to the internet. As I say, its not perfect, but its much less frustrating than the original situation.
Normally a single band or dual band extender needs to use the same channels as your router. That's because it only has one radio per band - which can't be tuned to two channels at the same time. The only way to avoid this is to use fastlane.
In AP mode the channels can be independent. I agree it's reasonable idea to manually assign them, especially in the 2.4 ghz band where the channels overlap.
Generally speaking it seems very odd that changing one of the EX6100s to extender mode would reduce the signal drops - I can't think of any mechanism that would do that, especially when the channels are manually assigned. Even when there is interference, you can almost always still connect - you might see somewhat lower performance, but you normally won't see a drop.
Well, I suppose then the difficulty then might be a neighbor's wifi signal interferring with mine (there are quite a few detectable transmitters outside my home within range) or possibly interference from non-network appliances inside my house. I originally installed the second EX6100 to deal with a dead zone due to interference from what I believe was caused by the internal duct work associated with a clothes dryer. Perhaps when the dryer operates the radio environment changes enough to confound the system.
Certainly metal ductwork can block the signal. Technically that's not interference, since it doesn't create a competing signal.
Your neighbor's wifi can cause a reduction in throughput but generally it won't actually result in a connection drop. Appliances and other radio technologies running in the 2.4 ghz could do that though.
