NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.

Forum Discussion

range_extender's avatar
range_extender
Follower
Oct 11, 2024

Nighthawk RS700S short range

I just unpacked an RS700 to replace the old #Nighthawk Ax12 RAX200, which has provided a good signal throughout most of the house for many years. Range is important, which is why I bought an RS700 after reading that it should have a good range. When I compare now, it only has half the range compared to the RAX200. It has a good connection to the WAN and delivers Wi-Fi as expected when I'm sitting next to it, but as soon as I leave the room, the coverage is halved or gone. It is placed at exactly the same spot as the RAX200. What's wrong?

2 Replies

  • plemans's avatar
    plemans
    Guru
    Oct 11, 2024

    make sure you're on the latest firmware and you do a factory reset/reinstall. 

    If that doesn't help, exchange it. 

    I've seen a few posts about users c/o this same issue but I haven't seen a fix. 

    Makes me wonder if there's a few with sketchy chips or loose antenna's on them. 

  • ShadowMario3's avatar
    ShadowMario3
    Luminary
    Oct 11, 2024

    If you have SmartConnect enabled, turn it off. That way, you can differentiate between the different SSIDs (after you rename them) for 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz. If you are still having range issues on 2.4GHz and 5GHz (6GHz is naturally short), you will need to contact Netgear support.

     

    Also, note that range can depend on the power of the wifi device itself. For example, I had a Google Pixel 7 Pro that didn't see the 6GHz wifi too well when I was in a lower floor. When I upgraded to the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, it is able to connect to the 6GHz wifi from the lower floor with no issue.