NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
We've unlocked the potential of our WiFi Extenders by adding WiFi Mesh!
Our latest firmware update allows users of our EX6400 and EX7300 extenders to enjoy the benefits of WiFi Mesh! With a single WiFi Network Name and Smart Roaming, you can create a whole hom...
I have a r7800 running smart connect. I read the manual posted in this thread and trying to figure out if the EX7300 supports smart connect. Also if the router broadcasts one ip which band does the extender connect to? I don’t think a Triband extender gives me any benefit since the router is dual band. I would like to have one name in my home using smart connect if available.
RJG202 wrote:
I have a r7800 running smart connect.
Nighthawk extenders call this feature "one wifi name", which I think better describes it.
That feature isn't listed in the EX7300 user manual, but it is on the Netgear product page ( https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-range-extenders/ex7300.aspx ). I suspect the user manual is just a bit behind the newer branding.
RJG202 wrote:
Also if the router broadcasts one ip which band does the extender connect to?
The extender connects to a wifi network - using the network name (SSID). It doesn't connect to an IP address. With FastLane you choose whether you are connecting on 2.4g or 5g. That only gives you a single band for your clients - one reason to get a triband extender. More on that below.
RJG202 wrote:
I don’t think a Triband extender gives me any benefit since the router is dual band.
Actually it does offer significant benefits. An extender is a relay - everything it receives from clients is forwarded to the router (and vice versa). The router->extender link is often called the "backhaul". Dual band extenders are doing this relaying with a single (shared) radio. That shared radio can only do one thing at a time - first communicating with a client and then communicating with the router. So sharing the radio cuts the performance in half.
Triband extenders let you dedicate one 5G radio to the backhaul (using Netgear's FastLane feature), and use a different 5G radio with your devices. The two radios operate independently - communicating with the client and the router at the same time. That eliminates the performance bottleneck that results when you share the radio. This benefit is delivered even if the router is only dual band.
StephenB wrote:
Triband extenders let you dedicate one 5G radio to the backhaul (using Netgear's FastLane feature), and use a different 5G radio with your devices. The two radios operate independently - communicating with the client and the router at the same time. That eliminates the performance bottleneck that results when you share the radio. This benefit is delivered even if the router is only dual band.
Thanks, I think I understand that I can dedicate one 5GZ band on the triband extended to the backhaul base on what you mentioned. Since my R7800 is dual band and I am now leaning towards a tri-band extender, I have a few questions. Can the router handle sharing the 5GHZ band with my local clients and the extender? Should I have beam forming on and MU-MIMO on? I am getting coverage in my 2 story home and basement but the basement tends to connect to 2.4 ghz band probably 30% of the time, the 5ghz band when it does connect it a little bit of a low signal, probably due to distance. The router is on the middle floor right now, that is why I was looking to extend.
I am not in no way a power user home, maybe some video streaming via netflix, VPN and a few smart phones.
RJG202 wrote:
Can the router handle sharing the 5GHZ band with my local clients and the extender? Yes.
RJG202 wrote:
Should I have beam forming on and MU-MIMO on?It doesn't matter as far as the extender is concerned.
Personally I leave beam forming off. If your smart phones support MU-MIMO, then you should turn that on.
RJG202 wrote:
StephenB wrote:
Triband extenders let you dedicate one 5G radio to the backhaul (using Netgear's FastLane feature), and use a different 5G radio with your devices. The two radios operate independently - communicating with the client and the router at the same time. That eliminates the performance bottleneck that results when you share the radio. This benefit is delivered even if the router is only dual band.
Thanks, I think I understand that I can dedicate one 5GZ band on the triband extended to the backhaul base on what you mentioned. Since my R7800 is dual band and I am now leaning towards a tri-band extender, I have a few questions. Can the router handle sharing the 5GHZ band with my local clients and the extender? Should I have beam forming on and MU-MIMO on? I am getting coverage in my 2 story home and basement but the basement tends to connect to 2.4 ghz band probably 30% of the time, the 5ghz band when it does connect it a little bit of a low signal, probably due to distance. The router is on the middle floor right now, that is why I was looking to extend.
I am not in no way a power user home, maybe some video streaming via netflix, VPN and a few smart phones.
So I am looking to pair the Ex8000 with my R7800, would it be best to dedicate the 1733MBPS channel on the extender as the backhaul? Will that kill my roouter? I am not too heavily utilized, just need extra range.
RJG202 wrote:
So I am looking to pair the Ex8000 with my R7800, would it be best to dedicate the 1733MBPS channel on the extender as the backhaul? Will that kill my router? I am not too heavily utilized, just need extra range.That's what I would do. It won't kill your router. If the extender is properly placed, it should ensure that the extender->router backhaul won't be a performance bottleneck.