As you will notice in the picture below I have only created 1 LAN for each of the 2.4 and 5 GHz channels. For some reason however, my extender will allow itself to develop alternate VLANs ,which have not been created, and allowing devices to connect through these alternate SSID's(as you will see in the picture below.) What can be done to prevent this anomaly from reoccuring?

You should be able to see the images now. I see no evidence of any vlans. Note that if you are using one SSID on your network, the extenders and the router will still use different BSSIDs. Those can result in multiple networks with the same name in your wifi clients.

jpow01 wrote: For example I named my 2.4 GHZ channel extend24; after a while my devices would connect to extend24 2 or extend24 3 or extend24 4. They were not connecting to the SSID I had made but a replica with a different number to it. I don't know how best to describe it. What you describe here is more an oddity in how some clients (say Windows) are handling the stored or known wireless (and sometimes even wired) connections and the sometimes weired logic of mapping network names with locations. We randomly see (or have seen) similarity things, and some times later it's like some "garbage collection" going on cleaning up and streamlining these multiple entries into a single one. You might ask Microsoft respectively the computer OEM which licensed Windows what does cause this. It's not that the wireless name which has changed.

No, this is not about how and where Microsot does store the SSIDs, it's much more on how they associate them with a site or location. The things you see there with the postfix " 2" and " 3" are duplicated entries and don't reflect indiviudual SSIDs.

schumaku wrote: The things you see there with the postfix " 2" and " 3" are duplicated entries and don't reflect indiviudual SSIDs. Correct. One aspect of this is that when you have multiple APs (or routers, extenders), each packet your client sends still has to be directed to a specific AP. SSID (Service Set Identifier): name of the network. BSSID ( Base Service Set Identifier): identifies a specific AP (or router, extender). The client knows both the BSSID and SSID, since the packets are sent (and received) from a specific BSSID. When you roam to/from the extender (using OneName), the SSID remains the same, but the BSSID changes when the client switches to the another AP. So even when the SSID matches, there are still multiple wireless networks.

Would be interesting news if Netgear consumer devices were supporting VLANs. Talking more of WiFi SSIDs (Wireless Network Names) here. Can't see the pictures yet as these require moderator apporval. Best guess you talk for example of: • Existing WiFi network name. MyNetworkName • New extended network names. MyNetworkName_2GEXT and MyNetworkName_5GEXT

Netgear EX6200 creating Vlans | NETGEAR Communities

11 Replies

schumaku
Guru - Experienced User
Oct 21, 2018
Would be interesting news if Netgear consumer devices were supporting VLANs. Talking more of WiFi SSIDs (Wireless Network Names) here. Can't see the pictures yet as these require moderator apporval.

Best guess you talk for example of:

• Existing WiFi network name. MyNetworkName

• New extended network names. MyNetworkName_2GEXT and MyNetworkName_5GEXT
- StephenB
  Guru - Experienced User
  Oct 21, 2018
  You should be able to see the images now.
  
  I see no evidence of any vlans.
  
  Note that if you are using one SSID on your network, the extenders and the router will still use different BSSIDs. Those can result in multiple networks with the same name in your wifi clients.
- jpow01
  Aspirant
  Oct 21, 2018
  I've had this router for several years now. This is the base router. As you will notice I do not have bridge/vlan routing enabled or configured.
jpow01
Aspirant
Oct 21, 2018
My base router(Netgear R7000) has both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz channels. I use my range extender(Netgear EX6200) 135' away, extending both 2.4 and 5 GHz channels. On my range extender I have connected to both channels on the base router using the SSID of the router. I then named both the 2.4 and 5 GHz channel with a unique SSID. After two to three months I started noticing that my devices were not being connected through the SSID's that I had created but a copy of the SSID. For example I named my 2.4 GHZ channel extend24; after a while my devices would connect to extend24 2 or extend24 3 or extend24 4. They were not connecting to the SSID I had made but a replica with a different number to it. I don't know how best to describe it.
- schumaku
  Guru - Experienced User
  Oct 22, 2018
  jpow01 wrote:
  
  For example I named my 2.4 GHZ channel extend24; after a while my devices would connect to extend24 2 or extend24 3 or extend24 4. They were not connecting to the SSID I had made but a replica with a different number to it. I don't know how best to describe it.
  
  What you describe here is more an oddity in how some clients (say Windows) are handling the stored or known wireless (and sometimes even wired) connections and the sometimes weired logic of mapping network names with locations. We randomly see (or have seen) similarity things, and some times later it's like some "garbage collection" going on cleaning up and streamlining these multiple entries into a single one. You might ask Microsoft respectively the computer OEM which licensed Windows what does cause this.
  
  It's not that the wireless name which has changed.
  - jpow01
    Aspirant
    Oct 22, 2018
    So it would just be the way that the PC NIC stores SSID's? Are there any known security risks associated with this? Would setting a static IP for my devices help to connect it to a specific SSID or would it still just be an issue from the PC NIC? My next thought was it could have been that I have set some devices with a static IP through Address Reservation setting; I don't know if this could cause anything like this.

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Netgear EX6200 creating Vlans