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Forum Discussion
DGlennon
Dec 29, 2016Aspirant
Nighthawk R7000 - Doesn't reach far enough; do I need a more powerful router, or add an Access Point
Just bought a Nighthawk R7000 to improve my WIFI signal, but it didn't work. Not a super long distance (about 35'), but apparently too many walls in between the router location and the laptop locati...
netwrks
Dec 29, 2016Master
All an Acess Point does, is extend your LAN. You're in a great position if you have ethernet throughout your home.. If you have the $$$, pick up an EX7000, configure as Access Point. Or if you have an old router lying around, configure it as an Access Point. The best would be something with external antennae's like the R7000.
- DGlennonDec 29, 2016Aspirant
Thanks for the info. What would be the advantage of getting the EX7000 over something like the EX6100? I currently have one computer and one phone which use the wifi (might find new uses in the future though!).
- netwrksDec 29, 2016Master
The EX7000 is an AC1900 class extender / Access point, as is your R7000. I'm not a big fan of those little plug in devices. Thie nice thing about the EX700 (or any router for that matter in AP mode) is that you can use the LAN ports to connect other devices into, as your network grows. I guess, ultimately, it all depends on the budget..
- DGlennonDec 30, 2016Aspirant
I took your recommendation and purchased the EX7000. Got it set up, and it works--my WIFI speed throughout the house is now greatly improved. One followup question: I now have two different WIFI names. The main router is NETGEAR##, and the Extender is NETGEAR##-EXT. Any way to combine them into one name? I had assumed this would have been done automatically, but maybe I missed a step.