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jmvandeel's avatar
jmvandeel
Aspirant
Apr 03, 2020

EX8000 Extender not syncing the 5GHz channel from R7800 router

Hi all, I have a Netgear Router R7800 (V1.0.2.68) sending out a 5GHz signal using channel 120, as was recommended during the Smart Setup. I also have a Netgear Extender EX8000 (V1.0.1.192).

 

On both devices, I have enabled Smart Connect ( Let the router intelligently select the best 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WiFi band for your WiFi connections. Smart Connect requires that the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi networks use the same WiFi network name (SSID), security options, and password.)

 

On the Extender I also enabled "Sync Configuration from NETGEAR Router"

 

As you can see on the screenshot, the extender is not syncing the same channels as the router. And therefore have a lower bandwidth to my desktop.

 

Please advise.

3 Replies

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru - Experienced User
    Apr 03, 2020

    I think theres a little misunderstanding. If you look at the spec sheet for the EX8000.

    WiFi
    — Band 1: 400Mbps @2.4GHz - 256QAM
    — Band 2: 866Mbps 5Ghz - 256QAM
    — Band 3: 1733Mbps 5Ghz - 256QAM

     

    It uses one of the radios exclusively to connect back to the router. so its just router----extender communication. it also tends to use the one with the best/widest bandwidth. (you can overide it but I wouldn't recommend it)  Reason why is if you put the 2x2 866mbps connection as the backhaul, that'd be the limiting factor on speed. It wouldn't matter if the desktop connect to the wider channel as it'd be limited by the backhaul's speed.  So its using the band 3 connection for the backhaul. That way your desktop can pull full speed when it does connect and still have bandwidth for hardwired in devices. 

     

    Does that help? 

    • jmvandeel's avatar
      jmvandeel
      Aspirant
      Apr 04, 2020

      Thank you for your quick reply.

       

      So if I understand correctly, the channel on 5Ghz from the router to the Extender is only for communication between those two devices?

      And that connection should be the highest bandwidth?

       

      If you have any recommendation for my setup, what channels to use, please let me know

      • plemans's avatar
        plemans
        Guru - Experienced User
        Apr 04, 2020
        jmvandeel wrote:

        Thank you for your quick reply.

         

        So if I understand correctly, the channel on 5Ghz from the router to the Extender is only for communication between those two devices?----In extender mode, correct. That's how you get the best performance out of an extender. If its running in AP (access point) mode, then all 3 bands are usable but it needs to be hardwired in. 

        And that connection should be the highest bandwidth?  it should. The most restrictive point (bottleneck) is the fastest something can go. so if your backhaul is the narrow/slower speed, its going to restrict the wider/faster speed to only as much as the backhaul will allow through.

         

        If you have any recommendation for my setup, what channels to use, please let me know

        in terms of what channels to use, I'd recommend downloading a free scanner app/program like acrylic or inssider. Do a channel scan and it'll show you what channels are in use and you can choose which works best for your area.