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Forum Discussion
EX700 wifi dropping signal
Hi there, I have 3 Netgear devices in my home. One is the C7100V that I recently put in place to replace my Comcast Modem. As far as I can tell this is working fine and WiFi is working fine on ...
1.Check the power system. Maybe it`s just problem with electicity.
2.Driver versions? Did you update your EX700?
The power system is not an issue as there are multiple devices connected to the same power source as both EX700's.
The firmware version on both is the same: V1.0.1.94_1.0.172
A couple things.
1. Netgear doesn't have an EX700. based off firmware and your listing, you must mean EX7000
2. When the extenders are hardwired into the router and are setup as an extender, it can cause issues/not work properly. If you're hardwiring them into the router, they need to be in AP mode. (It'd also be the fastest mode)
2. If they're in AP mode, they don't function as a mesh device with their smart roaming. They need to be on separate wireless channels to prevent interference. You can use the same SSID (I wouldn't) like with a mesh network but it won't roam like a mesh network as devices will tend to stay connected until the signal deteriorates to the point of unusable or the device disconnects, reconnects.
3. Daisy chaining extenders (over wireless) also can be an issue. Not a problem if you're hardwiring them in but if you're using them wireless and in mesh mode, they can end up connected to each other and cause issues. its why I recommend people move to an actual mesh system like Netgear Orbi or MK nighthawk when they're needing more than 1 extender.
So try this.
Hardwire in the access points. Use a different ssid's from the router and make sure you've spread out the wireless channels you're using to prevent interference. Try that.
Appreciate the reply, however, I don't want to have separate SSID's as that is what I had before and that was hard for my wife to grasp that the house has multiple networks and depending upon where she is in the house she needs to ensure she is on the right network, if the phone/ipad doesn't automatically switch over.
That is why I went with the Mesh Network, so it would be transparent.
You stated that is the extender is hardwired to the router that causes the mesh network not to work, why? I am curious. There doesn't seem to be anything (that I could find) on the Netgear website that indicates not to do this. I'm not sure why that should be an issue too, hardwire and WiFi are separate.
So, I really don't want to go back to the AC mode and different SSID's. Hoping someone else can shed some light.
Also, yes, EX7000, sorry, too many zeros for my eyes.
Smart roaming is a function of both the device and the router used. The device itself chooses when to roam from router/extender. In access point mode, it disables the smart roaming of the extender. It could be because they have to be on seperate channels (or should) to prevent interference. Or it could be because netgear doesn't want to eat into the Orbi/MK market. Not sure exactly why and haven't gotten a clear answer from Netgear other than it doesn't function when ran in AP mode.
So if you want to run them with single ssid function, connect them wireless to the router and run them that route.
If you're going to hardwire them in and setup your own "mesh" using the same ssid, you'll continue to have issue.
The only consumer devices from Netgear that support mesh in both wired and wireless backhaul are the Orbi/MK series.
Everything else only works in mesh over wireless.
Smallnetbuilder did a while 5x series on smart roaming and you're welcome to read through it for more info.
Wi-Fi Roaming Secrets Revealed - SmallNetBuilder
Again, I'll reiterate that if you're setting up the extenders in wireless backhaul, to avoid daisy chain. Each link in the chain cuts their throughput in half.
