old password & SSID for disconnected N600 connects on new AC1900

[emoze-2]

my N600 DGND3700 was replaced 6 months ago by a newer Nighthawk AC1900;  the 2 units have different SSID's & passwords yet i can still connect to the AC1900 from iPhone & iPad using the old N600 password &  SSID - only discovered this when a guest arrived who had the old login on an iPhone, so tried it on my iPad & it connects perfectly ??????? ( old N600 is in a box in garage)

[emoze-2 · Accepted solution]

SOLVED

turns out the old DGND3700 SSID and password were saved into my TP-Link 8610 ethernet/wifi powerline device when i used the WPS button process for setting it up long ago - so the netgear info registered into the TP-Link device 2.4GHz channel - it was then possible to log into that device which was ethernet connected to the new Netgear D7000 DSL router.  I recently ditched Netgear & DSL in favor of a new ATT Internet AIR setup - the old netgear login still worked via the TP-Link; .... finally i used the TP-Link tpPLC software to discover the old netgear info was still there ... reset the ssid's & passwords - old Netgear ghost  is now gone forever

(p.s., the ATT AIR device is amazing  - 100Mbps downloads vs the old ATT DSL that never bested 2.4Mbps)

[michaelkenward]

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@emoze-2 wrote:

my N600 DGND3700 was replaced 6 months ago by a newer Nighthawk AC1900

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What is the new router?

AC1900 is not a reliable guide to model number. Many devices come with an AC tag, but it is essentially a label that Netgear, and other brands, attach to hardware to describe wifi speeds.

Look at the label on the device for the model number.

What modem/gateway/ONT – make and model number – connects your network to the Internet? These can be modem/routers, which complicates matters.

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the 2 units have different SSID's & passwords yet i can still connect to the AC1900 from iPhone & iPad using the old N600 password &  SSID - only discovered this when a guest arrived who had the old login on an iPhone, so tried it on my iPad & it connects perfectly ??????? ( old N600 is in a box in garage)

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Are you saying that the guest connected to the wifi with the old SSID and password?

You can change the SSID and password to whatever you like. (Within reason.) Your new router can have the same SSID and password if you set it up like that. This is a pretty common, and highly advised, strategy because then you don't have to rebuild the wifi connections to your wifi clients.

[emoze-2]

yes - the guest connected to the new AC1900 R7000 wifi with the old N600 SSID and password

WHY does the new router with a different SSID & password allow the old disconnected unit's SSID & password to access it ??????

the new router has a different SSID & password - so there is no reason to change it

i can do the same " old log-in" with my iPad - WHY ?????

[michaelkenward]

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@emoze-2 wrote:

i can do the same " old log-in" with my iPad - WHY ?????

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There are plenty of things going on there. Troubleshooting is a case of ruling out possibilities.

You could start by answering the other questions I posed.

Let's start with this one.

"What modem/gateway/ONT – make and model number – connects your network to the Internet? These can be modem/routers, which complicates matters."

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yes - the guest connected to the new AC1900 R7000 wifi with the old N600 SSID and password

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Interesting that you managed to find one of those. The R7000 dates back to 2014. What firmware do you have installed on it?

Did you set it up? Or did someone do it for you? If so, and they had any sense, they would have put the same SSID and password on the new router.

[emoze-2]

obviously i asked the wrong question

apologize for having an "old" DSL router - it happens that new ones cannot be had cuz DSL is obsolete from netgear's & this forum's  perspective- so this AC1900 D7000 (which is what it says on the underside label) & which still does appear in the netgear associated product list in this forum is the newest one i could find - it has a preset SSID and password

- ( i did not feel it was necessary to change it to match the old dead N600 DGND3700v2 SSID pw )

i also maybe apologize for offending by being a DIY tech, albeit with 30 yrs of related computer & pc experience

[michaelkenward]

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@emoze-2 wrote:

so this AC1900 D7000 (which is what it says on the underside label) & which still does appear in the netgear associated product list in this forum is the newest one i could find

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Just because the "drop down" doesn't include your device there is nothing to stop you from including the model number in the text. Throwing in a random number just wastes everyone's time.

As it is, apart from the D7000, I now have no idea what is on your network or what your problem is.

[emoze-2 · Accepted solution]

SOLVED

turns out the old DGND3700 SSID and password were saved into my TP-Link 8610 ethernet/wifi powerline device when i used the WPS button process for setting it up long ago - so the netgear info registered into the TP-Link device 2.4GHz channel - it was then possible to log into that device which was ethernet connected to the new Netgear D7000 DSL router.  I recently ditched Netgear & DSL in favor of a new ATT Internet AIR setup - the old netgear login still worked via the TP-Link; .... finally i used the TP-Link tpPLC software to discover the old netgear info was still there ... reset the ssid's & passwords - old Netgear ghost  is now gone forever

(p.s., the ATT AIR device is amazing  - 100Mbps downloads vs the old ATT DSL that never bested 2.4Mbps)

[michaelkenward]

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@emoze-2 wrote:

(p.s., the ATT AIR device is amazing  - 100Mbps downloads vs the old ATT DSL that never bested 2.4Mbps)

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The DGND3700 is an ADSL modem router from 2011. VDSL can do much better. When my ISP isn't messing me around, I can get a bit over 70 Mbps