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CKnightX's avatar
CKnightX
Aspirant
Sep 14, 2026

Two SSIDs

I have an RS280, and even with smart connect on without separating the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz broadcasts, with no guest network on, I constantly have two copies of my SSID.  They are both showing Wi-Fi 7.  Whenever I try to connect to the other, I have to re-enter the password.  I can't see any differences between them, although I often lose connectivity when moving from one area to another.  The wifi symbol shows without the 7, and I have to turn my phone's wifi off and on again to actually get any connectivity.  I am not sure if the last part is related or not as there is no way to tell the difference between the two SSIDs.

My question is, why do I constantly have two exact copy SSIDs, and is there a way of having it return to only one, so there is less network confusion?

2 Replies

  • FURRYe38's avatar
    FURRYe38
    Guru - Experienced User

    Brand and model# phone do you have?

    Is the phone the only device showing this? Do other devices show this?

    Does these two appear in a wifi scanning application? 

     

    What firmware version is loaded on the router? 

    What happens if you disable Smart Connect? Does each frequency appear differently? 

    What channels are you using? Try 1 and 40 or 11 and 48.

     

    Try a factory reset and setup from scratch with a ethernet connected PC and web browser? Press the reset button in back for 15 seconds then release. 

    https://kb.netgear.com/22697/How-do-I-install-my-NETGEAR-router-using-the-router-web-interface