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Forum Discussion
tennhall
May 13, 2017Initiate
Is mywifiext.com safe?
I was attempting to set up my extender for 5G today but was having problems so went to mywifiext.com. A chat window opened and then a tech called me. I allowed him to access my computer to get it set...
TheEther
May 13, 2017Guru
mywifiext.com and mywifiext.net are safe and go to the same place on Netgear's website. The chat window that opened was either a coincidence or you mistyped the URL. Don't call that number back. It's definitely a scam. If they installed any software on your computer, then uninstall it immediately. If they logged into your router, then undo any changes.
What's supposed to happen is that you are supposed to connect to your extender's Wi-Fi network. Then you open a browser to either mywifiext.net or mywifiext.com. The extender will intercept that connection and redirect it to the extender. Then you can proceed to set up the extender. It's a clever trick employed by Netgear to help you set things up without using an IP address. No traffic is supposed to go out to the Internet.
But if you aren't connected to the extender, then mywifiext.net or mywifiext.net will go out to the Internet to Netgear's site. You should see a webpage that says that you aren't connected to the extender. This is supposed to be a clue that you didn't connect to the extender's Wi-Fi network before pointing your browser at mywifiext.net or mywifiext.com.
tennhall
May 13, 2017Initiate
Oh my! I looked at my history and I accidentally put a dash between wifi and ext! mywifi-ext.com. He was in my router settings and also used cmd to access something on my computer and made changes. I thought it was ok because years ago I had a Linksys router and they accessed my computer to fix an issue. So if I change my router password would that prevent further access? The problem is, I can't log out of my router settings. I have AT&T and there is no log out option. Now I'm a nervous wreck!
- TheEtherMay 13, 2017Guru
mywifi-ext.com is registered to a place in Australia and is definitely not a Netgear website.
You should definitely change your router password. Unfortunately, that may not be enough. They may have installed malware on your computer. You should scan your computer for viruses and uninstall any recently installed programs that you don't recognize. Look for guides on the Internet for scanning for malware. If you really want to play it safe, then back up your personal data and reinstall your O/S (i.e. Windows or OSX).
Good luck.